Abortion, Religion, and Logic 101

Aside from the obviously fun things in the Vice Presidential debate last night (Biden chuckling like a drunken hyena every time Ryan tried to talk and Ryan's crazy eyes constantly reminding me of Rango) there was a question the moderator asked that made me perk up my ears. After pointing out that both men on the stage were practicing Catholics, she asked them to "tell me what role your religion has played in your own personal views on abortion."

Biden responded,

"My religion defines who I am, and I've been a practicing Catholic my whole life. And has particularly informed my social doctrine. The Catholic social doctrine talks about taking care of those who - who can't take care of themselves, people who need help. With regard to - with regard to abortion, I accept my church's position on abortion as a - what we call a de fide doctrine. Life begins at conception in the church's judgment. I accept it in my personal life.

"But I refuse to impose it on equally devout Christians and Muslims and Jews, and I just refuse to impose that on others, unlike my friend here, the - the congressman. I - I do not believe that we have a right to tell other people that - women they can't control their body. It's a decision between them and their doctor. In my view and the Supreme Court, I'm not going to interfere with that."

Think about this. Really let it sink into your head. Biden asserts three things.

1. He accepts his church's teaching on social doctrine, especially the idea that people who can't take care of themselves should be protected.

2. He agrees with his church's position on abortion, that life begins at conception, and therefore (though he doesn't explicitly say this, it has to follow) fetuses are people who can't take care of themselves.

3. The state should have nothing to do with preventing people from having abortions.

It seems like either point 2 or point 3 has to go. It makes no sense to agree that a fetus is a defenseless human being, and then say that the state has no right to prevent that defenseless human being from being killed. That's the whole point of the state: to defend the innocent! Biden needs to either stop being Catholic or stop believing that the state has no right to outlaw abortion. Because according to the ex cathedra teaching of John Paul II, at conception a defenseless human being is created. Therefore abortion is the intentional killing of a defenseless, and innocent, human being. Now what is that other name our society has for intentionally killing innocent human beings? Oh yeah. Murder.

So if you say that you affirm the Catholic church's teaching on abortion, then you have to affirm that abortion is murder. This is one of those deductive logic things.

Intentionally killing innocent humans is murder.
Abortion intentionally kills an innocent person.
Therefore, abortion is murder.

The End.

No one in their right mind would say, "I believe that walking into a school with a gun and shooting up a class of first graders is wrong. I accept this in my personal life. But unlike my colleague, I refuse to impose my personal beliefs on others who may have different perspective on these things."

If Mr. Biden believes that abortion is completely okay, then he should drop the pretense of believing the church's teaching and accept those consequences in his life, possibly excommunication. But if he really does, as he says, believe the church's teachings on abortion, then he is bound logically to conclude that abortion is murder. And if it is murder, it would be very difficult to say that the government should have nothing to do with it. If it is murder, it is on the same level as shooting a classroom full of first graders. It isn't rocket science; it's basic logic. And both of our vice presidential candidates could use a good dose of it.