Rights of Individuals and Families

It affirms that religious freedom is a human right based on the dignity of the human person. "Nobody may be forced to act against his convictions, nor is anyone to be restrained from acting in accordance with his conscience in religious matters in private or in public, alone or in association with others, within due limits." Where atheism exists, this church humbly acknowledges that sometimes "believers can have more than a little to do with the rise of atheism.”

It affirms that governments have a duty to enact family-friendly laws. Family rights needing protection include “the right to private property, to free enterprise, to obtain work and housing, and the right to emigrate” as well as “the right to medical care, assistance for the aged, and family benefits.”

Duties of Elected Officials and Ordinary Citizens

What about the duties of elected officials? “Political authorities are obliged to respect the fundamental rights of the human person. They will dispense justice humanely by respecting the rights of everyone, especially of families and the disadvantaged.” In addition, they are to enact policies that “welcome the foreigner in search of the security and the means of livelihood which he cannot find in his country of origin.”

This church teaches that citizens in a democracy have a duty to seek the common good by paying taxes, exercising the right to vote, and serving their country when called. They are to obey their country’s laws except when a law violates their conscience. Then civil disobedience is not only good, but necessary.

The Duty to Defend Life

Killing is wrong except in self-defense. “The acceptance by human society of murderous famines, without efforts to remedy them, is a scandalous injustice and a grave offense. Those whose usurious and avaricious dealings lead to the hunger and death of their brethren in the human family indirectly commit homicide…. ” Not only is abortion on demand wrong, but also causing the newborn to perish through inadequate health care policies. While mercy killing is wrong, “discontinuing medical procedures that are burdensome, dangerous, extraordinary, or disproportionate to the expected outcome can be legitimate.”

Societies are guilty of murder when their citizens are denied “living-conditions that allow them to grow and reach maturity: food and clothing, housing, health care, basic education, employment, and social assistance.” While kidnapping, hostage taking, and terrorism all violate the moral law, so also does torture. “Torture which uses physical or moral violence to extract confessions, punish the guilty, frighten opponents, or satisfy hatred is contrary to respect for the person and for human dignity.”

In this church, seeking peace is a nation’s moral duty. “Peace is not merely the absence of war, and it is not limited to maintaining a balance of powers between adversaries…. Peace is the work of justice and the effect of charity.” When war cannot be avoided, “non-combatants, wounded soldiers, and prisoners must be respected and treated humanely.” In addition, "every act of war directed to the indiscriminate destruction of whole cities or vast areas with their inhabitants is a crime against God and man, which merits firm and unequivocal condemnation."

It is not only human beings who deserve care and respect, this church teaches. “Animals are God's creatures. He surrounds them with his providential care. By their mere existence they bless him and give him glory. Thus men owe them kindness.”

The Duty to Build a Just Economy

In the economic sphere, greed is not good. “A theory that makes profit the exclusive norm and ultimate end of economic activity is morally unacceptable. The disordered desire for money cannot but produce perverse effects. It is one of the causes of the many conflicts which disturb the social order.” Other considerations besides profit-making need to inform business decisions. “Those responsible for business enterprises are responsible to society for the economic and ecological effects of their operations.”

Employees have a number of rights. Hiring should happen “without unjust discrimination: men and women, healthy and disabled, natives and immigrants.” Furthermore, every worker deserves a just wage, one that assures “a dignified livelihood for himself and his family on the material, social, cultural and spiritual level, taking into account the role and the productivity of each, the state of the business, and the common good." Workers have the right to strike as long as their activity remains nonviolent and does not threaten the common good.

Rich nations bear responsibility toward poor nations. They “have a grave moral responsibility toward those which are unable to ensure the means of their development by themselves or have been prevented from doing so by tragic historical events.” Furthermore, while “direct aid is an appropriate response to immediate, extraordinary needs caused by natural catastrophes, epidemics, and the like,” it is also necessary “to reform international economic and financial institutions so that they will better promote equitable relationships with less advanced countries.”

This church opposes media monopolies. “The information provided by the media is at the service of the common good,” which tends to suffer when voices of truth are silenced or bought out. Journalists have a special duty to society. “By the very nature of their profession, journalists have an obligation to serve the truth and not offend against charity in disseminating information.” When errors appear in print or when deliberate factual distortions occur, “an offense committed against the truth requires reparation.” There is no room in this church for hate-based talk radio or TV programs.

In Conclusion

Yes, I really do admire this church. All of these paraphrases and quotes come from its catechism. It is the church I grew up in, but in too many places in America today, this church no longer exists. It is a pity that nowadays there are Catholics, even Catholic bishops, who reduce their church’s vast and complex network of social teachings to a simplistic condemnation of legalized abortion on demand. Their thinking not only lacks intellectual depth and moral nuance, it opens up our country to moral and physical damages that Bin Laden and his ilk can only dream of.

In 1933 Nazi Germany passed a law banning abortion, which reversed an earlier law that had made it legal for women whose lives were in danger. During the following twelve years -- with the full support of all too many German Catholics — Germany unleashed a living hell upon the world.

Sources

• The Catechism of the Catholic Church.
• “The Abortion and Eugenics Policies of the Nazis,” John Hunt, PhD.