Catholic Bishops on Abortion

Are the pronouncements of the Roman Catholic bishops truly pro-life and are the bishops “the only moral conscience in our country,” as Los Angeles Archbishop Roger Mahony has stated? I think not.

The Catholic bishops are caught in as much moral ambiguity as other religious leaders. In fact one can argue that the results of their teachings put them in the position of being pro-abortion and anti-choice. Abortion cannot be dealt with in a vacuum but must be seen in the wider context of family planning, contraceptives, the rights of both the woman and the fetus, and even the moral issues of poverty and world population. When one looks beyond the highly charged words of Catholic bishops on abortion and sees the increased need for abortions caused by their flawed teachings on human sexuality one can only conclude that they are pro-abortion and anti-choice.

I served as a bishop of the Lutheran Church in America for most of the past decade. During this decade the Christian denominations made great strides in their ecumenical relations. It saddens me that the Catholic bishops are willing to sacrifice this progress in the name of a claimed superiority of moral position on the subject of abortion.

I am less than satisfied with my own anti-abortion and pro-choice position but will live with the moral ambiguity of my position in preference to theirs.

STANLEY E. OLSON

Pastor, Grace Lutheran Church

Santa Barbara