Letters: Being pro-life means more than just voting against abortion

What would Jesus think?

I am responding to Linda MacMonagle’s letter from Sept. 4. I support everyone’s right to have their own opinion, but I would like to offer a different viewpoint for people to consider. My wife was a cradle Catholic (she passed away in 2017), and I converted about 13 years ago. As Ms. MacMonagle indicated, the Catholic bishops state that Catholics must always oppose policies that violate human life or weaken its protection.

This wording is intentionally broad as the pro-life issue includes so many aspects. While President Donald Trump says he is against abortion, please also consider: his policies on and treatment of immigrants, people of color, minorities, low income, disadvantaged, elderly, disabled; his lack of protection for the environment; his support for the death penalty; his lack of support for public education; his poor handling of the pandemic and his lack of financial support for cities and states; his order to reduce the amount of time to complete the U.S. Census; his steps to reduce or dismantle public health insurance options and other safety net programs. His policies on all of these issues violate human life or weaken its protection.

To me, the question Catholics and other Christians should be asking themselves is “Do I really think Jesus would approve of the way Trump acts or governs?”

Buck is a great educator, leader

My first time teaching as a summer instructor, I invited guest speakers to add a little bit of life to my hot afternoon class. Peter Buck was the first person I called. In the seven years I’ve known him, I’ve seen Buck’s curiosity and enthusiasm, dedication to the community, and willingness to make time for others.

I often wonder how he, as an instructor, community board member, local elected official and dad, manages to balance it all with time to help out an aspiring teacher like myself. As a recent graduate with my masters in educational theory and policy, it matters to me that my representative sees education not only as a priority, but as the foundation of Pennsylvania’s long-term well-being.

Great teachers know this instinctively. Great educators know how to ask questions and solve problems. Great educators are systems-thinkers, balancing the nitty-gritty details of the classroom while helping students see the big picture. As someone who prioritizes education, I know that Buck’s plan for education in Pennsylvania is not just rhetoric — it’s rooted in his extensive experience as a practitioner, academic, policymaker and father. Buck’s background blends the lines between all of these spheres, giving him a unique ability to work with anyone, regardless of their background or political affiliation — farmers, teachers, police officers and professors.

Great educators make great leaders, and Buck is both. I hope you will join me in supporting Peter Buck as Representative of the 171st District of Pennsylvania this November.

Vote to protect all stages of life

I am writing in response to last week’s letter about Catholic’s obligation to vote solely based on candidates’ abortion positions.

I was raised Catholic and am descended from three generations of Catholics who vote Democrat. If we look at Jesus as an example of how to vote, we see someone who valued all life, not just life before birth. Jesus would have been against the death penalty, against our inhumane treatment of immigrants, against any government that tries to cut food stamp benefits in the midst of a pandemic.

He spoke out against the priests and the politicians and represented the poor and the workers. He preached radical acceptance of society’s outcasts. To me, it is hard to imagine someone farther from Jesus than President Donald Trump.

If the image of Jesus as a radical who wanted to upend the status quo does not convince Catholics to vote Democrat, there is also the fact that, while abortion rates in the U.S. have been declining for the last 30 years, they have declined at the highest rate during Democratic administrations: their policies of education and birth control coverage have done more to reduce the number of abortions in our country than the Right’s fight to outlaw it.