Conscience Vote

The recent Queensland election for State leadership, like the US election, has highlighted for me how Catholic voters can vote based on a single issue of justice concern while ignoring all else. I speak here about whether a political party permits or disallows abortion. It is a very narrow way of approaching politics, yet clearly affects hundreds of thousands of votes and cannot be discounted.

The Queensland Labour Party is pro-abortion, and now has flagged a pro-euthanasia stance as well. The Liberal/National party are seen as the conservative party here in Australia. In the US it is the Republican party that stands against abortion, while the Democrats are for it.

The reason for such a passionate divide is that both sides see themselves as fighting for a just cause. Those opposed to abortion see themselves as defending the right to life, while those who are for abortion see themselves as defending a woman’s right to make decisions about her own body. Both sides believe what they are doing is right and so see the opposition as blindly fighting for an unjust situation. The meeting point, if we can get past the passion, is to recognise that both sides are not out to deliberately commit evil, but truly believe that they are on the side of right.

The decision on the part of the voter boils down to their conscience. In this respect, the Church teaches that a person has “the right to act in conscience and in freedom so as personally to make moral decisions. A person must not be forced to act contrary to their conscience, nor must they be prevented from acting according to their conscience, especially in religious matters.” (Cat. #1782)

When it comes to the Church’s definition of what conscience is, conscience has to do with knowledge, reason and judgment about an action as good or bad. Conscience can go wrong, of course, because human perceptions and thinking are limited. That is why the Church teaches about an ‘informed’ conscience.

For this reason, I think it is important to be informed about the Catholic Church’s Social Teaching to see what it in fact has to say about human rights. Hopefully, by doing this, voters can make better informed decisions when deciding on which party to back.

The Catholic Church has a large body of official social teaching, covered in a series of Papal Encyclicals dating back to 1891 with Rerum Novarum (on the condition of labour), going right up to 2020 with Fratelli Tutti (Imagining a more caring world). The Church’s social teaching is founded on 7 principles that are meant to guide our judgment and action. They offer a basic and sound approach to understanding the human person and society in light of the Gospel message. These principles can enable us to ‘critique’ social, economic and political matters, and so judge whether or not the dignity of the human person is being compromised by certain policies and whether action needs to be taken.

The first of these principles is: The life and Dignity of the Human Person – The Church teaches that each person has been created in the image and likeness of God, and therefore possesses a basic dignity that comes from God, and not from any human quality or accomplishment, not from race or gender, age or economic status. So, the test of every institution or policy is whether it enhances or threatens human life and human dignity. (Major Vatican Documents which cover this include: Centesimus Annus [JPII – 1991] and Evangelium Vitae [JPII – 1995])

The second is: The Rights and Responsibilities of the Human Person – Flowing from our God-given dignity, each person has basic rights and responsibilities. These include:

1. The right to life – God is the author of life and therefore only God can take back a life. This is the reason for the Church’s stand against abortion, euthanasia and the death penalty.
2. The right to food, clothing, housing, healthcare, security, education, social services and employment.
3. The right to freedom of conscience.
4. The right to religious liberty.
5. The right to raise a family.
6. The right to immigrate.
7. The rite to live free from unfair discrimination.
8. And, the right to have a share of sufficient earthly goods for oneself and one’s family.

With these rights come responsibilities – to one another, to our families, to the larger society, to respect the rights of others, and to work for the common good. (Mater et Magistra [JXXIII – 1961] and Fides et Ratio [JPII – 1998])

The third is: The Call to Family, Community, and Participation – The Church teaches that the human person is not only sacred but social. We realize our dignity and rights in relationship with others, in community. No Community is more central than the family, and therefore the family needs to be supported, not undermined. It is the basic cell of society, and so the Church teaches that the state has an obligation to support the family. The family is where we learn and act on our values. The state and other institutions of political and economic life are instruments to protect the life, dignity and rights of the person; promote the well-being of our families and communities; and preserve the common good. When basic human needs are not being met by private initiative, then the Church teaches that people must work through their government, at the appropriate levels, to meet those needs. A central test of political, economic institutions is what they do to people, what they do for people, and how people participate in them. (Pacem in Terris [JXXIII – 1963]; Guadium et Spes [Vatican II – 1965]; and Octogesima Adveniens [PVI – 1971])

The fourth principle is: The Dignity of Work and the Rights of Workers – The Church teaches that work is more than a way to make a living; it is an expression of our dignity and a form of continuing participation in God’s creation. People, therefore, have the right to decent and productive work, to decent and fair wages, to own private property, and to have economic initiative. Because of this, workers have the strong support of the Church in forming and joining union and worker associations of their choosing, in the exercise of their dignity and rights. In Catholic teaching, the economy exists to serve the people, not the other way around. (Rerum Novarum [Leo XIII – 1891]; Quadragesimo Anno [Pius XI – 1931]; Laborem Exercens [JPII – 1981]; and Centesimus Annus [JPII – 1991])

The fifth is: The Option for the Poor and Vulnerable – A basic moral test of a society is how its most vulnerable members are faring. This is not a new insight; it is the lesson of the parable of the Last Judgment in Matthew’s Gospel. Our tradition calls us to put the needs of the poor and vulnerable first. As Christians, we are called to respond to the needs of all our sisters and brothers, but those with the greatest needs require the greatest response. (Rerum Novarum [Leo XIII – 1891]; and Populorum Progressio [PVI – 1967])

The sixth is: Solidarity – We are one human family, whatever our national, racial, ethnic, economic, and ideological differences. We are our brother’s and sister’s keepers. In a linked and limited world, we have responsibilities to one another across national and other boundaries. Violent conflict and denial of dignity and rights to people anywhere on the globe diminish each of us. This theme of solidarity expresses the core of the Church’s concern for world peace, global development, the environment, and international human rights. “Loving our neighbour” has global dimensions in an interdependent world. (Populorum Progressio [PVI – 1967]; Justicia in Mundo [Synod of Bishops – 1971]; and Sollicitudo Rei Socialis [JPII – 1987])

The seventh is: Care of God’s Creation – The Church teaches that what we have been given on this Earth is a gift, not a right. We are called to take responsibility as stewards and trustees of God’s creation. We have a responsibility to care for what we have received and not just be consumers and users. (Laudato Si [2015])

When we look at how voters choose which party to support, in light of what these principles state, what becomes clear to me are 2 things: the first is the incredible ignorance on the part of most Catholic voters as to what they are called to defend in terms of the dignity of the human person. Votes are cast based on the passionate belief that the defence of a principle doctrine of the faith is at stake, while oblivious to the rest of what actually constitutes the Church’s teaching of what the dignity of the human person demands defending. 

The second is the inconsistency in casting votes based on the passionate belief that you are defending Church teaching while in fact ignoring the bulk of it. For example, some vote for a party claiming to be pro-life and making their political choice based on the platform that party holds in terms of standing against abortion. Yet, when considering the rest of that party’s platform, it is clear that once that person is born, if they die of hunger because there is no social security, or if they die of infection because they cannot afford medical care due to no free healthcare, then that is OK! This is not pro-life, it is pro-birth. 

On the other side of the divide, some vote for a party that defends the environment yet are quite happy for a human fetus to be aborted. Do they believe animals have a greater right to life than human beings? 

What is clear is that if we are truly committed to following the Church and defending human rights, we need to be informed about all the policies belonging to the party in question to see how they stack up against the values of the Gospel and hence the dignity of the human person. 

Because we live in an imperfect world, and political parties have no particular loyalty to Catholic teaching, no one party will perfectly defend and support all 7 principles, due to the self interest of the members of the party or their constituents. That means that the informed Catholic’s role, apart from voting for the party that best defends the dignity of the human person, is to challenge all parties in the areas they neglect in the defence of the dignity of the human person. Our job, as followers of Christ, doesn’t end at the polling booth. That is where it begins.