I now vote Republican because of abortion

As a Catholic and probably a contemporary of John Brennan, I feel I must respond to his column of June 26 (Abortion and the Catholic voter). Mr. Brennan stated he is not clear as to "when 'human' life begins."

Life begets life! When a living human egg is fertilized by a living human sperm, a new living human being comes into existence. Religion and philosophy have their opinions on the value of this newly created human life and the Catholic Church has theirs.

Early Christians sharply distinguished themselves from the surrounding pagan culture by rejecting abortion and infanticide. The Didache (Teaching of the Twelve Apostles) and the Letter of Barnabas condemned both practices, as did early regional Church Councils. The Church's teaching on the sanctity of human life from conception to natural death has not changed.

My first presidential vote was for John F. Kennedy, and I usually voted Democratic. But after abortion was legalized and I realized that it was supported by Democrats, I stopped voting for them.

A few years ago, a man said to me, "I'm Catholic, so of course, I vote Democratic." I replied, "I'm Catholic, too, and I don't (vote Democratic)."

To a baby who has been killed by abortion, the many social ills Mr. Brennan referred to are immaterial. For the living, circumstances may change with time; for the dead, they won't.

Just two more facts on abortion: about 98% of abortions are done on healthy women carrying healthy babies, and black women get a disproportionate number of abortions (Blacks are about 15% of the population and get about 33% of abortions; in New York City more black babies are aborted than born).

Mary Ann Cronauer

Naperville