TLR Asks: As A Catholic, Whom Should I Vote For?

I have a confession to make…the Republican party lost my confidence, starting in 2020, and culminating in 2022. For various reasons, I do not see many leaders in the GOP, save a select few, that honestly reflect real conservative American values and policies. Furthermore, with the support of 39 Republicans in the House and 12 senators, the Respect for Marriage Act became law in December of 2022. This law stands as a threat to religious liberty and in opposition to the Catholic and traditional definition of marriage—the union of one man and one woman.

What do I do now?

Since Republicans no longer hold my confidence, who do I support now?

In this article, I request advice on who (or what party) is deserving of my political attention. Maybe no party or politician is deserving. If this is the case, what lesser of two evils do I pick? What party or politician deserves my vote among the unsatisfactory options? Sadly, in the US, only two parties vie for power: Republicans and Democratic.

Let’s look at the only available US alternative to the Republican party and see if it better fits my Catholic values.

The Democratic Party Option

Does the Democratic party platform reflect my Catholic values to the point where I can vote for them? Let’s look at the 2020 platform. (Below is not the full list.) Platform points are in italics.

Raising wages and promoting workers’ rights—okay, this seems like a good thing.

Enacting robust working-family policies—this also seems good. So far, so good.

Investing in the engines of job creation—still on board.

Building a fair system of international trade for our workers—what does “fair” mean? But still, no issue with this.

Putting homeownership within reach and guaranteeing safe housing for every American—again, seems like a good goal.

Leveling the economic playing field—okay, this sounds more like “political speak” than an actual platform…

Ending poverty—um…this is utopian language that does not understanding reality. Also, raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour will not “end poverty.” I understand the intent here, but the government can only do so much.

Bringing down drug prices and taking on the pharmaceutical industry—okay, back to something good.

Securing reproductive health, rights, and justice—nope, I cannot support this. Hard pass. Why?

We will repeal the Title X domestic gag rule and restore federal funding for Planned Parenthood…

No

Democrats oppose and will fight to overturn federal and state laws that create barriers to reproductive health and rights. We will repeal the Hyde Amendment, and protect and codify the right to reproductive freedom.

Protecting Americans’ civil rights—again, this appears good, but then this part stands out. As a Catholic, I cannot support Roe v. Wade.

We will appoint U.S. Supreme Court justices and federal judges who look like America, are committed to the rule of law, will uphold individual civil rights and civil liberties as essential components of a free and democratic society, and will respect and enforce foundational precedents, including…Roe v. Wade

Supporting faith and service—awesome! I totally support faith and service. But there is also a problem here. Per this platform, religious freedom ends at the door of the religious institution. The “religious exemptions” are those that protected people of faith who hold views Democrats consider discriminatory but are traditional religious values, like marriage as only between one man and one woman. Hard pass, again.

We will reject the Trump Administration’s use of broad religious exemptions to allow businesses, medical providers, social service agencies, and others to discriminate.

Verdict: Yes, or No?

Therefore, given the above points of the Democratic platform, I cannot in good conscience vote for the Democratic party for the following reasons:

Unlimited access to abortion with no regard to the development stage of the unborn baby. The platform seems to indicate that women’s access to abortion extends up to the moment of birth. In theory, this means that a fully developed human baby is fair game for an abortion. Such a view is wholly anti-Catholic.
The limitation on religious freedom and the declaration of traditional religious values as “discriminatory.” This tells me that Democrats hold my religious views in contempt if these views conflict Democrat policy, particularly regarding human sexuality, marriage, and abortion. If I do not stay in my place, the Democratic party will use the full force of the US government to put me there. I cannot vote for a party that limits my religious freedom.
The full embrace of modern gender ideology. Although not mentioned above, the Democratic party platform does embrace modern gender ideology and therefore the belief that men can be women and women can be men. This includes the affirmation of youth, as well. Such a stance stands in direct opposition to Catholic teaching on human sexuality and the human person.

To sum up:

I cannot choose the Democratic party because: they support unlimited access to abortion up to birth. They seek to limit religious liberty and intend to use the power of the US government to fight traditional religious values that dare to venture beyond a religious institution’s door. Finally, they support a gender ideology in total opposition to Catholic teaching.