How NOT To Promote the Pro-Life Cause

In my morning post, I commended Cardinal Sean O'Malley for the manner in which he addressed abortion in his homily at last night's Pro-Life Vigil Mass. This article by Fr. C.J. McCloskey illsutrates how churchmen should NOT speak about abortion. Secession? And, item # 2 on his list is equally, albeit less provocatively, wrong-headed than secession. He writes: "Shifting to the states: long live and grow the red states, which are still populated by serious Christians who vote their convictions in state elections for legislators and pro-life governors eager to limit and (if given the slightest opening) shut down abortion completely within their state boundaries. " These would be the same red states that have chosen not to expand Medicaid? Is that what "serious Christians" do? And, besides, many of those red state governors and legislators were not elected because of their abortion stance but because they want lower taxes or less government or both. Pushing through a pro-life legislative agenda without convincing more of the electorate is a strategy for on-going culture war and ultimate defeat. At a deeper level, Fr. McCloskey should ask himself if words that sound like they could be written by a political strategist, albeit a not very adept political strategist, are appropriate coming from someone ordained to preach the Gospel.