Senator Feinstein: Don’t berate my Catholic faith

Senator Dianne Feinstein, as you prevail in your attempt to dissuade your fellow Senators from voting to approve Amy Barrett as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, please do not berate my Catholic faith or question its principles and teachings. Yes we disagree with you on Choice. Yes we are Pro Life. And yes we believe in certain principles, practices and morals that distinguish us from other sects of the Christian faith.

Your off mic comment in which you stated that Amy Barrett’s “deeply personal” faith is influencing her decisions as a judge was quite disturbing. You went further and told Barrett, “Your dogma lives loudly within you.” What dogma are you talking about, Senator? Are you talking about the Catholic teachings about the sanctity of life? Are you talking about the Catholic belief that life begins at conception and that unborn babies need to be protected? Are you talking about our steadfast and total objection to late term abortions in which doctors take inventories of body parts as they rip them off babies that are still in the womb? 

Pandora’s Box

Senator, the point that I am trying to make is that once you start attacking a person for their religious faith and referring to it as their “dogma,” you are opening Pandora’s Box. And when you are talking about a faith as old and as complicated as the Catholic faith, the conversation can go on from here to perpetuity. 

Instead of attacking nominees for their faith, or “dogma” as you call it, perhaps you should ask nominees about their qualifications for the job and make your decision based on their qualifications instead of your perception of what their “dogma” is or is not. And speaking of qualifications, being Catholic is not an instant “disqualifier“ for a judicial nominee or any other type of nominee. And if you see it as a disqualifier, then you are guilty of anti-Catholic bigotry.

Catholics can be leaders too

We Catholics can be leaders too. And we can make decisions that pertain to the society as a whole, guided by our principles, beliefs and morals without forcing our faith on others. And yes we may have a more stringent sense of right and wrong than do most Christian denominations; but we still can listen to others and make principled decisions without infringing upon the rights of others.

Roe v. Wade

Yes Senator Feinstein it is no secret that we Catholics oppose the landmark Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion nationwide. It is no secret that we believe in the sanctity of human life and that we believe that life begins at conception. 

But you are making quite a presumption when you assume that just because we oppose Roe v. Wade that it means that we can come up with a Constitutional rationale for overturning it. If such a rationalization does exists, it exists no matter whether those who discover it are Catholic, HIndu or anything in between. Conversely, if no rationale exists for overturning Roe v. Wade, it does not matter if the Justices determining that are Catholic, Jewish or agnostic. 

If there is no rationale for overturning Roe v. Wade, then you ought not fear that a Catholic Associate Justice will find one. And if there is such a rationale, it can be found by any Associate Justice, no matter their religion.

And so the fact that a devout Catholic has been nominated to the Court should not make any difference at all. Just because Amy Barrett is very sincere about her Catholic faith does not mean that she cannot be objective, fair and equitable in her decisions as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court. And it does not mean that she would be any less objective, fair and equitable than anybody else. 

Fearing the Pope

When Senator John F. Kennedy was nominated for President by the Democratic Party, a lot of people feared that he would be directed or influenced by the Pope. Senator Kennedy reassured voters that he would not be directed by the Pope and that he would listen to the American People before making decisions.

The American People believed Kennedy and gave him their trust. As it turned out, Kennedy kept his promise and did not depend upon the Pope when making decisions as President. Senator Feinstein, I believe that you should extend the same courtesy to any Catholic nominee for a judicial post who assures you that they will not allow their faith to dictate their judicial decisions. Once such a nominee has provided you with such assurances, you should drop the issue of their religion and accept their assurances at face value.

It’s your decision

Senator Feinstein, how you vote on the nomination of Amy Barrett is your decision and only yours to make. I am not telling you how to vote on her nomination. However, I am asking that you not let Barett’s faith enter the picture as you cast your vote in the Senate. Base your vote on her qualifications, not her faith. After all, isn’t that what millions of Catholics did in California when they voted for you as a Senator? Need I say more?