Actually, there's an aspect to this that the bishops should be lauded for: Telling their parishioners to pay attention to other moral issues as well, such as immigration, just war and poverty - not exactly issues the Republicans excel at. From the Chicago Trib:
Bishops have drafted a similar document every four years since the 1976 presidential election, when concerns centered on Soviet dominance in Eastern Europe and recovery from the Watergate scandal. But the guidelines issued Wednesday for the first time spelled out possible consequences as well as giving much more nuanced instruction to the Catholic electorate than in years past.
Voters are implored not to support abortion-rights political candidates but also advised that views on abortion should not be the sole factor. Catholics should also weigh church teaching on such moral issues as immigration, just war and poverty, bishops said.
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