According to the RCC, is supporting abortion the same sin as having an abortion?

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To be an accomplice to murder (e.g., selling a gun, abortion instruments, etc.) is not necessarily the same as actually murdering. There's a distinction between material and formal cooperation in sin (cf. this article for more info). Material cooperation supplies the means for committing the sin, and formal cooperation assists in the act directly (e.g., two hit-men shooting one person at the same time would be both formally cooperating in the murder). And there are distinctions within material cooperation: proximate and remote cooperation. For example, a nurse handing an abortionist an instrument during his murdering of a child would be proximate material cooperation (some may argue it's formal cooperation) in murder for the nurse (and certainly formal cooperation for the abortionist). A surgical company making instruments that could be used for other purposes than abortion would be a remote material cooperation in the sin of abortion.

Voting for pro-abortion politicians certainly makes one an accomplice in the murders that politician permits.

Also, in the case of abortion, being an accomplice to it and directly performing it are both excommunicable offenses.

Upvote:-3

No.

“When a Catholic does not share a candidate’s stand in favor of abortion and/or euthanasia, but votes for that candidate for other reasons, it is considered remote material cooperation, which can be permitted in the presence of proportionate reasons.” — Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger

The loud voices that want all abortions to be illegal rather than a choice is a small minority, including among US Catholics yet the RCC is clear that abortion is wrong. This juxtaposition says shows it is two different things.

Pope Francis' actions around Pres. Biden's access to Communion has implications an example to follow. Pres. Biden openly supports choice and is a "good Catholic" rather than an murderer.

I think the answer lies in avoiding extremism and embracing a leveled approach that includes the principle of agency and loving Children of God. Despite RCC's stance on having an abortion, an individual still has to make a decision on who the vote for, and how they treat others. Would The Savoir throw bricks at clinicians of an abortion clinic? Can God be duped and enable the devil if only Lucifer promises to end abortions? Of course not.

I'm not an RCC expert (just a devote Christian), but a quick web search demonstrated that issue is nuances is not binary as @Geremina claims.

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