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As Trump and Harris demonstrated, life Is debatable

How can Americans realize their ambitions, dreams, and aspirations truly and well without the sanctity of life? How can our lives be meaningful if life is disposable?

Republican presidential nominee former president Donald Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris debate for the first time during the presidential election campaign at the National Constitution Center on Sept. 10, 2024, in Philadelphia. (Credit: Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Donald Trump and Kamala Harris engaged in a presidential debate last Tuesday, and the result was as any American with one eye open might have predicted. Trump was mostly dour and angry, reactive and aggressive. Harris was scripted and polished, perky and biting. The ABC moderators gave her predictable questions and continually interrupted him with fact-checking. Harris had the better showing because Trump could not help taking the bait prepared for him over and over again, defending his record and his rallies blusterously.

Kamala Harris seemed like the Democrats’ new glossy puppet. Donald Trump seemed like the Republicans’ old grizzled incumbent as he characterized Harris’s plan as simple and stupid as “Run, Spot, run.”

But the most volatile and tense moment of the debate was when abortion was introduced as a topic—a topic second only to the economy in the concerns of voters. Trump faced the question whether the pro-life movement could trust him after his waffling over the Florida bill, which would restrict abortions after a baby is six weeks old. Obfuscating, he pointed to the story of how a former governor of Virginia once used language that suggested killing a baby after it was born was an option and said that the Florida vote was to avoid such “executions,” as he called it. He said he had had the courage as president to take down Roe v. Wade and send the abortion question back to the states where everyone wanted it, and that was that.

Harris rejoined with a response that, sad to say, might win her the White House. She asserted that no one wanted women bleeding out in hospital parking lots, or to carry pregnancies to term that were the result of rape, or to make doctors afraid of going to jail. She warned like a doomsday prophet of a national abortion ban without exceptions if Trump won the election and even a federal abortion monitor to watch over the states.

She insisted with an incredible conviction for a woman with strong ties to the Baptist tradition that abortion is compatible with faith systems: “One does not have to abandon their faith or deeply held beliefs to agree the government, and Donald Trump certainly, should not be telling a woman what to do with her body.” She cried out for this “freedom” for women to make decisions about their bodies, and that the government must have nothing to do with those decisions. She said that to restrict abortion was “immoral” and that abortion—the destruction of an innocent life—is a matter of freedom and something that the American people want and should, therefore, have.

Has there ever been an election where the unholy sacrament of abortion has loomed so large, like the blood-soaked shadow of Moloch himself?

Whether Trump or Harris gains the Catholic vote, there is no true pro-life candidate before Catholic voters. Trump has washed his hands of the blood of babies by allowing the states to vote for themselves—as Ohio and Kansas have to terrible, liberal result—as he admitted on the debate stage. Harris, on the other hand, is making abortion, or “reproductive rights,” a central to her platform, to restore it to its status of being a national right and allow Americans to choose to kill their children for the sake of self-serving convenience in one form or another. And she made that position loud and clear in the debate, to the point many felt that her words on the matter won them over.

But, in the case of either nominee, the horror of making life and death a matter of private choice, of legalized murder, is on full display. If this debate showed anything, besides the contentiousness of the political climate, it is that life has become a debatable thing, and death means to a perceived freedom.

Harris smilingly talked about her vision for an “opportunity economy,” but it is striking that such an economy of opportunity does not extend to the opportunity to life. She talked optimistically about a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine, but there can be no two-state solution for mother and child. She pivoted in the debate to talk about how the precious gift of life must be protected through IVF treatments—the same process where lives are flushed down the drain as unceremoniously as they are torn up in the womb. And Trump is little better in this matter, as he shouldered himself in as a leader in IVF and one who will leave murder up to the will of the people in individual states as opposed to the federal government.

“Will you allow abortion in the eighth month? The ninth month?” Trump asked Harris. “Will you veto an abortion ban?” Harris shot back with her own question. Neither had any real answers about anything regarding abortion—except that they support it in their own way because the people want it.

While neither of these candidates, or many Americans for that matter, want to talk about what is really going on in with abortion, Kamala Harris did repeat that she was running to talk about the needs, dreams, and desires of the American people—which includes the ability to destroy an unwanted baby. People may be gawking at Trump’s disgust about immigrants in Springfield, Ohio that are so impoverished they allegedly have to eat dogs and cats, but the real horror is being ignored—because most are well used to ignoring it. It’s an unpleasant, ugly subject, after all, and most suspect that anything like real scrutiny would reveal a reality far more unconscionable than the restrictions Harris called unconscionable.

Abortion is a manifestation of the American way of emphasizing individual good as opposed to human good, or even the common good. By today’s lights, liberty means opportunity, freedom means license, and happiness means luxury. But lives lived according to such uninhibited attitudes and habits often results in new life: life which is inconvenient, unwelcome, and a threat to the libertinism that Americans call liberty. Again, individual good is upheld over a robust view of the ultimate good, and until our political representatives can establish a political framework guided by a traditional anthropology, philosophy, and religion, there can be little hope for a government that will justify such obvious and intrinsic evils as abortion.

As the debate demonstrated, both Donald Trump and Kamala Harris want to deliver on this cornerstone of the hedonistic American dream, this postmodern American value of self-service. Abortion eliminates responsibility by eliminating conception, and as such, is a horrific vade mecum in a society that is not guided by any conception of the human good. Seeing how aggressively the candidates leapt upon this topic of topics from their own party’s perspectives and strategies, it is clear that abortion is a lightning rod, a litmus of a fundamental problem—perhaps the fundamental problem—in America and, therefore, in American politics.

Many of the ideals and principles proclaimed by Harris and the Left, as enshrined within her vision, fall flat on their faces when we remember that she believes a woman can murder her unborn baby. All the compassionate words in the world cannot color over Harris’s acceptance of disposing life. And she knows there is a contradiction there, as all who support abortion do; but she and they sweep it away with a blind eye and a ready rationalization.

But she knows the truth. Recall when she gave a speech to mark the 50th anniversary of Roe v. Wade last year and said, “America is a promise. It is a promise of freedom and liberty—not for some, but for all. A promise we made in the Declaration of Independence that we are each endowed with the right to liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” The conspicuous omission of “life” was no accident.

Even as she vowed to empower Americans to destroy new life during her glossy debate performance, Kamala Harris invoked the importance of the future. She promised to uphold the American people’s ambitions, dreams, and aspirations—and part of realizing that to a people who are addicted and entrenched to selfishness is abortion. But the contradictions here are astonishing. How can Americans realize their ambitions, dreams, and aspirations truly and well without the sanctity of life? How can our lives be meaningful if life is disposable? How can we lay out a plan for society that will fulfill our lives when life itself is a thing debatable?

Kamala Harris, to be clear, paints a far darker picture than the former president. She said in her closings statement that, as Attorney General of California, she always considered the American people her client, and wanted all to know that she will ask us, as she did all of her clients, “Are you ok?” How can she ask that without knowing what “ok” is, what the good is? Politicians like her make passes at the theory of what may be good according to this person or that person, or this group and that group, trying to customize the good according to individual need or desire with remedies that are not wholly remedial.

Again, the idea or reality of the good for humanity is just not part of the debate, but human life is. And without the former, the latter will only get very short shrift.


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About Sean Fitzpatrick 27 Articles
Sean Fitzpatrick is a graduate of Thomas Aquinas College and serves on the faculty of Gregory the Great Academy in Elmhurst, Pennsylvania. He teaches Literature, Mythology, and Humanities. Mr. Fitzpatrick’s writings on education, literature, and culture have appeared in a number of journals including Crisis Magazine, Catholic Exchange, the Cardinal Newman Society’s Journal for Educators, and the Imaginative Conservative. He lives in Scranton with his wife, Sophie, and their seven children.

42 Comments

    • Your side has made it impossible to have a serious discussion about Russia and the Ukrainian war. There were many lies told about Russia collusion, including the disproven lies told about the Hunter Biden laptop. The Russia hoaxes have been far from harmless.

    • Thank you Mr. Fitzpatrick for your article. I found it interesting and tend to agree with you but would like to remind you and other readers about this one very important point. The democrats not only want abortion legal without restrictions, they will punish doctors, hospitals, and medical personnel who refuse to be a part of abortion. The Republicans will protect their right to religious freedom to not be a part of abortion. This is often overlooked and is very important.

    • Mr. T:

      If the objective is to avoid war and have a weak Putin by keeping money away from him(and weak Iran etc), then the need is to have low costs of oil and gas.

      The aims of the DEM party are to maintain high costs of oil and gas, because the party has the luxury belief in the “green new deal.”

      No matter what party one votes for, everyone knows that gasoline cost twice as much under Biden and Obama, and half as much under Trump.

      The DEM luxury belief of “green new deal” resulted in a wealthy Putin and Iran, and they funded their 2 wars with the money in their pockets from the DEM luxury beliefs.

      Everyone realizes this is what has happened under DEM “green new deal.” It = Wars of Putin and Iran.

      That will come to an end, because most people can’t afford luxury beliefs, and will vote against luxury beliefs.

  1. More than half of all Catholics now support abortion in one manner or another. Most Catholics contracept. My guess is that fornication is a common practice among Catholics. Catholics are not averse to in vitro fertilization. Catholics fit right in with the rest of the culture.

    • Your comment is consistent with the author’s point. Your comment is the fruit of a narcissitic, hedonist culture. Your generic “All” Catholics…, “Most” Catholics… are false declarations. You need to state “U.S.” Catholics which may also be false. Catholics the world over do not support abortion nor contraception. Look to Peru where the government states that from the moment of conception a human being is created who enjoys the right to life as any other human being. Other Latin American and African countries are the same. Neither Abortion nor Contraception are accepted by “most” Catholics. As a non-U.S. resident, this “catholicworldreport” does well to look beyond the USA in matters “Catholic.”

      • Erlank: My presumption is that the Catholics who are referenced are those Catholics who live in the USA since we’re discussing an American election. (By American, I mean the USA even though I realize there’s a Central America, South America, American Samoa, etc.)

  2. The more I see, read and hear about the abortion debate the more I am convinced the subject is not being addressed from the roots up. Let me say from the start I am anti abortion full stop, no ifs or buts. I also recognise that laws change nothing if the heart and soul remain entrenched. At the heart of the abortion debate from my perspective is the terrible division between men and women. This is why Harris spouts about freedom for women to decide over their own bodies and hits bang on target. There is a long history that has made many women fragile about the notion of control. In todays society where poxn is so prevalent I think many women feel great strides have been made and yet we have stood still. At its heart abortion is about control. It seems no matter what women do or achieve they will always be the plaything of men. The terrible irony is off course, abortion has only strengthened mens control. But poor mortals who only see power in worldly terms, the power over life and death trumps everything and abortion will never be defeated by worldly laws crafted by worldly men. Only recourse to the supernatural can change it.

  3. We need to stop focusing on people who can do little about the abortion issue and start to look into the mirror where the problem truly is.
    .
    Women (generally) don’t want children. Men (generally) don’t want children. They absolutely want to engage in reproductive relations because it is fun, but they don’t want children. Not generally. Abortion goes hand-in-hand with contraception and fornication, both of which are rampant in our society, even among folks who are “pro-life” otherwise.
    .
    Even the Pope has made comments like people should “not to breed like rabbits” (yes, yes, not his exact quote and likely taken out of context.)
    .
    But I suppose it it is easier to dunk on our preferred candidates and political leaders than admonish children and friends, even ourselves, for their immoral behavior

  4. So where does this leave the Catholic Politically when the most Conservative Party abandons morality? Isn’t it time to wake up and unite to present something better? I’m afraid that time is not on our side.

  5. The Truth is, it is not debatable that securing and protecting our inherent unalienable Right to Liberty and The Pursuit of Happiness depends first and foremost, on securing and protecting our inherent unalienable Right to Life.

  6. Despite Trump’s flaws, his political rationalizations, the line between the two candidates has all the markings of a crevice. That is, if his opponent is elected we will continue to plummet into the dark abyss of Godless quasi Marxist secularism. When abortion may be mandated.
    Abortion as some comments here rightly perceive is more a personal man and wife issue. The laws are laws that don’t enforce abortion as in China’s previous policy of limited births. We have the choice to bring life into the world and fulfill the sacrament of marriage, or abort and ‘have fun’ as said here. It’s a moral, spiritual issue. Catholicism, Christianity in general requires revival.

  7. Catholics should change their strategy to reduce the number of abortions. Time to stop trying to use a man-made government to reduce abortions. Time to use the Catholic Church and the Word of God to reduce abortions. All of our time, money, and resources should be used to fill the pews in our churches. It is an unrealistic to end all abortions. What does a woman whose baby dies in her womb at 8 months do—it happens? If a woman understands the Teachings of Christ, she should be able to make the right decision.

  8. It is all very simple. Our political freedom is a gift from God and from those who gave their lives in order to bequeath it to us. We must use it in order to care for and protect Christ in the least of His brethren, and use it in order to hand it on to the next generation as a gift to them, just as it was a gift to us.

    Why should God allow us to continue to have political freedom if we won’t use it to protect the life of the child in the womb, to protect temporarily confused children from having their genitals mutilated, to end rampant child sex trafficking?

    The Early Church didn’t have the political freedom we have. They couldn’t use peaceful elections to correct injustice. We can. We have political freedom. We must use it to end the violent abuse of the least of the brethren of Christ. We will do that or quickly lose it.

    Whatever we fail to do for them, we fail to do for Him. We are only a heartbeat away from being judged by Him.

  9. There is a time and place to clean our own house first before trying to correct the shortfalls and sins of others. If we seek for a paragon of holiness, we don’t first think of either the priests or the Catholic laity. Holiness has departed our pews as we are a divided house. We have too many that do not believe in the Real Presence or even the sanctity of Life. We have church leaders that rather than teach what is right and what is wrong, belches out who am I to judge! The halls of the Vatican must first be filled with those who earnestly seek after holiness, which then leads the worlds priests in such a humble pursuit. Then the Body of Christ must be taught the clear, undeniable truth. If they cannot accept it, then the Eucharist must be denied them until through penance they come to an understanding of the truth.

    • it won’t be that long, no Democracy or Republic democracy has lasted very long. aren’t we one of the oldest

      once you slide toward socialism you’ll never get it back

      • knowall: It’s not so much socialism that’s the problem in my mind; it’s the totalitarian abridgement of the rights given to us by God and enshrined in our Constitution that is most disturbing. In case no one has noticed, we are now living in a post-Constitutional government. The government rules by fiat…by Deep State. We no longer have a government by the people. Just notice how Biden was removed from running for a second term: agents moved in to summarily defenestrate him. There was no appeal to the law to remove him from office based on his inability to govern. And how did Harris then get the nomination of her party? Not by any will of the registered members of the Democrat Party in each of the States. No, by a few select powerful people deciding that she was now the candidate. And what’s worse is that Joe and Mary citizen are willfully surrendering their voice in submitting to the powerful few. This democratic experiment is over.

        • Joe was the one who put that over on Obama, who wanted the guy from out west. I disagree with 98% of his policies but I gotta hand it to him he put one over on his old boss by immediately endorsing KH instead of letting the DNC take the reins. They throw people under the electric bus if it’s an inconvenience – even Trump remarked about how Wasserman-Schultz threw poor Bernie there once he challenged queen Hillary. As Joe said the elite are taking over.

  10. “Harris rejoined with a response that, sad to say, might win her the White House.”

    But it certainly makes her deserving of Hell. The same could be said about those who vote for her. Gaining the presidency is not worth eternal damnation.

    As it is, while I may be forced to vote for Trump, given their prior actions neither of the candidates are deserving of life – much less high office. Unacceptable candidates ought not to be accepted. The purpose of a government is to promote virtue, not give “license” for the worst vices with respect to humans within its jurisdiction.

    Note: Please delete this comment or the prior one. I had some issue posting the previous one.

  11. Let us concentrate on taking action by voting this November. The choice is not difficult for a Catholic voter or any Christian voter in general. On the one hand, a candidate who named Supreme Court justices that overturned a federal right to abortion, who says he will veto any legislation in favor of a federal right to abortion or a federal ban to abortion, and that he will leave the matter to the decision of the voters of each state. On the other hand, a candidate who says she will push for and sign a federal right to abortion regardless of what the voters in a particular state want. So let us make an effort to avoid obfuscation and just vote for the candidate that favors Christian morality more.

  12. As many of you have commented legislation will never end abortion. Abortion will only end when hearts are changed. Which unfortunately will not happen anytime in the near future our choice is clear and is best summarized in a press release by Troy Newman the head of Project rescue on September 4, 2024 in which he states that right to life people are trying to hold Trump to higher standard than they do their religious leaders, an article well worth reading and considering.
    https://www.operationrescue.org/archives/its-time-to-stop-blaming-president-trump-for-his-evolving-public-position-on-abortion/

  13. The possibility of those in the health care field being mandated to perform abortions as a likely scenario – hope same too get enough attention . Too bad that Trump did not get back at his opponent with the retort – if she was going to have a baby would she have chosen an Ob Gyn who had blood on his hands ..a hospital with more sequels too from such …the omission of the many known issues faced by men and women , families and nations from such choices – the claim of Trump that he won can be taken to be true in the context that he did not endorse explicit evil as freedom …and how can any one trust someone in important areas of national security etc: when one has not cared enough to look into such well known aspects of such a fundamental issue !
    Would it even be the deep wounds in own life and family that is manifesting in the militant support for the evil – in her right hand support figure as well ! Such an inclination to promote evil – where is the nation being led to !
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQHBZhWTab4 – seeking out more supernatural help of holy souls in purgatory of those who procured or aided in abortion – from the 90 days prayer – may same also help with the Ukraine War that can also be seen as a scourge of the long history of sins against life in Russia . Mercy !

  14. Last year I listened to Fox and was quietly convinced that the midterms would bring the GOP victory in both houses what turned out was never trust the likes of hannity and fox again. My fear is that lighting is going to strike twice since the attack on the holy of holies, namely abortion has galvanised the DEMONCRATS and gop that support this evil that this is the most important issue!!! Give us gas at 50 dollars a fill, as long as we can kill the clump of cells! If the chackling hag with the neverending blocked nose voice gets in, Heavenly fire will come!

  15. As an observation, I have recently «discovered» the 19th century American Catholic intellectual and apologist Orestes A Brownson.
    In his day he was ranked alongside St John Henry Newman, like Brownson a Protestant convert.
    I wonder what he would have had to say, in his forthright style, about the contemporary Catholic laity’s seeming «formless» state and the reasons for it.

  16. Trump and Harris, Trump and Harris, blah blah blah. Trying to make them equivalent in ANY way is a distortion of the truth. Its unfortunate the Catholic media wants to obsess about abortion and destroy anyone who is not rabidly pro-life. This is certain to result in NO ONE with a pro-life agenda being elected, since the populace has not supported “all or nothing on abortion in decades.

    Trump was telling the truth that democrats have no problem with the after birth death of a baby. One need only read the sick comments of the former governor of Virginia who suggested that once the baby of an attempted baby was born, the Mom could sit down with doctors and “decide what to do”. Presumably this allows for the decision to withhold medical help and allow the child to die. That governor was voted out at the first opportunity, but the crazed pro-abortion crowd made their support of his comments known.
    . In addition there were proposals which did not make it into law. That does not mean that such brutal laws didnt have their supporters. Among them, the leftist currently running with Harris. See the following:

    https://www.twincities.com/2024/09/11/donald-trump-used-claims-about-abortion-in-minnesota-to-paint-tim-walz-as-extreme-what-did-the-governor-sign-into-law/

    Any Catholic with a brain should understand that with Trump you will get 95% of what you really want to happen in the country. With Harris you will get NOTHING. NEITHER on abortion, nor on any other issue of importance. Wake up.

  17. The Catholic fight for life, “ALL life”, continues with a dichotomy dictated by political hacks. Pass the abortion decision to the states, (Trump), creating an utter patchwork of havoc. Red States, Blue states. What ever happened to red, white and blue states? What ever happened to compromise and conciliation?

    Interestingly and morbidly, the Texas constitution, one of the most restrictive on abortion, allows abortion for the threat to the mother’s life. More interesting is legally challenged Texas AG Ken Paxton issued an illegal threat to sue Laurel Miller’s doctor for sending her to another state. Lauen was pregnant with twins, and one was dying, Political hack! You bet.

    I believe that as long as Catholics and evangelists continue to rely on suspect politicians they will lose. Moreover, and more importantly, how do we expect to manage and reclaim those who favor “a woman’s right to her life”?

    Today, the playing field is not even, it may never be even. We tend to globalize our positions. All Democrats, leftists, are evil, All RTLers are good. The recent debate between Harris and Trump was an inflection point for us. Trump flips on abortion, Harris rigidity on letting the woman, her family and doctor decide her very personal issue promoted Pope Francis’ to say “vote for the lesser of two evils”. Can that be “vote your conscience? Remember, Harris comes with a resume’, while Trump comes with a rap sheet that no one wants to talk about. Can we really vote at all?

  18. Mr. Morgan, I love Haitian people but dumping 15k in a town that’s already struggling economically is not a good move & leads to the sort of resentment we’ve seen.

  19. A divide in the security services would reflect the matter of fundamental human values. The knee-jerk backlash and reactionary defensiveness inside and outside the security services would reflect fundamental desperation, outright grasping vice.

    ‘ How can Americans realize their ambitions, dreams, and aspirations truly and well without the sanctity of life? How can our lives be meaningful if life is disposable? How can we lay out a plan for society that will fulfill our lives when life itself is a thing debatable? ‘ – per Sean Fitzpatrick (above).

    https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/secret-service-forced-to-respond-to-report-armed-man-approached-obama-at-la-restaurant/ar-AA1rfXjv

    https://news.yahoo.com/news/armed-man-claims-came-within-223614718.html

    https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/secret-service-forced-to-respond-to-report-armed-man-approached-obama-at-la-restaurant/ar-AA1rfXjv

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