Abortion

The media is speaking about legalizing abortion. At present abortion is illegal except to save the life of the mother. In the case of a mother with an ectopic pregnancy where the baby is growing in the fallopian tubes instead of in the uterus (womb), the mother may obtain an abortion. If the fetus grows in a tube instead of the uterus, the fallopian tube will burst causing acute septicemia endangering the life of the mother. This is the only reason for which an abortion is allowed.

The government, instigated by funding agencies, wants to extend abortion to pregnancies resuling from rape and incest. We must have pity on mothers who get pregnant because of sexual assault such as rape. But taking the life of an innocent, defenceless child is infanticide. This is regarded as murder of an innocenr child with the potential to live a normal human life on earth.

The Catholic Church has always regarded the destruction of a fetus as murder. According to the principle behind this thinking is the inspiration that the Church considers any fetus after the moment of conception as a viable human being. The Catholic Church always opposed the "Pro-choice" status that is advocated by the Women's Rights movement which is based on the fact that the human fetus inside the womb of the mother is part of her and she has the right to do anything with her baby, even going to the extent of destroying or killing the child: The viable child in the womb of the mother is part and parcel of her and she can make a choice even to abort him/her.

The Catholic Church always held the "Pro-life" point of view. Once conceived, the child does not belong solely to the mother. She has no right to destroy the life that is growing inside her. The life of the fetus does not belong to her. That life is given to her by the Creator and she has no right to touch or to destroy her child.

The mother has an obligation to safeguard her child, do everything humanly possible to safeguard the human life bestowed by God the Creator. Ex: Take nourishment necessary for the growth of the fetus, follow up with the medical prenatal care appointments, get the help and the support of the father who is responsible for her pregnancy, etc.

The pro-abortion advocates say that making abortion laws more lenient will reduce the cases of illegal abortions. But the statistics show that the more lenient the abortion laws are, the more incidents of abortion have taken place. In some Western countries where abortion is legalized the statistics of abortions have gone up drastically.

In such places legalized abortions have almost become a mere method of contraception. Many mothers who abort their children have a guilty conscience for having murdered their own child. This feeling may lead to depression and in some cases even suicide.

Our society has many other means of helping the victims of rape and incest, other than resorting to abortion. Mother Teresa of Calcutta has pointed out that there are millions of childless parents who long to adopt babies. She and many other religious congregation have started homes where the pregnant mothers can go through their pregnancy under secrecy and confidentiality and give over these children for foster care. Such mothers will be able to live normal lives without any guilt of infanticide of murdering their own "life and blood". They also will be assured that their babies will be looked after by suitable and loving foster parents.

The Catholic Church looks with pity and compassion on the victims of rape and incest. The Church has provided places of safety and confidentiality for sucbh victims where they will be counseled and looked after. But the Church has been always opposed to abortion and regards it as infanticide, killing of an innocent and a defenceless unborn human being. It condones spontaneous abortion or "miscarriage". It is an unpreventable natural abortion. The Church also permits therapeutic abortion, which is meant to safeguard the life of the mother. But the Catholic Church will never go back on her stand on abortion. She will always regard it as killing of an innocent and defenseless infant.