The 2020 Election and the Catholic Conscience

This is a post meant for Catholics who want to know how to form their conscience to vote in the election. So, if you reject the Church’s teaching in some way, then this post may not be helpful to you. I am not interested in debating Church teaching here. This will already be a pretty long article, so we are taking for granted that the Catholic Church’s actual doctrine (not rumors or the opinions of various priests/bishops) is true and not tossing around even more words trying to get to that starting point. Please read this not as a simple “tell me who to vote for,” but as a process. You should read the Bishops’ letter on this, but I’ll get into more particular things. Even if your mind is made up, I invite you to take this journey for the sake of sharpening your thinking and improving your conscience. Doing the right thing out laziness is still sinful. Doing it out of spite is sinful. Doing it out of selfishness is sinful. Even if you’re sure you have the right choice in mind, take this chance to purify your motives and sharpen your conscience and perhaps to understand the other side a little more.

Also, I am not primarily invested in the outcome of the election. I am primarily concerned with the moral and spiritual well-being of voting Catholics. Please don’t berate me with a bunch of outcry about how things will end up if so-and-so wins the election. As Catholics, we are not consequentialists. That means we do not judge right and wrong by the consequences, but by the decision itself. Jesus made it very clear that making the right decision often means losing this or that battle. The primary goal of a persons’ conscience is not to prevent all evil, but to avoid committing evil. Even the pagan philosopher Socrates recognized that “it is better to suffer evil than to do it.” In other words, the ends do not justify the means and doing the right thing is more important than winning. Yes, that sometimes means people die because we refuse to do evil to stop it. Jesus let himself be killed (the greatest evil ever committed) and demanded that his Apostles allow it. Final victory comes in the end and never through moral compromise.

All that being said, an election is a complicated decision. We do have to look at and make a judgment call about practical outcomes and realistic goals. We do strive to prevent evil where possible, though we must never commit even a small evil in order to do so. This post is going to look at the two primary candidates and wrestle with the moral factors in each decision. I will not outright say “vote for so-and-so,” I will only lay out some moral concerns in making a vote for either. That requires me to lay some groundwork about what “follow your conscience” means.

What is “Conscience?”

Conscience is not a feeling. It is a rational judgment. It is the part of your mind that looks at a decision and uses objective standards to say “this is good” or “this is evil.” A Catholic has a responsibility to form, to educate their conscience according to the truth. It is possible – and pretty common – for a person’s conscience to be misinformed or malformed. They should still follow the honest decision of their conscience, but always seek to bring it into line with objective moral truth. This process can be painful. When we learn that something is sinful, we may still feel like doing it and we may not immediately feel guilty after committing that sin. Knowing something is wrong and feeling guilty generally are connected, but sometimes there is a disconnect because of personal attachments.

Once again, conscience is a rational judgment about applying an objective truth to a given situation, not a feeling or personal standard. Unlike the secular world, Catholicism believes that morality is based on facts. There is such a thing as a moral fact, not just opinion. So, what do Catholics need to know about the truth in this election?

Well, it’s always easiest to say what can’t be done. Even God started with the Ten Commandments. So, here are some clear statements about what a Catholic can never do in an election. I will say there is a difference between voting for someone because of their position and voting for someone despite that position. We’ll get into that when we apply things to the current election:

Some “Non-Negotiables”

Selfishness: A Catholic cannot just vote for their selfish benefit. If a candidate benefits you personally, but does so by directly harming other people, it’s not morally justified. It might be instinct to focus on self-preservation even at the expense of other people, but we are called to love over instinct. “He saves me money” is not a good enough reason to vote for someone who advocates some other intrinsic evil, like what’s listed below. “He’s good for the economy” was not a good reason to support Hitler (I’m not saying either candidate is like Hitler, I’m just making a point by example). We should vote for the common good, what is good for the whole, not just my little part of the country.

Abortion: A Catholic cannot every vote for someone because they support abortion. A Catholic also cannot agree that it’s okay for abortion to be legal and claim that it’s not their place to put their beliefs on another person. Abortion is murder. Just as murder is illegal regardless of your religious belief (or lack thereof), abortion should be illegal in every circumstance (medical procedures that save the mother but kill the child as a side effect are not abortion). If you disagree with this, I can’t stop you, but I can tell you that it is objectively wrong and contradicts the Church’s teaching.

Euthanasia: Also called “assisted suicide” or “death with dignity,” the practice of deliberately ending your own life or helping someone end theirs is intrinsically evil. This is different from letting nature take it’s course. It is evil to cause death, but not evil to allow death. Jesus let himself be killed, he did not kill himself. It is false compassion to end someone’s suffering with murder and it is an act of pride to contradict God’s design in this. Suffering is not the greatest evil, sin is. It is better to suffer at the end of life (though we can treat pain without killing people) than to commit the sin of ending your own life. Therefore, a Catholic cannot vote for someone because they promote the legalization and expansion of Euthanasia. As with abortion, it is not okay to say “I won’t enforce my opinion on others.” Murder is wrong and should be outlawed. That’s not an opinion, it is a moral fact.

Religious Freedom/Freedom of Conscience: The Church is clear that forcing someone to act against their own conscience is wrong. To coerce a person to do what is evil is evil. So, a Catholic cannot support a politician because they believe in forcing people to act against their conscience. This can get tricky because there is a difference between coercing someone’s conscience and attempting to correct an erroneous conscience. Also, freedom of conscience does not mean a person is immune to consequences if their conscience tells them to do something evil. Murderers should be prosecuted, even if they think the killing was justified.

Racism: To treat someone as less than human or to exhibit prejudice against someone just because they are a particular race is wrong. Period. A Catholic cannot vote for someone because they put forward intentionally racist ideas and policies. For example, you can’t vote for someone because they hate black people and so do you. That’s racist and sinful.

Care for the Environment: A Catholic cannot vote for someone because they knowingly do damage to the environment. God gave us stewardship of the earth and holds us accountable for destroying what he has entrusted to us. There are going to be differences of opinion on how we care for the environment, but there is no room for debate on the the fact that we should care for the environment.

Love of Neighbor: A catholic cannot vote for anyone because they deliberately oppose care of our neighbor. For example, if a candidate says “I don’t think we should care about other people” and then tries to make laws based on that idea, it would be wrong to agree with that and vote for him/her because you agree with it. How we put love of neighbor into law is massively complex (welfare, healthcare, education, etc.), but as with the environment, there is no room for debate on the fact that we should care for our neighbors.

Putting It In Practice

The things above are our starting point. No one candidate perfectly represents every position. This means we might have to vote for someone because of this position but despite that other position. The question is, how do we balance the two? You have probably seen people talk about “proportionate reasons.” That doesn’t mean that more check marks equals a better candidate. The issues are not equal. A policy that directly kills millions is more significant than a policy that helps a few thousand people get a job. So, let’s tackle each major issue and deal with proportion on the two major candidates.

…first a disclaimer. I am human and limited in my knowledge of the facts. I do not know everything each candidate has done and said. I do not pretend to be an expert on political theory or economics. I am merely trying to apply moral principles to what I do know.

Abortion

On the surface, this seems simple. Biden is pro-choice and Trump is pro-life. Biden supports abortion law, public funding of abortion, and expanding it in a variety of ways. Trump actively uses his executive power to oppose abortion, particularly through removal of funding and the appointment of judges likely to rule in favor of pro-life laws. This is bad news for Biden and Biden supporters. Simply ignoring this issue is not acceptable for Catholics.

At the same time, abortion is not just about laws and money. Does removing funding actually hurt our goal or help it like we think? I think it helps, but I can see why someone doesn’t believe that. And the goal is not just to make it illegal, but to make it unthinkable. It’s not just to stop abortions, but to guide hearts and minds to see that it is wrong. In this regard, Trump’s record is not great. His bullying demeanor, past comments about women, and general proclivity to lie do not do any favors for the cultural impact of the pro-life movement. Trump’s presidency has removed some public funding, yes, but it has also galvanized the pro-choice movement and caused massive increases in donations to pro-choice organizations.

People say we don’t vote for a president based on his personality, but on his policy. This is half-true. When the president’s personality his a direct influence on the wider culture, we can’t ignore that. Trump’s personality makes it harder for people to trust the pro-life movement. He probably causes some undecided people to decide in favor of abortion because they look at him and say “if that jerk is the champion of pro-life, then I don’t want to be part of it.” Yes, that is faulty reasoning, but to ignore it’s influence is irresponsible. We should strive to avoid causing scandal even as we try to help people see past that false argument. Really, with Trump, the question is this: How much of a victory is it if abortion goes back to states, but the percentage of Americans who want it legal actually increases? Catholic supporters of Trump cannot simply ignore this issue in good conscience.

And all this brings us to proportion. The right to life is the most important issue because it is the first right. When deciding to vote for someone, a Catholic must be able to look at this issue with a full perspective and honestly weigh these factors. Will voting for Trump really have a direct and lasting impact on creating a culture of life? What are the odds that we actually make it illegal (in some states, not all)? What is the long term social impact of allying with Trump on the credibility of the Pro-life cause? Will voting for Biden really increase abortion all that much, seeing as it’s already legal and has been for a long time?

The only way there are “proportionate reasons” to vote for Biden-Harris is if you can show that his policy position has little to no real impact on abortion. Basically, if you can make a case that electing Biden will have a neutral effect on abortion overall, then maybe you can point to other good things he’ll do as reason for voting for him. Based on the increasing zeal of most of his party and his own vocal defense of abortion, that’s not easy.

For Trump-Pence, legal gains are real gains, but I do think too many pro-lifers dismiss the cultural impact of that choice.

Euthanasia

I really don’t see much talk about this and can’t find much in my searches. I’ve seen one comment by Trump that suggested personal support, but nothing on the level of policy. I’ve seen comments from Biden that side against assisted suicide. If these are both true, then each candidate is actually opposite their party on that.

In terms of action, Trump’s court appointments seem to oppose it and he put forward a religious freedom rule which protects physicians who refuse to participate in euthanasia. I don’t know how Biden would respond given his party’s proclivity to expand it, but it doesn’t look good.

So, here’s the evaluation: Will Trump continue to hold the majority Republican line and protect against assisted suicide? Will republicans actually maintain their position on this issue? Will Biden stand against his party on this issue?

This one I could see someone saying Biden is unlikely to further the cause directly. I do think, however, that’s there’s not much evidence he will actively defend against it’s advancement.

Religious Freedom

For this, I look at the Little Sisters of the Poor. Healthcare law put them on the spot for funding abortifacient contraception. Trump granted them a reprieve. Biden promised to renew that pressure. I’m not saying contraception should be illegal. I’m saying Catholics believe it to be immoral and so should not be forced to fund it for other people. They can buy it with their own money. We really should find a system that protects both doctors and business owners from being forced to violate their conscience.

As we just saw above Trump has also issued policies about protection doctor’s consciences regarding assisted suicide. Related policies also come into play for LGBT issues like doctors who don’t want to cooperate in transitioning and related issues.

I am not aware of anything in Biden’s platform that would protect religious owners and employees from being forced to act against their own conscience. Catholics voting for Biden would need to point to evidence to the contrary.

A word of caution about Trump, though. He has shown support for the LGBT movement in other ways. When pressed further on this issue, will Trump side with conscience or ideology? I don’t know, but we should reflect on that in forming our conscience to vote. Yes, people who belong to LGBT should not be discriminated against (they shouldn’t be fired or denied the necessities of life because of their attractions), but forcing me to celebrate your wedding or perform a surgery I find to be immoral is not anyone’s right.

Racism

This is primarily about policy, but personal views do matter. On that count, both candidates have a history of racist statements. No, I did not get that from “biased media,” but from direct quotes. The question is, are they racist now? I don’t know.

What about the bigger issue of policy? This is complicated and I’m out of my depth. Biden opposed busing in the past and Trump’s administration apparently gutted some policies that aimed to address racial inequality. Because this is such a touchy issue, it can be difficult to be clear.

It is one thing to say “this policy has a disproportionate effect on this-or-that race.” It is another thing to say “this policy deliberately targets this-or-that race.” Japanese internment camps were racist and wrong. A rent or housing policy might be racist or it might just be ineffective and poorly designed. When deciding how to vote, Catholics should be careful not to confuse those two things and to avoid jumping to conclusions about motivation. And, regardless of motivation or intention, they should honestly consider the real impact of a law on different racial groups.

Care for the Environment

It’s one thing to say “I don’t think this policy actually helps the environment.” It is another to say “I don’t think we should care for the environment.” I have my doubts about the Paris Accord and other environmental policies, but I think Trump and many Trump supporters go too far and act like we shouldn’t worry about the environment at all. That is not a Catholic position. There does need to be some regulation and you can find horrors stories of disease and death as a direct result of corporations abusing the environment.

As a native of South Louisiana, I appreciate the economic importance of oil and the difficulties imposed by regulation. Nonetheless, the truth is that some regulations are needed and that selfishness, carelessness, and greed can lead to serious disasters (like the BP oil spill).

Is the Green New Deal too extreme? I honestly don’t know the science or economics well enough to say for sure. It also seems to me that Trump is too carefree about the environment. Our commitment to the Common Good means we can’t just ignore the impact unchecked corporations (or millions of citizens) can have on the environment.

Catholic voters should carefully reflect on whether their position is motivated by a simple carelessness or selfishness. They should also consider if their devotion to the environment is excessive. The dignity of a single human soul being outweighs the entire natural world. We take care of the planet, we do not worship or serve it. At the same time, we care about the environment because it affects other human beings.

Love of Neighbor

This is the trickiest because it’s nearly impossible to get past rhetoric long enough to evaluate the difference between wanting a law to help people and that law actually helping people. Welfare, tax breaks, healthcare, and immigration all fall under this issue. There’s a constant tension between what we should do, what we can do, and what we simply cannot afford to do. In an imperfect world, we’ll never solve poverty and lack of healthcare, but that doesn’t mean we don’t try to make it better

Trump has a knack for speaking to people who feel left behind by globalism. But does he actually help those people? I haven’t seen any help and I live in a town that felt globalism’s impact directly. Evidently, a whole lot of people think that Biden and the Democrats are more invested in the healthcare of the poor and vulnerable. But do their policies actually help them? I personally know some people whose necessary medical care depends on the Affordable Care Act. But is that the only solution? Can Trump and his supporters provide answers for them when they strike it down? I don’t know.

Children were removed from parents and kept in cages on the border. Even if the policy started before, it did take place during Trump’s presidency. Part of the problem is that a lot of Trump supporters will not even entertain the possibility that that is true. The issue is so fraught with politics that it’s hard to get a real read on what’s going on, but there’s too much for me to think it’s a lie, a conspiracy, or a hoax. DACA may not be perfect, but we’re dishonest if we say there is no good in it.

I’m not going to change any minds on this issue, largely because I don’t have the knowledge and expertise to address the details, nor is this blog long enough. What I will say is this: if your reason for disregarding the issues outlined above is based on this principle, there is a high burden of proof. If you want to claim that Biden’s healthcare, welfare, immigration, and labor policies outweigh his position on abortion, you really should have some incredible evidence and clear reasoning on how dramatic a difference these policies will make.

If you want to vote for Trump, then I hope you’ve taken an honest look at his actual policies in these areas. It is not okay to simply ignore the suffering of the sick, poor, and migrant. Maybe Trump really is helping the poor, sick, and migrant, but I’ve seen no such evidence, only vague claims by loyalists. Maybe the other issues above are so important you begrudgingly put up with failures here. If that’s the case, you should be willing to say that much, to acknowledge his failures even as you vote for him. But, if you say these issues don’t matter, that’s sinful. Even if Trump is the “right vote,” it’s possible to sin by making that vote for the wrong reasons.

The Credibility Gap

At the very least, people on both sides should be willing to admit it is complicated and there are things they don’t know. What I see now is both sides acting as if they have absolute certainty and rarely ever showing any good faith to the other side. People on both sides want to do the right thing and people on both sides want what is evil. We should all beware of excessive human loyalties.

Whatever your opinion, please stop to consider how you know what you know, and why you believe what you believe. At bottom, you are trusting some particular set of sources for your information. The reason you trust them is based on personal experience.

Here’s the thing, other people do not trust the same sources. But they often really believe other sources you don’t trust. All of us live with some uncertainty and we can only act on what we honestly think to be true. If someone, for whatever reason, simply doesn’t believe the facts you know to be facts, then it makes sense they come to a different conclusion. Yes, we should strive to find the objective truth. But, if we cannot cross that credibility gap (and we often can’t), then we have to be willing to admit that it’s possible for a person to act in good conscience based on what they think is true. In that circumstance, the best approach is to continue to strive to get at the truth and find common ground, not to assume that person is wicked and lacks a conscience. In the words of Jesus, “Forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Some people do violate or ignore their conscience, but we can’t immediately assume they do.

Example: If I think pressing this red button immediately ends abortion, I will press it in good conscience. If I spent my whole life thinking this, if everyone I trusted said it was true, if my own best research told me it was true, I’d be even more willing to follow my conscience.

If I then found out it did not end abortion, but actually killed a bunch of puppies, my problem would not be that I didn’t follow my conscience. It would be that I had wrong information. To stop me from pressing the button, another person shouldn’t just shout at me that I violated my conscience, they should show me what the button really does. If I learn the truth (and actually think it’s true), but do it anyway, then I am violating my conscience.

Think of St. Paul. He was persecuting Christians because he thought it was the right thing to do. He didn’t stop because Christians told him he wasn’t following his conscience. He stopped because he realized who he was actually persecuting. What he did was wrong, but the solution was to reveal the truth, not to condemn his sincerity or zeal – the same sincerity and zeal that he then used to proclaim the Gospel once he learned the truth.

Catholic Case for Biden?

I will say that a blanket statement of “Catholics cannot vote Democrat” is not helpful and, frankly, wrong. As a resident of Louisiana, where a democrat lawmaker and a democrat governor pass and sign pro-life laws, I know that’s not true. They are exceptions in their, party, yes, but that exception is the reason Church leaders should avoid universal statements like that.

Still, I will also say I don’t see how a Catholic can vote for Biden in good conscience. “I don’t see it” isn’t the same as saying “it doesn’t exist” (remember the credibility gap). In most of the arguments I’ve seen in favor of that vote, the person making the case relies on a non-Catholic position. Usually, they fall into the trap of “I don’t believe in it, but I won’t impose my values.” They also tend to fall into extreme claims about Trump’s evil, as if he were literally another Hitler. Sometimes, they make vague appeals to “healthcare and immigration.” This last one might work if they could first show that Biden’s net effect on abortion was neutral or negative and then show concrete evidence of these other benefits making a massive and dramatic difference.

The best argument I’ve seen in favor of Biden actually does addresses the two points I made above: The cultural impact of Trump as a “pro-life president” and the idea the Biden will have a negligible impact on abortion. Shea is hard for me to read seriously, but he really does lay out important objections to Trump, which are the foundation of his position that stopping Trump is a proportionate reason to overlook problems with Biden. It’s a worthwhile challenge to read it and try to find common ground. You should find at least something there.

Depending on who and what you believe, it is quite possible and reasonable to come to the conclusion that Trump is a dangerous man and that his way of governing severely harms the country’s overall health and stability. I actually think there’s a lot of truth to this. Also, it is true that after decades of voting republican, abortion is still legal and that a lot of republican-appointed supreme court justices ended up on the wrong side of the issue. So, it’s a reasonable conclusion that continuing to vote that way won’t actually help. There’s good reason to believe many republicans are just using the pro-life movement to get elected. If you believe these things to be true, I could maybe see the rationality of concluding that a vote for Biden – as a means to stop Trump – is okay. The question is, are these beliefs rooted in the truth?

Here’s a few problems I see with the argument:
For one, Mark Shea seems to blame Trump for the actions of the republican congress. The two are allied, no doubt, but they are not the same. Trump cannot dictate every law and budget, so blaming him for continued congressional funding of planned parenthood is less than convincing.

Secondly, he relies on a single set of statistics from a biased source to conclude, counter-intuitively, that not sending millions of dollars to pay for abortions overseas somehow causes more abortions. I don’t buy it.
Thirdly, he doesn’t credit the conscience protections Trump put into place and he discounts the lasting impact of hundreds of judicial appointments at a variety of levels.

Fourth, he relies on the half-truth that “law follows culture.” Culture does influence the law and cultural changes usually cause legal changes. It is also true, however, that law influences culture. Roe v Wade has created several massive cultural changes. It is not unreasonable to think that removing an unjust law is an important first (or second or third) step to changing culture.

Fifth, he doesn’t address the many incremental gains that republicans have made on abortion. A lot of laws have been passed and upheld that put term limits on abortion or otherwise make it harder to obtain. Yes, if we can’t convince someone that killing their child is wrong, it is good to make it harder for them to do it, even if they feel “oppressed” by that. Sex offenders might feel oppressed for having to register, but it’s a good way to stop future offense.

What I like about his argument, however, are his points about incorrect dogmatism, the hero-worship of Trump, and the discrediting of Christianity and the pro-life movement.

Catholic Case for Trump?

I will say that a blanket claim that Catholics are supporting tyranny or racism by voting for Trump isn’t helpful. I know of thoughtful, justice-minded Catholics who vote for Trump despite his unsavory side and some of his wrong-headed policies. There are real reasons to think he has loyalties to corporations and the wealthy. Here are some of my concerns about Catholics supporting Trump.

The first is the hero-worship. Even this article (which is not nice to Biden) will get me a lot of flack because I dared to question Trump’s motivations and cast doubts on the positive impact he might have. An awful lot of Christians, Catholics included, are fiercely loyal to Trump. It seems to me that, when faced with believing a criticism put forward by their faith versus believing Trump is great, they default to trusting Trump. The claims of his holiness and the allusions to wildly unfounded claims of prophetic involvement are incredible. They lack credibility, but I do not see reasoned evaluations of these claims, only emotional investment in what fits a preconceived idea that Trump is great. Then there are so many whose very first reaction to any question of Trump’s greatness is to accuse it of being “media lies.” I don’t know that I’ve ever watched CNN. I am deeply skeptical of anybody who makes money telling the news. Then there is the eagerness to believe any and every claim about the evil of his opponents. Wild conspiracy theories, dark rumors, and outright slander abound because it fits the idea of Trump against the devil. The backlash I get from suggesting that Trump has faults is very worrisome. It sets the stage for discrediting Christianity and causing Christians to put their trust in princes rather than in God. It also lends credibility to people who think our country is heading towards some kind of dictatorship.

The second is the kind of dogmatism that springs up from this. Catholics who don’t support Trump are pretty quickly accused of being not real Catholics. A presidential vote is ultimately a prudential decision – it is not a dogma and simply cannot be a dogma. Too many assume that not voting for Trump = not caring about abortion. That’s rash judgment. It is a sin. Even if it’s the right vote, your soul can be at risk if you do it out of self-righteousness and with spite towards the other side.

Finally, I really worry about the lasting cultural impact of Trump on the pro-life movement’s credibility. We are definitely pushing people away by uncritically adoring this man. His treatment of other people is verifiably atrocious even though there are also real accounts of him doing nice things. He constantly promises worldly success and attacks “losers” while promising to win. This is simply not compatible with the Gospel and I basically never see pro-Trump Christians addressing or correcting this.

When the man who promises to save babies also promises to make you rich… or to “destroy” your enemies… is it surprising that people doubt your motives? Christian love is sacrificial, Trump’s promises are not (he’s still a billionaire with all the benefits of being president despite not taking his measly salary). When we too closely tie up one with the other, the culture of life we want to create looks less believable. Is this negative cultural impact enough to warrant not voting for him despite his record on legal victories? I really think that’s a possibility.

I won’t say a vote for him in good conscience is impossible for me to see, but it leaves me skeptical when a Catholic won’t even acknowledge the problems, much less lay out an argument for how they intend to counteract them once Trump is elected.

Christ is King

Jesus Christ is king. His victory comes from fidelity to the truth, to what is right and just, regardless of world outcomes. Remember that he “lost” because he wouldn’t side with the political power of Herod, the Sadduccees, the Pharisees, or Rome. All of them contributed to his death because he failed to give them what they wanted.

Jesus Christ is firmly on the side of the poor, the lowly, the outcast, the migrant. The unborn fall into this category, but they are not the only ones. Jesus died for us all and told us to love all.

When you stand before Jesus, he will care far more about your efforts to love like him than who got elected. He will want to know how you loved people who voted differently. He will want to know how you justified supporting a man who hurt others (that applies to both candidates) and what you did to work against that.

No matter how you vote in November, the United States will fall eventually.
No matter how you vote in November, everyone else will die one day.
No matter how you vote in November, you will have to look Christ in the eye.

However you vote in November, I hope you remember that as you put in the work of coming to the right decision for this and everything else.