This is a continuation of last week's commentary from a Catholic circular written by Fr. William Saunders. We left off last week with a writing from the Didache (or better known as "The Teachings of the Twelve Apostles"), that was written about the year AD 80.
" "You shall not kill by abortion the fruit of the womb and you shall not murder the infant already born."
Given that the heart of the choice involves a unique, human person, the choice of action becomes clear: to preserve and safeguard the life of this person in the womb or to destroy it. Since this is a person, the latter choice does not involve simply a termination of a pregnancy or the removal of a fetus; rather, the latter choice involves a direct killing of an innocent person, a deliberate murder. therefore, the act of abortion is an intrinsically evil act. The Second Vatican Council asserted, "Life must be protected with the utmost care from the moment of conception: abortion and infanticide are abominable crimes" (Gaudium et Spes, no. 51).
We do not have the right to choose evil, no matter what the circumstances are or even if some sort of "good" may arise. To purposefully choose to do evil is an affront to God Himself, in whose image and likeness we are made. In the "pro-choice position," one is not choosing between two good actions; instead, one is turning a blind eye to the objectively evil action of abortion and pretending that it is on the same moral standing as protecting the child in the womb. To say one is "pro-choice" in this matter is no different than saying one is "pro-choice" for apartheid, Nazi concentration camps, or Jim Crow segregation laws - "I am personally against it, but everybody should choose." Of course, the person who does not get to choose in any of these cases in the one society has deemed dispensable, disposable and unworthy of life.
Pope John Paul 2 stated, "Anyone can see that the alternative here is only apparent. It is not possible to speak of the right to choose when a clear moral evil is involved, when what is at stake is the Commandment, "Do not kill!" (Crossing the Threshold of Hope, p. 205). Christians must continue to defend the sanctity of human life in the face of this insidious pro-choice argument. To be A "pro-life" is not to impose one's values on another, rather, to be "pro-life" is to uphold the truth of God and the dignity of every human being, born or unborn.
In those difficult, tragic situations - rape and incest (which result in conception at best 2 percent of the time depending upon which set of statistics one looks at), a young teenage pregnant mother, or a deformed or handicapped child - we must remember the child is still an innocent human being who through no fault of his own was conceived. Here sharing in the cross of our Lord becomes a reality without question. In these cases, we as members of the Church must support both the mother and the child through our prayers and by opening our hearts, homes and wallets to their needs. We must make the sacrifice to preserve human life.
In Fall, 2001, Bishop Loverde issued a letter to mark Respect Life Sunday in which he taught, "To be a faithful and serious Catholic necessarily means that one is pro-life and not pro-choice. To be pro-choice essentially means supporting the right of a woman to terminate the life of her baby, either pre-born or partially born. No Catholic can claim to be a faithful and serious member of the Church while advocating for or actively supporting direct attacks on innocent human life. Moreover, protecting human life from conception until natural death is more than a Catholic issue. It is an issue of fundamental morality, rooted in both the natural and divine law." "
Acknowledgement: Saunders, Rev. William. "Against Abortion, But Pro-choice?" Arlington Catholic Herald. This article is reprinted with permission from Arlington Catholic Herald. Copyright 2003 Arlington Catholic Herald.
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