Last week’s charades in Albany were embarrassing and simply put – more of what we have gotten used to in the state Capitol. Despite Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s stated desire to clean up the corruption in Albany, we have seen more disgraced politicians resigning (or being booted) from office and most of our representatives playing the politics-as-usual game.
Most embarrassing of all is the number of Catholics who turn their backs on Catholic principles when it comes to casting their votes. Assembly members and state senators cast their votes as they have been instructed to do by their party’s bosses, rather than stand up and vote out of conviction. Of course, the most grievous offender has been the governor himself.
The latest nonsense involved the governor’s attempt to ram through his radical abortion legislation. Rather than put forth the proposal as a stand alone bill, he chose to attach it to a 10-point proposal under the pretentious category of women’s rights. It was either an attempt to force Republicans to vote for the measure or a callous disregard by the governor himself for women’s rights. If he really cared about women’s rights, he would have put forth the proposals one-by-one rather than as one bulk package with a radical abortion plank.
Early in the final week of the legislative session, Cuomo played possum by declaring the abortion piece dead. But that did not stop him from trying every which way to get the bill passed. In the end, it was simply one vote in the Senate that stopped the ugly proposal that was attached to another bill.
If we are going to have an affect on the culture of death in our society, we Catholics have got to start calling our Catholic politicians to task for their votes. They cannot be allowed to vote for death on one day and sit in the front pews of church the next day. We need to ask them why they are voting for legislation that is directly opposed to Catholic principles.
If you confront them and question them, they will probably say something about not wanting to impose their personal views on others. It’s time we put an end to that line of reasoning. They are imposing their views on everything else on us by the way they vote on a whole agenda of issues. Yet when it comes to saving the lives of unborn children, we give them a pass.
Another disgrace is the fact that so many legislators of color continue to support abortion by their votes in spite of the fact that abortion is causing a genocide against their own people. In New York City, most unborn babies of color are aborted. Yet, we continue to return these people to office. What’s going on here?
For too long, Catholics have voted along party lines regardless of where the candidates stand on the issues. Things will not change until Catholics start thinking on their own and vote with informed consciences.
You can start by informing yourself about how your local state senator and Assembly member voted last week on attempting to increase the number of abortions in what is already the abortion capital of the world. We have included a news story and the votes of your local legislators as well as their phone numbers on Page 26. Please call those numbers, and let your representatives (especially the Catholics) know where you stand on abortion.
To remain informed on the issues and the Church’s stands, continue to read The Tablet, and also join the Catholic Action Network at www.nyscatholic.org.