Colorado Bishops Fall into “Timing” Trap

In what can only be described as one of the most recent in a series of back peddling moves on the part of various Catholic bishops in the United states, the Colorado Catholic Conference has told the Denver Post that some have "raised serious questions about this specific amendment's timing and content."

And because of those "serious questions," the bishops are not supporting the Colorado for Equal Rights petition drive that would put principled, simple language on the November ballot.

You've got it!  It's another personhood initiative and God forbid that Catholic bishops would actually get out in the struggle and support the only tactic that will result in challenging the status quo and perhaps put an end to abortion!

For the record, it seems that Catholic bishops in Georgia, Montana and now Colorado are taking their marching orders from the people at National Right to Life, particularly the opinions of one Jim Bopp, an attorney who has never, in his long experience, touted personhood as a "timely" goal. But what is truly shocking about this latest choice, expressed by Colorado Catholic Conference Executive Director Jennifer Kraska, is that it flies in the face of Catholic teaching, common sense and basic principles as set forth by our founding fathers. For if we as Americans, not to mention Catholics, truly believe that every American has a right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, then why aren't we doing everything we possibly can to make sure that no child, born or preborn, is left behind?

It is long past time for the Catholic bishops of this nation to take a position of leadership and call abortion what it is-murder!  And having said that, they should be doing all within their power to hasten the arrival of the day when the constitutional protection of personhood is bestowed on every innocent person from the point of his or her creation.

For those who have not read the words that Kraska and the bishops to whom she is accountable find untimely, they are as follows:

As used in Sections 3, 6 and 25 of Article II of the State Constitution the terms ‘person' or ‘persons' shall include any human being from the moment of fertilization.

What is problematic in the language I have just quoted to you? Well, my dear friend, I have absolutely no idea. As I have written so often in the past, the innocent child whose life begins at its beginning is equal in every way to you and I. So why can't Catholic bishops, American citizens and others recognize this truth and work with every fiber of their being to achieve this goal?

Don't ask me, ask the bishops!

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