Mortal sin separates us from God. Although Kamala Harris has backed away from most of the radical positions she staked out in her first presidential run, she has consistently refused to yield on abortion this cycle, even when it comes to religious exemptions for people of faith.
NBC’s Hallie Jackson asked if Ms. Harris would allow Catholic doctors and nurses, and other people of faith, to gracefully bow out of performing abortions if she gets her way of codifying abortion at the federal level without limits.
No concessions
No, she won’t allow conscientious objections. Said Harris:
“I don’t think we should be making concessions when we’re talking about a fundamental freedom to make decisions about your own body.”
Interesting, isn’t it? Most Democratic politicians were pro-life pre Roe v Wade. Most, like Ted Kennedy and Jesse Jackson, initially remained pro-life even after Roe. They flipped when they ran for president.
A single politician opened the floodgates for Democrats to shift their positions on the issue. That man, a Catholic, was Mario Cuomo, Governor of New York, who said that while he was personally opposed to abortion for religious reasons, he couldn’t impose his religion on others.
Four decades later, Kamala Harris is unyielding in her insistence that her secular non-religion be imposed on people of faith at the cost of their souls.
Abortion separates us from God, whether you’re procuring the abortion, performing the abortion, promoting abortion in the public square, or pressuring another to get an abortion.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church doesn’t pull punches:
[1855] Mortal sin destroys charity in the heart of man by a grave violation of God’s law; it turns man away from God, who is his ultimate end and his beatitude, by preferring an inferior good to him.
What are the conditions for a sin to be mortal?
“Mortal sin is sin whose object is grave matter and which is also committed with full knowledge and deliberate consent.”131
And what is grave matter?
[1858] Grave matter is specified by the Ten Commandments, corresponding to the answer of Jesus to the rich young man: “Do not kill, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and your mother.”132 The gravity of sins is more or less great: murder is graver than theft. One must also take into account who is wronged: violence against parents is in itself graver than violence against a stranger.
And violence against your own offspring in the womb is unconscionable.
Bodily autonomy vs. the Fifth Commandment
Where Kamala Harris views abortion as a matter of bodily autonomy, the Catechism views it in the light of the Fifth Commandment, “You shalt not kill.”
Abortion kills a unique human being. Says the Catechism:
“Since the first century the Church has affirmed the moral evil of every procured abortion. This teaching has not changed and remains unchangeable. Direct abortion, that is to say, abortion willed either as an end or a means, is gravely contrary to the moral law” (No. 2271).
If Harris wins this razor thin race, she will be emboldened to mandate mortal sin on the faithful by compelling doctors and nurses to violate their consciences at the risk of their souls. Their only option is to leave the profession they’ve spent a lifetime learning and start over.
Catholic talk show host, Patrick Madrid (above) spoke at the Catholic Eucharistic Congress in July. He related the story of a visiting priest who said Mass at a large, liberal Catholic Church.
Fifteen hundred people were in attendance. At the five minute mark, Madrid relates that during the homily, the priest said:
“In this life, there are two kinds of people: winners and losers. Winners go to heaven; losers go to hell. And most of you are losers.”
Madrid continues that the priest listed off common sins that separate us from God, and these sins are compounded when we present ourselves for Communion without having gone to confession. Sadly, too many Catholic have bought into the culture, putting their souls at risk.
Abortion is one of those sins. Ms. Harris’s party now champions abortion rights, even encouraging women to ‘shout’ their abortions.
How tragic. Abortion has separated tens of millions Americans from God already, and if Ms. Harris has it her way, those numbers will only escalate.
Some reading this blog will quickly dismiss it as it invokes Catholic beliefs.
But some reading it know deep down in their soul that it is true. Many suffer guilt, anxiety, even to the point of being suicidal. Abortion IS that serious a sin, but it IS a forgivable sin. Pulse recognizes that half of the women who get abortions were coerced into getting it against their will, which puts at risk the souls of boyfriends and others who pressured them.
Abortion is nasty business for everyone.
Go to church. Get down on your knees and repent. Go to confession. And don’t vote for misguided candidates intent on mandating mortal sin.