Priests for Life Online Poll

We are excited about our online poll, which gives you, our visitors, the opportunity to share your views with us in an informal but important way.

Here are the results questions on our poll. Be sure to come back frequently to our home page to answer new poll questions, so that we don't miss out on having your opinion!

-- Fr. Frank

Question: Has the pro-life movement tried too much to “get the bishops involved in politics,” or has it not done enough in this regard?

Too Much: 20; Not Enough: 364; Total: 384

Comment: The lopsided results of this particular question are not surprising to us at all; yet, we posted the question because we do hear from some that the pro-life movement tries to get the bishops too involved in politics. The reality, on the other hand, is that the movement tries to get the bishops involved in effective projects to defend the unborn, and when confronted with the substantive rather than just symbolic things that actually have to be done to accomplish this goal, some consider those things “too political.”

Question: Do you think the number of clergy who are preaching on abortion is increasing or decreasing?

Increasing: 158; Decreasing: 169; Total: 327

Comment: Priests for Life commissioned a Wirthlin poll of US Catholic priests some years ago and found that most of them said they preached once or twice a year on the topic of abortion. The most common question we receive remains, “What can we do to get our priests to speak up more about it?” This brochure is one place to start.

Question: Do you think the number of people in your community who are willing to give of their time to work to end abortion is increasing or decreasing?

Increasing: 276; Decreasing: 147; Total: 423

Comment: This statistic, of course, will vary from community to community, and depends very much on local leadership. Overall, however, the movement is growing.

Question: Do you believe it is possible, with sustained effort and the voices of many people, to get a national secular media outlet in the United States to show pictures of aborted babies?

Results: Yes: 557; No: 189; Total: 746

Comment: Thank you for the confidence; this is exactly what we intend to get them to do! Please sign our online petition to the media to show the American people what an abortion is.

Question: Do prayer and protest mix? In other words, is it appropriate for Christians to protest abortion, such as by standing at the abortion mills and holding pro-life signs, while praying?

Results: Yes: 850; No: 42; Total: 892

Comment: Not only do prayer and protest mix, but prayer leads us to protest against evil. Prayer to God and protest of evil are part of the same movement of the soul, because prayer is union with God, and therefore rejection of evil.

Question: Sometimes there are differences of opinion within the pro-life movement about whether a specific legislative proposal, aimed at advancing the pro-life cause, should be supported. Should religious leaders make public recommendations about whether people should or should not support particular bills, when all the options are morally acceptable, or should they limit their role to pointing out whether or not all the options are morally acceptable, and encourage the people to work for whatever option they think is best?

Results: Make specific recommendations: 302; Give general moral guidance: 144; Total: 446

Comment: Bishops are teachers of the faith and the moral demands of the Christian life. Within the Church, other experts also exercise their gifts of expertise, whether in the legal or medical arena, or any other arena. The ancient saying applies here: “In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, freedom; in all things, charity."

Question: Do you oppose abortion primarily for religious reasons, or primarily for reasons springing from human reason alone?

Results: Religious: 941; Reason: 544; Total:

Comment: It is critical that pro-life believers be motivated by both the religious truths and by human reason alone, not only because that enables us to reach purely secular audiences, but also because of the inherent link that the Church acknowledges between faith and reason. All truth, whether reached by revelation or by human reason alone, comes from the one God, and by both means, we can discern that abortion is wrong.

Question: Do you believe that Pregnancy Centers should make it a point to be open when sidewalk counselors are at the abortion mills so that the counselors can bring mothers who change their mind about abortion over to the centers?

Results: Yes: 526; No: 18; Total: 544

Comment: It makes a lot of sense. Please join us in encouraging the pregnancy centers to do precisely this!

Question: Because Priests for Life also has lay members and ecumenical outreach, would it be better to call our overall ministry “Gospel of Life Ministries” and have the term “Priests for Life” refer specifically to the work we do with priests?

Results: Yes: 192; No: 165; TOTAL: 357

Comment: We expected that opinion might be split on this, since there are pros and cons for both options. Priests for Life will, of course, continue to identify itself as Priests for Life. Meanwhile, where “Gospel of Life Ministries” can get us into circles where we cannot otherwise go, we’ll also utilize that term.

Question: If the Republican party nominated a presidential candidate who favored legal abortion but promised to nominate Supreme Court Justices like Justice Roberts, would you vote for that person in order to help defeat the candidate who would only appoint Justices who made it clear they would uphold Roe vs. Wade?

Results: Yes: 976; No: 657; Total: 1,633

Comment: This question obviously divides pro-life people. It is going to be important for us to understand that a vote for someone does not have to mean that we agree with everything that person stands for. Rather, a vote is an exercise of power which tries to actually advance the cause of life as much as possible and limit worse problems if possible.

Question: Are you in favor of states introducing legislation to ban all abortions, even if legal advisors say they should wait until there are more Justices on the Supreme Court who will uphold such a ban?

Results: Yes: 1,301; No: 72; Total: 1,373

Comment: It is clear that on many levels, grassroots activists in the states want to act boldly and decisively to have the states challenge the current, unjust restriction by the courts on the states’ ability to protect their unborn children. It is critical in the pro-life movement that those with different opinions on the specific strategy and tactics reaffirm that they have the same common goal, and exercise mutual encouragement even as people pursue different efforts to achieve that goal.

Question: Do you see the ban on partial-birth abortion as a big victory for the pro-life movement or a small victory?

Results: Big: 677; Small: 275; Total: 952

Comment: The first banning of an abortion procedure since Roe vs. Wade is a big step forward.

Question: Do you believe President Bush has helped to advance the cause of promoting respect and protection for the unborn child?

Results: Yes: 968; No: 183; Total: 1,151

Comment: President Bush has consistently demonstrated his commitment to protect the unborn child and all vulnerable persons. For examples, see www.priestsforlife.org/news/presidentlife.htm

Question: Are you in favor of a resurgence of activity in our nation whereby people peacefully block the doors of abortion facilities, thus placing themselves between the babies and the instruments that will kill those babies?

Results: Yes: 554; No: 113; Total: 667

Comment: My experience around the country is that the sentiment among pro-lifers, especially the young, matches the favorable response to this poll question.

Question: Do you think that of acts of violence by abortion supporters against pro-life activists are more common than acts of violence by pro-life people against abortion advocates?

Results: Yes: 639; No: 108

Comment: We’ve got news for those who answered “No.” In fact, acts of violence by abortion supporters far surpass those against them. Documentation on this violence is available upon request.

Question: Do you think most people understand that assisted suicide is wrong?

Results: Yes: 272 No: 688

Comment: It is critical that we engage in educational and legislative efforts regarding assisted suicide, and that the clergy preach about it. For resources, be sure to visit www.priestsforlife.org/euthanasia

Question: Do you think that, overall, the pro-life movement is making progress toward the goal of restoring protection to the lives of children in the womb?

Results: Yes: 1,117 No: 330

Comment: We are definitely making progress! I have been giving a talk in these days entitled, “A Dozen Reasons why the Pro-life Movement is Winning.” You can listen to this talk or download it. (MP3 format)

Question: Have you heard a homily on abortion in your parish church at least two times in the past year?

Results: Yes: 303 No: 874

Comment: The relative scarcity of preaching on abortion exists at the same time that others in the Church think too much attention is given to it. When I am asked how often a priest should preach about it, my response is simple: Abortion in the United States kills more than were killed on September 11, and more than our nation has lost in Iraq since that war began. If the tragedy of 9-11 happened every day, or the total number of casualties so far in the war were a daily total instead of a cumulative one, how much would we preach about that? Let’s give the unborn the same recognition as the born.

Question: Does the parish you attend have a pro-life committee?

Results: Yes: 282 No: 233

Comment: This is consistent with the Wirthlin survey of priests that Priests for Life commissioned a few years ago, which showed slightly more than half of parishes having a pro-life committee. For those that do, we encourage the commissioning of the committee each year at a Sunday Mass. See www.priestsforlife.org/newsletters/v15n01janfeb05.htm for a suggested outline of the commissioning ceremony.

Question: Do you think capital punishment should be abolished?

Results: Yes: 1,414 No: 543

Comment: Capital punishment is not the same moral issue as abortion. Abortion is an intrinsic evil; that is, there can never be a circumstance in which it is justified. Capital punishment, on the other hand, is not an intrinsic evil, and the Church acknowledges that there could be justification for it in rare circumstances. Nonetheless, the Church urges that this practice be abandoned.

Question: Do you think the Catholic Church should get rid of its tax-exempt status?

Results: Yes: 340 No: 1,051

Comment: The Church may, of course, choose to be tax-exempt under the Internal Revenue Code. What the Church may not do, however, is to be silent in the face of injustice. There is right now a “chilling effect” on the institutional Church to do much of anything regarding elections – and if we don’t find new courage to use the freedom we have, the tax exemption may be taken away from us anyway.

Question: Please indicate if it is your understanding that under the law a priest or minister can say the following statement in the pulpit: “We have a duty to elect candidates who will protect the lives of the unborn."

Results: Yes: 1,257 No: 76
Comment: Those who said “No” have heard the same erroneous legal advice that many of our bishops and priests have heard. The attorneys who give such advice need to go to summer school, because the law does not prohibit us from saying this. And even if it did, we would say it anyway, because abortion is an injustice which leaves us no excuse for silence.

Question: Do people have a right to distribute campaign literature on cars in a Church parking lot?

Results: Yes: 626; No: 228
Comment: Yes, people do have such a right. We urge them to exercise it, and we ask pastors not to interfere with it.

Question: If a woman who is planning to have an abortion calls a pro-life pregnancy center and asks if they do abortions, do you think it is all right for a the center not to answer the question, but rather to urge the woman to come in right away, so that they can get her into a counseling situation in which they have a better chance of saving that child's life?

Results: Yes 875; No: 221

Comment: While some in the pro-abortion community try to accuse pregnancy centers of using deception, the Catholic moral tradition fully recognizes that it is not always necessary to provide a person with the information they are requesting at the moment. Rather, when life is at stake, the approach described above is perfectly legitimate.

Question: Do you think more attention needs to be given to exposing partial-birth abortion (which the Supreme Court will again discuss in the Fall) than to discussing embryonic stem cell research?

Results: Yes: 435; No: 109

Comment: Yes, we agree with the majority of respondents. My comments on this are found in my column “Maintain the Focus.”

Question: Do you expect that 'Values Voters' will be just as active in the 2006 elections as they were in 2004?

Results: Yes: 597; No: 227

Comment: Our position is that the voters will be just as active - provided we all do our part to activate them. Now is the time to start talking about the elections in earnest, and reminding people that no matter what their frustrations may be with the political process and its leaders, that we have to keep our eyes on the prize, and get further favorable changes in the Supreme Court, to help us end the world's greatest holocaust, which is abortion. I thank you in advance for all you will do to mobilize voters this year, and ask you to sign up as an election volunteer at www.priestsforlife.org/elections

Question: Is it your opinion that when Democratic lawmakers speak about the need to reduce abortions, they are looking for political advantage rather than sincerely trying to reduce abortions?

Results: Yes: 913; No: 84

Comment: It is certainly true that Democratic politicians can read election results and poll numbers, and realize that supporting abortion does not win elections. The political advantage right now is with the pro-life position. At the same time, it is also true that there are serious and sincere pro-life Democrats in office and seeking office. Each candidate in both parties must prove his or her sincerity not simply by stating what he or she "believes," but by telling us what he or she will do to protect the unborn.

Question: Do you think that a mother who has had an abortion and then has given birth to other children should tell those children, at some appropriate time, that she had an abortion?

Results: Yes: 1061; No: 659

Comment: This is a fairly significant split of opinion. The experience and insight of Dr. Philip Ney, a child psychiatrist who has studied this issue for decades, is important here. He maintains that the children likely already know, and certainly are impacted by their mother's abortion whether they realize it or not. Abortion always wounds the family, and families, in the end, are healthier when they know what their wounds are. Dr. Ney provides valuable guidance on this topic, and his material can be found on our website as well as at www.messengers2.com.

Question: Do you agree that South Dakota should have passed the ban on abortion now, before a further change on the Supreme Court?

Results: Yes: 326; No: 31

Comment: We have commented on the South Dakota situation (click here to read).

Question: Do you think pro-life pregnancy centers should seek government funding?

Results: Yes: 636; No: 333

Comment: The substantial concern expressed by the “No” answers has to do, of course, with the concern that government will attempt to limit the type of religious expression that takes place in the centers. The majority of the “Yes” answers, however, shows that the dominant concern is that centers get as much help as possible simply to save lives. Once a life is saved, then there is time to do follow-up of all kinds.

Question: Some groups that fight abortion feel obliged to also express opposition to the death penalty. Aside from the issue of why they should or shouldn't oppose it, do you think that it is good strategy for anti-abortion groups to also speak against the death penalty?

Results: Yes: 1,037 No: 750

Comment: There are arguments both ways on this question. Speaking against the death penalty reinforces the consistency of the message that we don’t solve human problems by throwing away human lives. At the same time, we need to preserve the distinction between the absolute “no” that abortion deserves, and the conditional “no” that the death penalty deserves. In other words, there are certain, although practically non-existent, circumstances in which the state can put a convicted criminal to death, precisely in order to protect innocent lives. There are no circumstances at all in which a mother can put her child to death.

Many groups have found that by focusing on a single issue, they are able to build stronger alliances with people who may disagree on other issues. That is why, for example, some groups that fight euthanasia do not publicly speak out against abortion, although the issues are obviously connected, and although the people in the anti-euthanasia groups may in fact be opposed to abortion too.

Question: In the New Year, do you plan to devote time and energy to elect pro-life candidates in the 2006 Elections?

Results: Yes: 582 No: 45

Comment: We at Priests for Life trust that the people who got the job done in 2004 will do it again in 2006. My column for January 16 talks about some of the reasons why.

Question: Are you happy with the selection of Judge John Roberts as the Supreme Court nominee?

Results: Yes: 824 No: 66

Comment: The interesting point about this question is how many people did not answer at all, which likely demonstrates a healthy unwillingness to speculate about the unknown.

Question: Do you think that a Pregnancy Center that provides alternatives to abortion should have, as its primary focus, the saving of the life of the unborn child, or the religious conversion of the mother?

Results: Saving Life of Child: 1721 Conversion of Mother: 166

Comment: While ultimately, salvation is our highest goal, it remains true that in the practical order, the more urgent task is to save life. Once you save a life, that child has a lifetime to learn and practice the truths of the Faith.

Question: Some states have passed laws that regulate abortion facilities, requiring them to adhere to stricter standards for safety, cleanliness, etc. Do you agree that laws like this should be vigorously promoted?

Results: Yes: 827 No: 192

Comment: We agree with the majority. The book Lime 5 reveals untold and unnecessary violence to women inside abortion clinics, and this violence can be stopped even before abortion is made illegal. Moreover, clinic regulations will cause many abortion clinics to close, because their level of corruption has made it impossible for them to reform.

Question: Do you think that most priests are adequately trained to treat with gentleness and compassion someone who has had an abortion?

Results: Yes: 327 No: 634

Comment: It is noteworthy that many passed on this question, which would indicate to us that even more would answer with the majority. It shows the need for ministries like ours.

Question: Even with a ban on partial-birth abortion, the abortionist can kill the baby using a different abortion method. Do you think that the ban nevertheless advances the pro-life cause?

Results: Yes: 1352 No: 233

Comment: It does advance our cause, as demonstrated by the opposition of the pro-abortion forces to the ban and by the heightened awareness in the general public, as a result of the debate, that our abortion policy in this country is far more extreme than most people thought previously.

Question: Should the United States Congress exercise veto power over Supreme Court decisions?

Results: Yes: 1329 No: 580

Comment: Given the fact that the Supreme Court has exceeded its own Constitutional authority numerous times by legislating from the bench against the will of the people (Roe vs. Wade being the key example), and given the fact that these excesses have had such a high price (such as over 42 million abortions), it seems both reasonable and imperative to us that something be done by Congress to limit the power of the Court.

Question: Cardinal O'Connor established the Sisters of Life as a community of women religious who focus on promoting the sanctity of life. Do you think it is a good idea that a similar community of priests and brothers be established now?

Results: Yes: 2791 No: 627

Comment: We are happy that most support this idea, because we are implementing it ourselves. Click here for more information.

Question: Legislation is currently being considered by Congress that would protect the contents of sermons and religious teachings so that preachers do not have to fear violating tax laws because of what they say in the pulpit, especially during election season. Would you be in favor of such legislation?

Results: Yes: 1368 No: 79

Comment: Priests for Life supports this legislation, for the simple reason that when a preacher preaches, he is speaking by God's authority, which is higher than the state, and therefore cannot be controlled by the state.

Question: In the past, many people peacefully blockaded abortion clinics to prevent the abortionist from entering to kill babies. Now there are young people who want to resume such activities, in an organized way. Do you think it is time to conduct such activity again?

Results: Yes: 1814 No: 821

Comment: It does not surprise us that the answer to this question is yes by a margin of more than 2 to 1. At the same time, we note that the number of people who chose to answer the question at all is low, a sign of ambivalence toward the issue. Some of that ambivalence is caused by a reluctance to express support for breaking the law. Yet if it were true that believers ought never break the law under any circumstance, Christianity would never have gotten off the ground. Just read the Acts of the Apostles and the Lives of the Saints.

Question: Do you believe that showing the pictures of what an abortion looks like, by holding signs displaying those pictures on public sidewalks, is a method that should be used by pro-life activists?

Results: Yes: 2875 No: 779

Comment: No activity we know of has generated more conversions to the pro-life position. For detailed analysis of the strategic value of the pictures, see www.priestsforlife.org/images.

Question: It is the view of many that the Democratic Party, because of its stated support for abortion as a fundamental human right and for gay and lesbian families, can no longer be morally supported by Christians. Do you agree with that view?

Results: Yes: 13,005 No: 792

Comment: It is the view of many, indeed. Some have shared their testimonies about why they left the Party, while others like Democrats for Life work for change within the Party.

Question: Some people say that those who work in post-abortion healing efforts should not be involved in other aspects of the pro-life movement such as working to make abortion illegal. Does this represent your view?

Results: Yes: 103 No: 2110

Comment: We are not surprised at the results. The idea that post-abortion healing is in any way inconsistent with pro-life advocacy plays into the hands of pro-abortion groups who always try to say that pro-life advocacy is anti-woman. In reality, love is indivisible. One cannot love the mother without loving the child, and one cannot love the child without loving the mother. Advocacy for the child is inherently pro-woman.

Question: Consider the case of someone who is distributing election materials on cars in a Church parking lot and is asked to leave. Then they move nearby to the PUBLIC sidewalk, which all agree is a place they have a right to be, and the pastor asks them to leave there too because it is near the Church. Should that citizen stop distributing literature on the public sidewalk because of the pastor's request?

Results: Yes: 281 No: 951

Comment: The public sidewalk is public, and we are gratified that so many respondents recognize that. Faithfulness to the Church and obedience to one's pastors should never require the abandonment of our right to take part in the process of informing our fellow citizens about issues that are essential to the common good.

Question: Often people who distribute campaign literature in Church parking lots, which they have a First Amendment right to do, are asked to leave. Should lawsuits be brought against those who refuse them their right to distribute such literature?

Results: Yes: 826 No: 521

Comment: Attorneys disagree about the proper approach to the distribution of election material in Church parking lots, and we always advise people to follow their own attorney's advice. But the fact that there is a disagreement among experts in the law means that those who initiate a lawsuit to defend their rights to do so may in fact prevail. Given the feeling of many that their rights in this area have been violated, we wouldn't be surprised if many such lawsuits are in fact launched this year.

Question: Are you registered to vote and are you going to vote on November 2?

Results: Yes: 3212 No: 139

Comment: We are pleased to see such a strong majority of respondents ready to vote in November. To those who are not, please register now and exercise your duty to vote! If you will be away or homebound, please request an absentee ballot!

Question: Consider the situation of three candidates running for office, where candidate A is 100% pro-life but does not have enough support to be elected, candidate B opposes most abortions, and candidate C supports practically all abortions. If the race will be won by either B or C, would you vote for B rather than A?

Results: Yes: 853; No: 1062

Comment: This question generated considerable disagreement among respondents. If one is voting in order to actually put someone into power, then the decision is between B and C, and Cardinal O'Connor's response to the situation applies: "One could try to determine whether the position of one candidate is less supportive of abortion than that of another. Other things being equal, one might then morally vote for a less supportive position" (Abortion: Questions and Answers, 1990).