Democratic Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro was blasted on social media Tuesday over a tweet explaining why her Catholic faith inspired her to “defend a women’s right to access abortion.”
“I am a Catholic — baptized, raised, and confirmed,” the Connecticut Democrat posted on Monday along with a link to a statement from Catholic Democrats explaining their opposition to the repeal of Roe v. Wade on the one-year anniversary of the decision.
“The fundamental tenets of my faith compel me to defend a women’s right to access abortion,” she added. “I am proudly part of the faithful large majority of US Catholics who support legal protections for abortion access.”
DeLauro’s tweet was widely panned and “ratioed” on Twitter, primarily by Catholics who pointed out that Catholic teaching views abortion as a “moral evil.”
HOUSE DEMOCRATS REFUSE TO SAY WHETHER THEY BELIEVE ABORTION SHOULD BE PERMITTED UP UNTIL BIRTH
“The Catholic Church declares abortion a grave moral evil, a mortal sin, rejecting Christ in the baby killed,” conservative commentator Liz Wheeler tweeted. “You can’t be a Catholic in good standing & support abortion. By supporting abortion, you are rejecting Catholicism & Christ. I encourage — & pray — you will go to confession.”
“I don’t have any idea what ‘fundamental’ is supposed to mean here, but the literal tenets of her faith say abortion is a serious sin,” Real Clear Politics Senior Writer Mark Hemingway tweeted.
“All you had to say was: ‘I was raised Catholic, but I struggle with this teaching of my faith…’ Most people can understand that,” conservative strategist Giancarlo Sopo tweeted. “None of us are perfect. Grossly distorting a faith shared by over 1 billion people just to fit your politics is some narcissistic bulls—.”
DeLauro’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
In the statement DeLauro linked to in her tweet, Catholic Democrats explained that “the separation of church and state means allowing for our faith to inform our public duties and how we best serve our constituents – not that we impose our religious beliefs and customs on others who may not share them.”
“The fundamental tenets of our Catholic faith — social justice, conscience, and religious freedom — compel us to defend a woman’s right to access abortion. We are committed to advocating for the respect and protection of those making the decision if and when to have children.”