Contra William McGurn on Ryan by MSW. MGB: The question is not whether we have the moral duty to protect the unborn but the power to do so. Until that dynamic is fully appreciated by the Church, they are abetting the Republican Party in an electoral and fundraising scam. As I have said previously, there is little a Catholic politician can do to protect the unborn - unless of course he or she is willing to make compromises having to do with the equal protection issues that arise from trying to regulate first trimester abortions by making the embryo a person and how that relates to miscarriage. Democrats will draw the line at the start of the second trimester nine ways to Sunday, provided reasonable measures are taken to account for situations where the fetus has no chance of life (and prudence and charity say to end the pregnancy sooner than later) or the pregnancy will kill the mother if not ended. Republicans, however, will never make the needed compromises nor are they able to devise the needed exemptions in a first trimester bill. UNTIL SUCH A BILL EXISTS, CATHOLIC POLITICIANS NEED VENTURE NO OPINION ON IT!
In contrast, the government does have the power to fight poverty, which flows from its powers to tax incomes and see to the general welfare. There is a moral responsibility to do so and Pope Benedict is very clear that dismantling the current systems are regrettable. While such systems can certainly be improved, they cannot be abandoned. Voters and politicians who go that route are committing sin, which is also a sin against life if changing or abandoning these systems (like, for example, inserting a lifetime limit on benefits - which Santorum actually claims credit for doing) results in a higher likelihood of abortion (or even contraception).
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