Robert James Carlson

"The church, through the bishops, must teach the Gospel. I have the duty to teach about human life and dignity, marriage and family, war and peace, the needs of the poor and the demands of justice. As we learned during the civil rights struggle, we have a moral responsibility to state the truth about the dignity of every human being regardless of race. It doesn’t matter whether a particular politician or a candidate for office agrees with us or not. The same is true today."

"Since the first century, the Church has addressed the moral evil of abortion and the killing of a defenseless baby in the womb. People who are casual about the sin of abortion and who choose to view it as a political issue rather than the serious moral issue that it is are guilty of violating the Fifth Commandment. You cannot be "pro-choice" (pro-abortion) and remain a Catholic in good standing. That's why the Church asks those who maintain this position not to receive holy Communion. We are not being mean or judgmental, we are simply acknowledging the fact that such a stance is objectively and seriously sinful and is radically inconsistent with the Christian way of life."