CCC Vote Brochure 2016
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VOTE 2016 GET OUT THE 1. United State Conference of Catholic Bishops, Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship, 2016, no. 5 9. Pope Francis Message for the 2013 World Day of Migrants and Refugees, October 12, 2012 IMMIGRATION Today, many families migrating to the United States see religious persecution, economic depression, lack of resources and employment, oppressive governments, and dire poverty as root causes for their migration. A flawed American immigration policy has contributed to a national problem. In response, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, while accepting the legitimate role of the government in intercepting unauthorized migrants, believes that by increasing the lawful ways for Migrants and refugees can experience, along with difficulties, new, welcoming relationships which enable them to enrich their new countries with their professional skills, their social and cultural heritage, and not infrequently, their witness of faith, which can bring a new energy and life to communities of ancient and Christian tradition, and invite others to encounter Christ and to come to know the Church. 9 migrants to enter, live and work in the U.S., law enforcement will be better able to focus on those who truly threaten public safety. The challenges immigration presents are not insurmountable, but immigration will continue to be a national concern until the government reforms its laws in a manner that upholds the dignity of all human persons. Where does the candidate stand on immigration policies that uphold the human dignity of all persons? NOVEMBER 2016 BALLOT ISSUES AMENDMENT 69 – VOTE NO. Amendment 69 would create a new healthcare system in Colorado. The Amendment is poorly written and contains very little to no transparency or accountability which is extremely dangerous considering this would affect all Coloradoans and their healthcare. AMENDMENT T – VOTE YES. Amendment T removes an exception to the prohibition of slavery that allow individuals to be held in involuntary servitude if convicted of a crime. PROPOSITION 106 – VOTE NO. Proposition 106 would legalize assisted suicide in Colorado. Legalizing assisted suicide in Colorado would expose the elderly and vulnerable in our community to exploitation by those who feel they are better off dead. ELECTION DAY IS TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 8th, 2016 – VOTE! This year as Colorado voters prepare to elect national and state leaders, they will also have the chance to vote on ballot issues that could have profound impacts on Colorado for generations to come. One of those ballot issues is Proposition 106 concerning the legalization of physician- assisted suicide. We must stress the grave dangers that legalizing physician-assisted suicide would bring to Colorado; we more fully discuss the threats posed by this proposition inside this publication. From the Catholic perspective, every election season presents an opportunity to discuss and promote the Church’s teaching on a wide range of critical topics that advance the common good, strengthen the moral fiber of society and influence the broader culture. Issues such as religious freedom, the sanctity of all human life, poverty, marriage, education, immigration and other matters that impact civil society have long been at the forefront of concern for the Church. Many Catholics find it challenging to identify candidates who share the Church’s broad range of teaching. At the same time, while some of the Church’s positions may be shared by one political party or another, it is impossible to neatly fit the whole of Catholic social teaching into a partisan view of political matters. A first step in overcoming these challenges is for Catholics to form their consciences based on the teachings of the Church. With “this foundation, Catholics are better able to evaluate policy positions, party platforms, and candidates’ promises and actions in light of the Gospel and the moral and social teaching of the Church in order to help build a better world.” 1 It is important to remember that not all moral issues carry the same weight. There are some issues we are obligated to oppose because they are intrinsically evil and can never be justified. Other issues require action to pursue justice and promote the common good. It is precisely because of the Church’s pursuit of the common good that all Catholics have a responsibility to participate in the democratic process; the outcome of this year’s elections will shape the policy and culture of our nation and our state for years to come. As Catholics we must take seriously our right and duty to participate in the act of voting and take a stand on issues that are important to us. Archbishop Fulton Sheen once remarked that the “refusal to take sides on great moral issues is itself a decision. It is a silent acquiescence to evil. The tragedy of our time is that those who still believe in honesty lack fire and conviction, while those who believe in dishonesty are full of passionate conviction.” The purpose of this publication is to expand upon issues of primary concern to the Church, and to present additional information Catholics can use to navigate this election season in light of the Church’s call to faithful citizenship. A MESSAGE FROM THE BISHOPS OF COLORADO Dear Brothers & Sisters in Christ – This November, voters across the country, and across Colorado, will cast their ballots in national and state elections. As the election approaches the political rhetoric will become more prevalent in our lives and the lives of our families. Election seasons are an important time for the Bishops of Colorado to remind Catholics, and all people of good will, about the importance of forming consciences carefully in the light of the Church’s teachings on the serious issues facing our nation and state. These issues include, but are not limited to – the dignity of all human life, religious liberty, poverty, education, immigration and physician-assisted suicide. The purpose of this message is not to endorse any candidate or political party. Instead we wish to stress the important responsibility Catholics have to properly form their consciences based on the teaching of the Catholic Church in order to become faithful citizens. Our Catholic faith resoundingly teaches the important duty we have as citizens to participate in public life: “Responsible citizenship is a virtue, and participation in political life is a moral obligation.” (Faithful Citizenship, no. 13). It is vital that we take our duty seriously, and responsibly undertake our obligations as citizens and Catholics. This election season is even more important than normal for Coloradans because we are being asked to vote on the legalization of physician-assisted suicide. The people most at risk from this destructive proposal are the elderly, the disabled, those without adequate health care and the people with little or no support system – in other words, people who pose a cost burden to their family and the state. This kind of thinking comes from the “throwaway culture” Pope Francis has warned about. We implore you to vote “NO” on this dangerous and reckless policy; it is not good for Colorado. Catholics will be faced with many important decisions during this election season. Our great desire for all Catholics is that judgments will be made in the light of truth and a properly formed conscience. The truth of our Catholic faith teaches that there is nothing more important than an unwavering commitment to defending all human life – to protecting the most vulnerable, and ensuring that life is respected in principle, policy, and most importantly in law. Our faith demands that we participate in public life and make our voices heard in the public square; let us heed this call today and always. In Christ – + Most Reverend Samuel J. Aquila, S.T.L. +Most Reverend Michael J. Sheridan, S.T.D. Archbishop of Denver Bishop of Colorado Springs + Most Reverend Stephen J. Berg Bishop of Pueblo Visit us on the web www.cocatholicconference.org Join us on Facebook Colorado Catholic Conference Colorado Catholic Conference Download our mobile app Sean Xu / Shutterstock.com
Transcript of CCC Vote Brochure 2016
VOTE2016
GET OUT THE
1. United State Conference of Catholic Bishops, Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship, 2016, no. 5
9. Pope Francis Message for the 2013 World Day of Migrants and Refugees, October 12, 2012
IMMIGRATION
Today, many families migrating to the United States see religious persecution, economic depression, lack of resources and employment, oppressive governments, and dire poverty as root causes for their migration. A flawed American immigration policy has contributed to a national problem. In response, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, while accepting the legitimate role of the government in intercepting unauthorized migrants, believes that by increasing the lawful ways for
Migrants and refugees can experience, along with difficulties, new, welcoming relationships which enable them to enrich their new countries with their professional skills, their social and cultural heritage, and not infrequently, their witness of faith, which can bring a new energy and life to communities of ancient and Christian tradition, and invite others to encounter Christ and to come to know the Church.9
migrants to enter, live and work in the U.S., law enforcement will be better able to focus on those who truly threaten public safety. The challenges immigration presents are not insurmountable, but immigration will continue to be a national concern until the government reforms its laws in a manner that upholds the dignity of all human persons.
Where does the candidate stand on immigration policies that uphold the human dignity of all persons?
NOVEMBER 2016 BALLOT ISSUESAMENDMENT 69 – VOTE NO. Amendment 69 would create a new healthcare system in Colorado. The Amendment is poorly written and contains very little to no transparency or accountability which is extremely dangerous considering this would affect all Coloradoans and their healthcare.AMENDMENT T – VOTE YES. Amendment T removes an exception to the prohibition of slavery that allow individuals to be held in involuntary servitude if convicted of a crime.PROPOSITION 106 – VOTE NO. Proposition 106 would legalize assisted suicide in Colorado. Legalizing assisted suicide in Colorado would expose the elderly and vulnerable in our community to exploitation by those who feel they are better off dead.
ELECTION DAY IS TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 8th, 2016 – VOTE!
This year as Colorado voters prepare to elect national and state leaders, they will also have the chance to vote on ballot issues that could have profound impacts on Colorado for generations to come. One of those ballot issues is Proposition 106 concerning the legalization of physician- assisted suicide. We must stress the grave dangers that legalizing physician-assisted suicide would bring to Colorado; we more fully discuss the threats posed by this proposition inside this publication.
From the Catholic perspective, every election season presents an opportunity to discuss and promote the Church’s teaching on a wide range of critical topics that advance the common good, strengthen the moral fiber of society and influence the broader culture. Issues such as religious freedom, the sanctity of all human life, poverty, marriage, education, immigration and other matters that impact civil society have long been at the forefront of concern for the Church.
Many Catholics find it challenging to identify candidates who share the Church’s broad range of teaching. At the same time, while some of the Church’s positions may be shared by one political party or another, it is impossible to neatly fit the whole of Catholic social teaching into a partisan view of political matters.
A first step in overcoming these challenges is for Catholics to form their consciences based on the teachings of the Church. With “this foundation, Catholics are better able to evaluate policy positions, party platforms, and candidates’ promises and actions in light of the Gospel and the moral and social teaching of the Church in order to help build a better world.”1 It is important to remember that not all moral issues carry the same weight. There are some issues we are obligated to oppose because they are intrinsically evil and can never be justified. Other issues require action to pursue justice and promote the common good.
It is precisely because of the Church’s pursuit of the common good that all Catholics have a responsibility to participate in the democratic process; the outcome of this year’s elections will shape the policy and culture of our nation and our state for years to come. As Catholics we must take seriously our right and duty to participate in the act of voting and take a stand on issues that are important to us. Archbishop Fulton Sheen once remarked that the “refusal to take sides on great moral issues is itself a decision. It is a silent acquiescence to evil. The tragedy of our time is that those who still believe in honesty lack fire and conviction, while those who believe in dishonesty are full of passionate conviction.”
The purpose of this publication is to expand upon issues of primary concern to the Church, and to present additional information Catholics can use to navigate this election season in light of the Church’s call to faithful citizenship.
A MESSAGE FROM THE BISHOPS OF COLORADO
Dear Brothers & Sisters in Christ –
This November, voters across the country, and across Colorado, will cast their ballots in national and state elections. As the election approaches the political rhetoric will become more prevalent in our lives and the lives of our families. Election seasons are an important time for the Bishops of Colorado to remind Catholics, and all people of good will, about the importance of forming consciences carefully in the light of the Church’s teachings on the serious issues facing our nation and state. These issues include, but are not limited to – the dignity of all human life, religious liberty, poverty, education, immigration and physician-assisted suicide. The purpose of this message is not to endorse any candidate or political party. Instead we wish to stress the important responsibility Catholics have to properly form their consciences based on the teaching of the Catholic Church in order to become faithful citizens. Our Catholic faith resoundingly teaches the important duty we have as citizens to participate in public life: “Responsible citizenship is a virtue, and participation in political life is a moral obligation.” (Faithful Citizenship, no. 13). It is vital that we take our duty seriously, and responsibly undertake our obligations as citizens and Catholics.
This election season is even more important than normal for Coloradans because we are being asked to vote on the legalization of physician-assisted suicide. The people most at risk from this destructive proposal are the elderly, the disabled, those without adequate health care and the people with little or no support system – in other words, people who pose a cost burden to their family and the state. This kind of thinking comes from the “throwaway culture” Pope Francis has warned about. We implore you to vote “NO” on this dangerous and reckless policy; it is not good for Colorado.
Catholics will be faced with many important decisions during this election season. Our great desire for all Catholics is that judgments will be made in the light of truth and a properly formed conscience. The truth of our Catholic faith teaches that there is nothing more important than an unwavering commitment to defending all human life – to protecting the most vulnerable, and ensuring that life is respected in principle, policy, and most importantly in law.
Our faith demands that we participate in public life and make our voices heard in the public square; let us heed this call today and always.
In Christ –
+ Most Reverend Samuel J. Aquila, S.T.L. +Most Reverend Michael J. Sheridan, S.T.D. Archbishop of Denver Bishop of Colorado Springs
+ Most Reverend Stephen J. Berg Bishop of Pueblo
Visit us on the webwww.cocatholicconference.org
Join us on Facebook Colorado Catholic
ConferenceColorado Catholic ConferenceDownload our mobile app
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2. Our First, Most Cherished Liberty: A Statement on Religious Liberty. U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Ad Hoc Committee for Religious Liberty, March 2012.
3. Remarks of Pope Francis during the Welcoming Ceremony, South Lawn of the White House, Washington D.C., September 23, 2015.
4. Address of Pope Francis to Italian school teachers, parents, educators, pupils and other workers, May 10, 2014.5. United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, To Live Each Day with Dignity: A Statement on Physician Assisted Suicide, 2011, pg.5
RELIGIOUSFREEDOM
SANCTITY OFHUMAN LIFE
PHYSICIANASSISTEDSUICIDE
EDUCATION
Education cannot be neutral. It is either positive or negative; either it enriches or it impoverishes; either it enables a person to grow or it lessens, even corrupts him. The mission of schools is to develop a sense of truth, of what is good and beautiful.4
ECONOMICJUSTICE
Poverty is a plague against which humanity must fight without cease.8
At the heart of a democratic society lies religious freedom, the nation’s first constitutional freedom – granted by God and guaranteed as an inalienable right by the Founding Fathers. It is the foundation for all other freedoms and while reflecting on this great freedom Pope Francis remarked “That freedom remains one of America’s most precious possessions. And, as my brothers, the United States Bishops, have reminded us, all are called to be vigilant, precisely as good citizens, to preserve and defend that freedom from everything that would threaten or compromise it.”3
It is the first freedom because if we are not free in our conscience and our practice of religion, all other freedoms are fragile.2
Ballot proposals are always important policy questions for the State of Colorado. Too often, however, voters overlook them. Voters often will choose candidates for the offices at the top of the ticket and ignore issues that appear later on the ballot. It is vitally important for voters to understand the significance of what ballot proposals would mean for the direction of our state and how important it is to vote on them – especially Proposition 106.
Therefore, one cannot uphold human freedom and dignity by devaluing human life. A choice to take one’s life is a supreme contradiction of freedom, a choice to eliminate all choices. And a society that devalues some people’s lives, by hastening and facilitating their deaths, will ultimately lose respect for their other rights and freedoms.5 While trends in America point to an increasing number of people who identify themselves as pro-life,
Catholics and all people of good will must continue to promote a culture of life by changing hearts and minds, one at a time, each and every day. Abortion remains a revered and protected “right” in various and influential sectors of society. Those who hold this position continue to support abortion on demand by opposing common sense laws such as prohibitions on partial-birth abortion or greater protections for women seeking an abortion.
In addition to abortion advocates, those who promote assisted suicide have shifted their strategy by renaming the old “Hemlock Society” into the friendlier sounding group “Compassion & Choices,” yet their goal of death on demand has not changed. And still today, despite the significant and numerous advances of acceptable adult stem cell research, supporters of embryonic research continue to destroy human embryos in the hopes of individual accomplishments, patented technologies and financial windfalls. Lastly, while its use has been in steady decline over the years, primarily due to the continued opposition from the Catholic Church, the death penalty can no longer be justified in a society where non-lethal means are sufficient to defend and protect society’s safety from the aggressor.7 Abortion on demand, assisted suicide, destructive human embryo research and the death penalty all compel Catholics to continue working for a culture of life by asking: Where does the candidate stand on protecting human life from abortion, assisted suicide, human embryo destruction and capital punishment?
Catholic teaching proclaims that a basic moral test of society is how its most vulnerable members are faring. We are called to put the needs of the poor and vulnerable first. We believe political institutions should craft just and fair policies, providing access to basic necessities. Over the past several years Colorado has enjoyed a low unemployment rate. While it has been stated that Colorado’s economy is on track, and some numbers may indicate such, Catholics are called by the Gospel to always work for the poor. Through both the state and federal budgets, elected officials must allocate available public dollars
6. Address of Pope Francis to the Italian Pro-Life Movement, April 11, 2014.
7. Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 2267.
8. Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, Public Audience, October 16, 2005.
We know that human life is sacred and inviolable. Every civil right rests on the recognition of the first and fundamental right, that of life, which is not subordinate to any condition.6
When Catholics operate a soup kitchen to feed the hungry; when Catholic agencies facilitate foster care and adoption to provide a home for abandoned or neglected children; when Catholics provide health care to anyone and everyone, they do it because they are Catholic, not because those receiving the service are Catholic. As states and our federal government seek to define who is and who is not religious and exert greater control over religious organizations and how they operate, there is good reason for all people of good will to be concerned. Catholics must ask themselves:
Where does the candidate stand on the right for religious institutions to operate and serve the general public in a manner that is consistent with their faith-based mission?
Parents are the primary educators of their children, and education policy must be crafted in a manner that places the needs of the children and parents first. Providing a child with a quality education is perhaps the most important work of a parent. By expanding parental choice options, parents gain additional tools in their effort to select how they believe their children will be best educated. The Colorado Constitution has often been a barrier to voucher programs, tuition tax credits and scholarship programs. Greater parental choice will lead to better schools and, more importantly, more options for parents. Catholics can work for more educational options by asking:
Where does the candidate stand on the expansion of parental choice opportunities in education?
This November Colorado voters will be asked to vote on Proposition 106 to determine whether or not physician- assisted suicide should be legalized in this state. This is a poorly written proposal that invites abuse of the most vulnerable. To sanction the taking of innocent human life is to contradict a primary purpose of law in an ordered society. This law would be bad for patients, bad for doctors, bad for families and bad for Colorado.
WHAT WOULD PROPOSITION 106 DO?
Proposition 106 would allow physicians to prescribe a lethal dose of medication to patients with a terminal diagnosis to allow them to commit suicide. Voters will only view the title of this proposal on the ballot, and not see the 11 pages of text that make up this initiative. Proposition 106 is a reckless proposal riddled with flaws include the following:
It interferes with the private doctor/patient/family relationship. It does not require notification of loved ones. It prohibits medical examiners from performing autopsies. It is fundamentally incompatible with the physician’s role as healer. It allows persons to doctor-shop for a physician who will grant their lethal request. It requires doctors and coroners to lie on a death certificate by stating that the patient’s cause of death was a terminal illness rather than a lethal overdose. The prescription could be picked up at a local pharmacy or mailed to a home. It provides no means for any type of oversight or accountability. It would lead to coercion of the elderly, disabled and minorities. It will lead to patients with lingering illnesses being branded as economic liabilities and decisions to encourage death will be driven by cost.
VOTE NO ON PROPOSITION 106
For more information regarding this issue please visit: www.votenoprop106.com
to programs that ensure the basic needs of the most destitute are met, helping them to achieve their full God-given potential. Catholics working for the dignity of all human persons should ask: Where does the candidate stand on promoting policies that protect the state’s and nation’s most vulnerable citizens?
Sean Pavone / Shutterstock.com
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