About 70 million people in America’s population call themselves Catholic. That’s ~24% of the U.S. population. If all the registered voters that claimed to be Catholic voted for a candidate who espoused Catholic beliefs, that candidate would probably become president.

Most(as well as some Catholics) don’t seem to truly understand the five Catholic “non-negotiables”. Simply put, abortion, euthanasia, same-sex marriage, cloning, and embryonic stem cell research are ALWAYS inherently evil. True Catholics believe these 5 are wrong EVERY time.

For Catholics and this election, that immediately eliminates every Democrat candidate. Those Catholic Democrat constituents have to realize that these “non-negotiables” are more important than ANY other issue that exists. Not understanding this concept—that there are particular priorities to consider in this election—dictates if you are truly Catholic.

Most of the Republican candidates seem to be pro-life. But some candidates actually do not support some “non-negotiables”. Giuliani is not pro-life and does not support the overturn of Roe vs. Wade. Fred Thompson will not support the Federal Marriage Amendment(FMA).

It is known that Mitt Romney’s wife supported Planned Parenthood, and Romney himself mandated marriage licenses to homosexual couples. Tom Tancredo helped found the Northern Michigan Planned Parenthood Association.

John McCain led the ‘gang of 14’, who stood in the way of breaking the judicial filibuster(nominating pro-life SC judges). He also voted against the FMA, and is a staunch supporter of CFR(campaign finance reform). According to a National Journal analysis, he has voted the conservative position less frequently each of the past five years.

But a “Reagan” conservative is someone who seems to convey most of the qualities of Ronald Reagan. Writers for the Patriot Post, TownHall, and LifeNews are very comfortable with the “Reaganesque” features of Sam Brownback and Duncan Hunter. Both candidates have voting records 90% favorable with the ACU(American Conservative Union). Only Senator Brownback has a proven record for Commander-in-Chief, and for battling for life, liberty, and the family.

Brownback has already proven close ties with Reagan. His votes on eliminating Islamic terrorism, troop support, reduction of taxes, pro-gun, and even his presence at the border earlier calling for more funding for the ‘fence’ and stronger I.D. protection, demonstrate a ‘Reagan’ philosophy.

In the summer of 2004, Senator Brownback published an article in the Human Life Review titled, “Abortion and the Conscience of a Nation, Revisited”. In 1983, President Ronald Reagan(one of the most pro-life presidents in history), wrote an essay called “Abortion and the Conscience of a Nation”.

Just recently Brownback joined forces with a Democrat presidential hopeful—Joe Biden(CNN, The Situation Room, 10/12/07). Brownback said, “We should implement a political surge that promotes a federal Iraq, where Sunnis, Shia, and Kurds manage their own affairs within a unified state.” On 10/3, Brownback received an endorsement from the Iraqi president Jalal Talabani, and letters of support from Masoud Barzani and Nechirvan Barzani, the president and prime minister, respectively, of the Kurdistan Regional Government in Iraq. Brownback and Biden plan on presenting the plan to Bush shortly.

Add to that, the brother of Terri Schaivo(euthanasia victim), Bobby Schindler, has publicly endorsed Brownback’s bid for the GOP nomination. And, for the first time in history, a Catholic organization(Priests for Life) has endorsed a candidate for the presidency—specifically Brownback.

Most importantly, he’s the only candidate that endorses all 5 Catholic “non-negotiables”. Any real Christian likely endorses all “5” as well. He’s the only candidate that has stated several times with absolute certainty that the next SC justice that he can nominate WILL support the overturn of Roe vs. Wade.

On 6/23/05, Brownback held a hearing in the Senate Judiciary Constitution Subcommittee on the consequences of Roe vs. Wade, and Doe vs. Bolton. Along with various legal experts, he had Norma McCorvey(former “Jane Roe”) and Sandra Cano(former “Mary Doe”) testifying against both of those decisions.

Interestingly, back in August, Brownback was the winner of a straw poll conducted by a pro-life group of college students. In this poll, Students for Life of America asked 635 pro-life college students about their presidential preferences. This organization has 225 active organizations in the US. Zogby’s 2004 poll showed a remarkable shift of America’s youth to pro-life. More specific polling revealed an even stronger preference for pro-life among Black and Hispanic voters.

Because the next generation of Americans are pro-life, attitudes will likely change. Unfortunately, Brownback has already indicated that he will drop out of the race if he cannot make the top tier of candidates before the January caucuses. The writer is one Catholic who believes that Brownback may be our last, best hope. But if you ask voters who they voted for, be prepared for voters who call themselves Catholic in name only.