For all the ridiculous frothing from feminists about how pro-lifers want to put women in jail, I’m now aware of two people in jail over the abortion issue, and they are both pro-life. There’s Linda Gibbons, put in jail because of a law which curtails our freedom of movement and speech, which she refused to obey as she peacefully engaged women on the sidewalks in front of abortion clinics.
And now there’s this New Brunswick man, David Little, who has this to say:
I’m prepared to die in jail, if necessary. I can no longer cope with the hypocrisy of praying for life … and paying for death.”
For the record, I’m just in the process of filing my taxes ahead of the deadline. But I do wonder about the place of orchestrated civil disobedience to evil. I’ve always thought I wouldn’t mind going to jail for the right reason. I’m not looking for it, I hasten to add, but I suppose jail has a time and place for the conscientious objectors of the world.
by 
I have questions about what he’s doing. However, I think standing on a sidewalk, praying against abortion and offering women help is perfectly legit whether it is illegal or not.
I’ve thought about the morality of paying taxes before (ie. paying for weapons/war/abortions/etc). Though while I appreciate the principal of his actions, I’m a little confused theologically. I just filed my taxes in Canada for the first time this year, but… I’ve been paying taxes every paycheck and actually got a little return. So ultimately, not filing would have given the government more money, but I still pay every paycheck whether I file or not.
From a Catholic perspective, the Catechism quotes ‘2409- Even if it does not contradict the provisions of civil law, any form of unjustly taking and keeping the property of others is against the seventh commandment…The following are also morally illicit:…tax evasion;…’
This was determined from the passage in Matthew 22, notably “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.” So I suppose the moral point of this story is, stop working for Caesar/using Caesar’s money?
Jennifer, did you mean the eighth commandment?
I often wonder what the thinking would be if someone in World War II Germany refused to pay taxes because part of the taxes went towards we all know what.
Furley, I’ve given this more thought. No, it’s not theft precisely. What is being outlined, in my opinion, in Matthew 22 is that the fiscal realm in which Caesar operates/exists is a nothingness, a make believe. It certainly illustrates that God’s realm, the realm of the real, is the one in which Christ lives and owes his allegiance to.
Tax evasion for the sake of not paying taxes is ‘morally illicit’. However, refusing to pay taxes because the money is used to fund abortions is another matter. This too shows that our friend David Little, is operating in the realm of the real.
If I wouldn’t get kicked out of the country, I too might operate in the realm of the real. But, alas, I live in the make believe realm of the nation state and its red tape. I will have to find other ways to keep it real but will rally behind Little in his protest.
In response to the person who made the comment whether it was morally illicit to evade taxes, and I have to actually say that there are several examples of priest in the pro life movement here in USA that did that for several years.
Monsignor Reilly for example, http://www.helpersbrooklynny.org/mpr.htm so I would beg to differ with the catechism.
So would you say that it would be perfectly and morally licit in France right now where abortions are 100% state sponsored and paid for, also contraceptives?
This is not about obedience to Ceasar, because now they are actually asking you to participate in sin. Whereas before it was not so much, so this is not a case of civil disobedience which for the most part is a half truth.
Being anti-war is not enough of an excuse to be able to do tax evasion, because wars can be morally licit in certain cases. However, abortion and those things when 100% state sponsored are actually intrinsically evil in every single possible case. You are guaranteed that your tax dollars go for pure unadulterated satanism.
Oremus.