A new survey found a troubling lack of adherence among Catholic-educated politicians to teachings about the sanctity of human life and abortion.
The Cardinal Newman Society recently reviewed the voting records of federal legislators who graduated from Jesuit universities, and found a strong majority of them have pro-abortion voting records, the College Fix reports.
Jesuit college alumni hold 56 seats in the new Congress, making up 10 percent of the body, according to the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities.
However, Matt Archbold, who conducted the survey, said only two of those U.S. Senators and 12 U.S. Representatives have pro-life voting records. The rest have pro-abortion or mixed records on the abortion issue, according to his report.
“I searched their voting records and found that out of the 12 Jesuit-educated Senators, there are only two reliably pro-life legislators. Two! The rest are either reliably pro-abortion or have mixed voting records,” Archbold wrote.
The two pro-life Senators are John Barrasso, R-Wyoming, and Dan Sullivan, R-Arkansas, according to the survey.
In the U.S. House, 12 Representatives who attended Catholic universities vote pro-life consistently, while 32 vote pro-abortion or mixed, according to his report. They are Vern Buchanan, R-Florida, Barbara Comstock, R-Virginia, Dan Donovan, R-New York, John Faso, R-New York, Jeff Fortenberry, R-Nebraska, Mike Gallagher, R-Wisconsin, Paul Gosar, R-Arizona, Trey Hollingsworth, R-Indiana, Frank LoBiondo, R- New Jersey, Mick Mulvaney, R-South Carolina, Timothy Murphy, R-Pennsylvania, and Francis Rooney, R-Florida.
Click here to sign up for pro-life news alerts from LifeNews.com
The Jesuit association celebrated the number of Catholic-educated lawmakers in the new Congress earlier this week, but Archbold said he could not celebrate when so many of those lawmakers vote against Catholic teachings on the sanctity of life.
On Monday, he wrote: “Those who defend and promote the abhorrent evil of abortion are not deserving of praise for ‘leadership’ nor of ‘service to others.’ One would think that the rejection of fundamental Catholic teachings on the dignity of life by alumni might cause Jesuits to reconsider how they’re educating their students.”
The Catholic Church teaches that every human life is valuable and deserving of protection from the moment of conception to natural death, because human beings are created in God’s image. In the United States and abroad, Catholic Church leaders have been some of the strongest advocates against abortion and for the rights of unborn babies.
However, a number of Catholic lawmakers, including leaders Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi and Vice President Joe Biden, have strayed far away from this important teaching and vote pro-abortion.
