A philosopher makes his case in The Tidings

Laws against abortion are also unenforceable, because there would still be a large number of abortions if abortion were to be criminalized. Furthermore, abortions require proper medical attention. Our society does not want to take away the legal right to proper medical attention for women choosing to have abortions. Still, there are many people in America who consider abortions to be homicides. Can a politician or public servant declare that he or she is personally opposed to abortion, and yet say that they also think a woman has the right to choose to have an abortion? If so, a Catholic politician who is pro-choice can be a Catholic in good standing.

As a public servant, the Catholic in public office has a duty to represent many people who are not Catholics. He or she must respect the consciences of their constituency. To support abortion rights as a politician is not to say that abortion is acceptable before the moral law. It is only to say that, legally, abortion is not a right that we are willing to take away from our citizens. It is presently the duty of our Catholic politicians to explain this distinction to the public. His or her own integrity and their honesty before the public would demand it. Taking such a position would require knowing St. Aquinas’ distinction between moral and civil law.