Thursday, January 22nd 2015, marks the 42nd Anniversary of Roe v Wade. Since then, more than 56 million babies have been killed. This is easily one of the most important and controversial issues of our time. Today’s meditation will discuss what the Church teaches about abortion and her reasons for those teachings.
I. What Is Abortion?
You might think it is silly to start off with this question but the reality is that many people are unaware of what abortion really is. Most often the definition we are given, and accept, is that abortion is simply the termination of a pregnany. Those are very vague words that, although they are true, they don’t tell the whole story. That’s like saying “these diet pills will help you lose weight”. That may be true, however, before I take those diet pills I’d like to know how they will make me lose weight, what is in them, and if there are any side effects or risks that might affect my decision to consume them. Let’s look at a few of those questions in regards to abortion:
- How does abortion terminate a pregnancy?
I have met many people who are all in favor of abortion but are unaware of the procedures that terminate a pregnancy. When confronted with an explanation of any of the procedures they recoil in digust and horror. They usually would rather stay ignorant of how pregnancies are terminated. Why is that? If abortion was a good thing, a simple medical procedure, why do we have such a hard time facing it’s reality?WARNING: All aspects of any abortion are gruesome. If any members of the group have a weak stomache or do not want to hear the following you should give them the opportunity to step out for five minutes. However, I would HIGHLY encourage them to make an attempt to stay and learn the truth despite the difficulty.
In order to be brief we won’t go into great detail about the different abortion procedures. What anyone should know about the most common procedures are that if the baby is small enough the baby can be sucked out of the uterus by a vacuum that is 29 times more powerful than a household vacuum [1]. The baby might be sucked wholly into the vacuum or in pieces. Another procedure involves the doctor tearing the baby apart with forceps and pulling the baby out piece-by-piece. The baby may still be alive after losing limbs until the doctor crushes the baby’s head with the forceps. Other procedures involve burning the baby’s skin off, poisoning the baby with chemicals, and delivering the baby entirely (except for the head) and jamming scissors into the back of the baby’s skull. For more information see the article “Abortion Methods…” below [1].
- Is the fetus a baby?
Really, none of those procedures are horrific unless the procedures are being conducted on a human person… a baby. Many would argue that the fetus is a “clump of tissue” and therefore there is no moral issue. The Church teaches that a human person has an inmaterial soul, created by God, at the moment of conception. There is no gray area in Church teaching. The word fetus, as well as the word embryo, are just terms that describe a human person at different stages in development. Science can have no definitive say on when a human person becomes a human person other than to say that at the moment of conception an embryo will develop into an infant unless something goes wrong. A human embryo, when conceived, will never become an animal, a plant, an arm, or a laptop. An embryo, and a fetus, are the beginning stages of a human infant.
- II. The Catholic Church’s PositionThe Catechism on the issue of Abortion: CCC 2270 “Human life must be respected and protected absolutely from the moment of conception. From the first moment of his existence, a human being must be recognized as having the rights of a person – among which is the inviolable right of every innocent being to life” ([2]).
Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you. – Jeremiah 1:5
The Catholic Church doesn’t just simply say “abortion is wrong”. The Church teaches that every human life “must be respected and protected absolutely from the moment of conception”. The Church’s teaching are positive in upholding the dignity of the person. Every person has the right to life and we are charged to care for the weakest and most vulnerable in society. Our children, especially at their smallest stages, are completely dependent on our care and protection. In our current society a parent will go to jail for failing to feed a six month old baby. If the baby dies due to lack of nutrition the charges become much more serious. We recognize that a parent has a duty to love, serve, protect, and care for their child – especially when that child cannot care for themselves. The Catholic Church is not denouncing the freedom of choice. The Catholic Church is promoting the defense and protection of the tiniest of lives. That is why we call ourselves Pro-Life.
- III. Hope
Abortion is a horrific evil that plagues our world today. It is important that we are informed, and educated, about the issue but it is even more important that we take action. We certainly need to be able to defend the Church’s position but we need to be just as concerned with ministering to those who live with the pain of a past abortion. The Church has more interest in ministering to people before and after abortions than she does in arguing the moral philosophy of abortion. I don’t mean that proclaiming the truth is not important. We can attack a philosophy but we must be very careful to never attack a wounded person. When speaking to a person about the issue, especially one who has experienced an abortion, we must stress the virtue of mercy and hope. God is quick to forgive and desires to heal the wounded. Part of understanding the Church’s teaching on abortion is understanding how the Church reaches out to those wounded by this evil. Be armed with resources to guide others towards the mercy of God.
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION:
1) What is your feeling on the issue of abortion?
2) Do you believe there are cases where abortion might be valid, why?
3) Can rape be justified to kill a three month old baby out of the womb? What would be the difference between a three month old in the womb and a three month old out of the womb (beside size and age).
4) What are ways our Thirsting for Truth group(s) can help the pro-life cause (volunteering, events, prayer… etc).
5) Set an event (for Thursday the 22nd) or some other day to attend adoration together, pray outside a local clinic or visit a local crisis pregnancy center.
RESOURCES:
[1] Abortion Methods and Abortion Procedures Used to Kill Unborn Babies by Rebecca Downs
[2] Catechism of the Catholic Church on Abortion
[3] Project Rachel – Hope After Abortion
[4] Priests for Life
[5] LifeSite News