This November, there is only one candidate from the two major parties for whom Catholics can vote and remain in accordance with Catholic teaching — and it’s not the Catholic.

The Catholic vote for the 2020 presidential race has been surrounded by debate, and this debate must ultimately be centered around abortion and the right to life. Catholics must vote for politicians who uphold the teachings in the Catechism of the Catholic Church that human life is “sacred because from its beginning it involves the creative action of God and it remains forever in a special relationship with the Creator.”

The right to life must take center stage this November because all other rights presuppose the right to life and are therefore subordinate to it. Without the right to life, no rights are possible. In his 1988 apostolic “Christifideles Laici,” Pope St. John Paul II wrote, “The common outcry, which is justly made on behalf of human rights—for example, the right to health, to home, to work, to family, to culture—is false and illusory if the right to life, the most basic and fundamental right and the condition for all other personal rights, is not defended with maximum determination.” No other political issue in 2020 has the moral gravity that abortion does. Hence, abortion is the preeminent issue that Catholics must consider when voting.

There is no debate as to the positions of Joe Biden and Donald Trump on the issue of abortion. Joe Biden has overwhelmingly come out in support of abortion. Leaving no doubt on his position concerning a woman’s “right” to procure an abortion, Biden said in February that “It’s a woman’s right to do that. Period.”

Cardinal Leo Burke, the patron of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta and former Archbishop of St. Louis, has come out with intense criticisms of Biden’s position on abortion. Cardinal Burke has even stated that Joe Biden should not receive Holy Communion because of his perverted stance on abortion has led him into mortal sin.

Donald Trump has proved to be the polar opposite of Joe Biden on the issue of abortion. Since his election in 2016, Donald Trump has signed the “Born Alive Act,” which affords the same legal protections to infants as any other person; he was the first President to address the March for Life in person in 2020; he called for the complete defunding of Planned Parenthood; he has asked Congress to pass legislation which bans late term abortions; and has appointed three Pro-Life judges to the Supreme Court.

The records of the two men speak for themselves. However, there are without a doubt many who are unwilling to budge. Many on the Catholic and political left have argued that Donald Trump is simply too immoral to vote for. They claim that in his personal life he has committed grave evils that are directly opposed to Catholic teaching, and for this reason someone cannot in good conscience vote for Donald Trump. This claim is not totally unfounded. Donald Trump has committed acts that are contrary to Catholic teaching, but this is not a viable reason to vote for Biden. By voting for a political candidate, you are not endorsing every aspect of the politician’s personal life, but for the policies that he or she will carry out in their term. The same kind of argument—that Biden is kinder and more morally upstanding than Donald Trump—does not automatically make Biden the right choice for Catholics. The same people who claim Biden’s moral superiority would not vote for the great King David if presented in front of them.

The choice is clear. Joe Biden’s support of abortion is directly contrary to every aspect of the Catholic Church, while Donald Trump’s unwavering support of the Pro-Life cause since his election has proved consistent and aligned with the Catholic Church. It is imperative that Catholics vote consistently with the Church to protect the lives of the unborn in America. Now the question remains: are Catholics willing to put aside their preconceived political opinions to carry out their duty as a Catholic, or will they throw out the aims of the Church to further their man-made ideology?