We are now just inside of one month until election day.  The question we have for our Catholic family, friends, fellow parishioners and co-workers is:  Are you praying, reflecting and ready to Vote Your Faith in 2010?  Given the nature of the mainstream media today, many folks simply don’t know where candidates stand on issues.  It is our goal to help educate committed Catholics about the issues in this campaign that impact our faith or are in direct conflict with it.

We as Catholics are called to practice our faith in the voting booth.  In fact, in the past two elections cycles Pope Benedict XVI outlined a three point model to reflect on before voting.

Benedict XVI said that the focus of public interventions by the Catholic Church “is the protection and promotion of the dignity of the person and she is thereby consciously drawing particular attention to principles which are not negotiable.”

The Pope spelled out these principles thus:

– “protection of life in all its stages, from the first moment of conception to natural death”;

– “recognition and promotion of the natural structure of the family — as a union between a man and a woman based on marriage — and its defense from attempts to make it juridically equivalent to radically different forms of union which in reality harm it and contribute to its de-stabilization, obscuring its particular character and its irreplaceable social role”;

– and “the protection of the right of parents to educate their children.”

Common to all

Benedict XVI clarified: “These principles are not truths of faith, even though they receive further light and confirmation from faith; they are inscribed in human nature itself and therefore they are common to all humanity.”

So, what are some important Catholic issues before us this election cycle? 

1.  Taxpayer funding of abortion in health care.  When President Obama signed the health care law, he signed a law that opened the flood gates for taxpayer funding of abortion.  Americans United for Life Action has launched a “Life Counts” campaign targeting specific members of Congress who voted to force taxpayers to fund abortion.  See if your Congressman is on the list here.  If so, call him or her and let them know you will not be voting for them because they support the radical policy of forcing taxpayers to fund abortion.

Find out:  Did candidates seeking your vote this November, support Obamacare? If they voted for Obamacare, they voted to force taxpayers to fund abortion.  Vote them out and support a candidate running to repeal Obamacare and end taxpayer funding for abortion throughout the federal government by supporting Smith-Lipinski (see number 2).

2. Ending taxpayer funding of abortion in all federal government agencies. Representatives Chris Smith (R-NJ) and Dan Lipinski (D-IL) have introduced a bipartisan bill to end taxpayer funding of abortion across the federal government.  The bill has 150 original cosponsors, including 16 Democrats.  Read more on the bill here.

Ask candidates for Congress or Senate in your state:  Do you support the bipartisan Smith-Lipinski bill in the House, which would end taxpayer funding of abortion across the federal government?  If they do, support them.  If they don’t, vote them out.

3.  Taxpayer funding of human experimentation through embryo research.  Senator Arlen Specter (D-PA) and Representative Diana DeGette (D-CO) have introduced legislation to not only have taxpayers fund embryonic stem cell research, but also opens the door to taxpayer funded cloning. To learn more about this issue go here.

Find out: Do candidates running for Congress seeking your vote support Specter-DeGette and taxpayer funding of human experimentation through embryo research?  If they do, vote them out by supporting candidates who oppose embryonic stem cell research.

4.  Traditional marriage is under attack across the country and key elections in Maine, New Hampshire, Minnesota, and Iowa could weigh heavily on the future of the marriage issue. In each of these states, public support continues to fall on the side of protecting marriage as the union of one man and one woman, yet we have elected officials who continue to push against the voters’ say on the marriage issue, and who are taking matter into their own hands – whether it be a Governor or a state supreme court justice. The National Organization for Marriage has all the info you need here.

Find out—do candidates seeking your vote support marriage as defined between one man and one woman?  If not, vote them out by supporting candidates that support marriage.

5.  School choice.  One would think all would agree that parents should have the right to decide what education, including homeschooling, options are best for their kids.  Yet many liberals and unions fight against this very basic civil right across the country from the smallest town to the largest city.  Learn more about school choice issues here.

Find out: Do candidates seeking your vote this November support school choice?  If not, vote them out by supporting candidates who do support school choice.

6.  Supreme Court and Judges:  Senators have amazing power.  They have a vote to determine who will sit on various levels of our federal judiciary and apply laws and bring justice.  Yet the biggest injustice our country faces today is the over 50 million babies who have been murdered thanks to a Supreme Court ruling.

It is important that as Catholics we vote for Senate candidates who commit to voting for judges who apply the law and not support judicial nominees who legislate from the bench.  The most notorious example of legislating from the bench was the 1973 Roe Vs. Wade decision in the Supreme Court, which made abortion on demand the law of the land.

Find out: Do your Senate candidates support judges who apply the law and consider Roe vs Wade legislating from the bench and a bad decision?  If they do, support them.  If they don’t, vote them out.  You can learn more about judicial issues here.

For more information you can also visit CatholicVote and Catholic Answers, both terrific organizations assisting Catholics seeking to learn more about issues important to Catholics and where candidates stand.