Dear Judie,

I am voting for the third party canidate, Chuck Baldwin, (from the Constitution Party) for president, because he is the only 100% pro-life canidate. I am taking serious heat from fellow Catholics who say I am "Throwing my vote away" or "Making it possible for Obama to win". I tell them that my conscience won't allow me to vote for the "lesser of two evils", since McCain is not 100% pro-life (He supports stem-cell research, voted to give tax dollars to Planned Parenthood, and thinks there should be exceptions to no abortion such as rape, incest, and the life of the mother.) They tell me that I am going against Church teaching voting for a canidate that can't possibly win. What is the truth, Judie? Your group is the only 100% pro-life group out there. Thank you very much for your time on this.

Dear Cathy

Let me explain first that Ambassador Alan Keyes is a one hundred percent candidate as well, and extremely articulate in his arguments in defense of the human person.

People who argue that someone is going against Church teaching because they choose to vote for an individual who is not a candidate in one of the two major parties are simply wrong! The Church provides us with moral guidelines and the Church helps us through the teachings of the magisterium to do the right thing, but the Catholic Church does not tell anyone for whom to vote.

To my mind people who toss such arguments out there for general consumption are people without hope. They honestly believe that an elected official can end abortion, but that is simply wrong. And I have to tell you, it is costing the pro-life movement principle and has resulted in a loss of effectiveness.

As pro-life Catholics we are serving God and defending His babies; we are not serving politics, politicians or personal opinions regarding who one should or should not support when casting a vote. If only every pro-life Catholic would put his total trust in God and His power and then get out there and demand that political candidates stand for truth. If that were to occur, perhaps there would be someone who would rise up and run for office because he or she was more committed to natural law than to deceptive tactics.

Judie Brown

COPYRIGHT 2013

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