Pope Francis, aboard the papal airplane, recently was critical of both U.S. presidential candidates for what he called were anti-life policies on abortion and immigration. He said: “Both are against life, be it the one who kicks out migrants, or be it the one who kills babies,″ He advised American Catholics to choose who they thought were the “lesser evil”  in voting. The problem is the failure of religious and political leaders as well as the general public to recognize that the first and most fundamental issue involves the role of government about abortion. Abortion is primarily a religious and moral issue. There is a significant difference of belief among citizens about  whether abortion a personal right of choice for women and their physicians or whether abortion violates God’s commandments. Some American’s believe it does and some believe otherwise. Freedom of religious beliefs is the foundation of  our Constutional form of democracy.

Our constitution does not permit government to legislate religious beliefs all citizens must adhere to as other governments like Iran. It was religious belief that inspired the September 11th attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon. In Iran the constitution defines the country as an Islamic republic and specifies Islam as the official state religion. It states all laws and regulations must be based on “Islamic criteria” and an official interpretation of sharia. The constitutional penal code provides for  punishments mandated by sharia, including amputation, flogging, and stoning. It specifies the death penalty for proselytizing and attempts by non-Muslims to convert Muslims. The “offensive theory”of  Islamic jihad is based on two main arguments: the progression of rules on the use of force and the universality of the Islamic religion which justifies the killing of non Muslims. But, in America there is no constituitional right to pass laws that require all Americans to obey specific religious beliefs  or suffer punishment.  Congress, the President, the Supreme Court and state governments have no consitutional power to enforce religious rules upon all Americans. That’s the fundemental fact the Pope, politicians and most Americans fail to recognize.

The abortion issue is not an issue for government politics. The primary fact that is being ignored is that government has no right to be involved in a disputed religious difference of opinion. American Catholic Bishops  and citizens have every right to advance their religious view in the proper venue of church and religious formats. They have no right to advance their religious views through government laws in the same way Iran does. We each  have the right to our religious views without imposing them on everyone else who disagree.