Bishop David Ricken of the Catholic Diocese in Green Bay, WI went for the hard sell in a letter to his Brothers and Sisters in Christ. Here's an excerpt:

I would like to review some of the principles to keep in mind as you approach the voting booth to complete your ballot. The first is the set of non-negotiables. These are areas that are “intrinsically evil” and cannot be supported by anyone who is a believer in God or the common good or the dignity of the human person.

They are:

1. abortion



2. euthanasia



3. embryonic stem cell research



4. human cloning



5. homosexual “marriage”

These are intrinsically evil. “A well-formed Christian conscience does not permit one to vote for a political

program that contradicts fundamental contents of faith and morals.” Intrinsically evil actions are those which

have an evil object. In other words, an act is evil by its very nature and to choose an action of this type puts one

in grave moral danger.

But what does this have to do with the election? Some candidates and one party have even chosen some of

these as their party’s or their personal political platform. To vote for someone in favor of these positions means

that you could be morally “complicit” with these choices which are intrinsically evil. This could put your own

soul in jeopardy.