September 23, 2015 (UnmaskingChoice) — Recently, I learned that the Liberal candidate for my federal riding is the chaplain at a local Catholic high school. This in itself wouldn’t be a problem, except for the minor detail that Federal Liberal Party Leader Justin Trudeau has stated that all Liberal MPs are expected to vote pro-choice and that the party is officially pro-choice, since they chose a “resolutely pro-choice leader.” The candidate, Filomena Tassi, publicly stated that while she considers herself to be pro-life, she would vote as a Liberal MP according to how the party expects her to, that is, in favour of maintaining the status quo in Canada, which allows the killing of pre-born children to occur any time before birth, for any reason.
I think the main reason I find this so repulsive is that this is a person whose job for the past twenty years has been to foster devotion to Christ in the lives of the teenagers she mentors, but instead, here she is putting her personal political ambitions ahead of the broken, bloodied bodies of pre-born children. The example this sets for the students she influences must be horribly confusing- how can you reconcile the love Christ shares in the Gospels with her real life actions? Christianity teaches that love makes sacrifices for the good of others- the opposite is to sacrifice others for our own benefit.
Obviously, Tassi can’t be considered an option by anyone who wants to see the lives of pre-born children protected under the law. However, I think a candidate sets themselves up for failure by any reasonable person’s standard by taking this position. One might assume that people who agree with the Liberal Party’s pro-choice position should be happy to vote for Tassi- she has promised not to oppose them with her potential votes. Really though, this kind of stance should be repugnant even to those who disagree with her personal beliefs about abortion. If a pro-choice person were to consider Ms. Tassi’s stance, and see that she claims to believe that abortion violently ends the life of a tiny, innocent, pre-born child but is perfectly willing to do nothing about it, then how could you trust her to stand up for other important issues? Even if you disagree with her about the nature of abortion, her hypocrisy should automatically eliminate her as a potential MP for anyone who values integrity in their elected officials.
For example, imagine you lived in a country where husbands could legally beat their wives. In an election, there was a candidate saying that she believes this practice is wrong, but promises to do nothing about it if elected. Who would vote for such a morally bankrupt person? It doesn’t do anyone any good to put people in positions of authority who can clearly be so easily bought for a chance at power. It might be nice that they are willing to supress their conscience in a way that jives with your beliefs on a particular issue, but what is stopping them from compromising their beliefs on another issue that you do agree with them on, if the price is right?
Click “like” if you are PRO-LIFE!
There is no compromise to be found when it comes to protecting innocent human life. Even if Ms. Tassi were to renege on her commitment to vote pro-choice in the future, the fact that she was publicly willing to set aside the defence of the innocent for political gain is unconscionable. She is not someone pro-lifers can trust, and not someone a pro-choice person can really trust either. That is where silencing your conscience gets you in the end.
Do your due diligence when voting. Find candidates who clearly state what they believe and who are willing to back their beliefs with their actions. Let’s work together to eliminate this kind of wishy-washy, spineless politician from our Parliament.
Reprinted with permission from CCBR.