Pope John Paul II
papacy 1978–2005

JPII's Evangelium Vitae paired a strict pro-life ethic on abortion, euthanasia, and the death penalty with a 'consistent ethic of life' covering healthcare for the poor, dignity of migrants, and opposition to unjust war. Abbott aligns on abortion (signing SB 8 in 2021) but is on the wrong side of JPII's framework on the death penalty (Texas leads U.S. executions), on Medicaid for the poor (refused expansion), on migrants (Operation Lone Star, ending in-state tuition for Dreamers), and on IVF (JPII opposed it; Abbott supports it). Hinojosa aligns with JPII on healthcare access and on her quoted defense of immigrant families ('hardworking and law-abiding Texans, not criminals') but runs against him on abortion. Abbott picks up partial credit on the one most-publicized pro-life vector; Hinojosa picks up broader Catholic-social-teaching credit. Both miss the consistent ethic.