The guest columnist in the Aug. 5 Sunday opinion page says those of us who object to the Trump regime tearing children away from their parents at our southern border should check our “moral compass.” Really? She argues that agents of the federal government kidnapping children is just good immigration policy; that a couple thousand traumatized children is no big deal; that it serves them right for coming to America in the first place. And she says the objectors are the ones suffering from moral disorders?

What happened to the conservatives who have decried “moral relativism” for decades? What’s become of the party of the Moral Majority and “family values”? The party that campaigned on the slogan “Character Counts” now supports, or at least enables, public officials who abuse their power and are the embodiment of the Seven Deadly Sins.

Must we say that it is simply wrong to kidnap and traumatize children? Evidently, we must. We also say that a culture of life includes common sense gun regulations that will curb deadly violence, including mass shootings. We say that the right to life includes access to affordable health care for everyone. We say that character does count, so we must hold our elected officials accountable for their moral, ethical, and legal lapses-even the ones we imagine are on our side.

As election season ramps up, it is our duty to check candidates’ websites and federal and state websites to find out if they possess a strong moral compass. We need to attend forums and ask candidates as they canvass exactly what they stand for when it comes to firearm regulations, access to health care, and the treatment of vulnerable people, whether citizens or not. It is our job to elect people at the local, state, and federal level who can prove their strong commitment to equality, justice, and rock-solid human values.

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