Other Thoughts on Abortion

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In addition to considering medical and other implications of abortion, it is also helpful to consider:

• Jesus was once a fetus. 

• You were once a fetus.

• A fetus is a fellow human being.

• Abortion is a business - to kill!

• Abortion is done primarily for profit. That is, abortionists kill children for money.

• Taxpayers are funding abortions! Your tax money may be paying for abortions. "Those who are the largest killers of babies in the womb may get as much as 2/3 of financing through taxes."

• There may be no special training needed to perform abortions and no special qualifications may be required.

• Why would any doctor want to kill babies when he was trained to heal?

• "Women's rights? Really, women have merely been sold out as units of economic production!" The real push for abortion may have everything to do with women participating "equally in the economic and social life of the nation" (Sandra O'Connor, Supreme Court Justice). 

• "Abortion destroys one's motherhood. It also tends to result in the loss of one's femininity, and - if not repented - to the loss of one's compassion." It is harmful to the individual and to society as well.

• What about "men's rights"? Each aborted child has a father and about half of the children killed are male.

• How can any person claim the "right" to kill an innocent person? Doesn't the innocent one who is killed have a right not to be killed?

• Abortion is diabolic. "At the root of every act of violence against one's neighbor there is a concession to the 'thinking' of the evil one, the one who 'was a murderer from the beginning' (Jn. 8:44). As the Apostle John reminds us: 'For this is the message which you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another, and not be like Cain who was of the evil one and murdered his brother' (1 Jn 3:11-12). Cain's killing of his brother at the very dawn of history is thus a sad witness of how evil spreads with amazing speed: man's revolt against God in the earthly paradise is followed by the deadly combat of man against man." (Pope John Paul II, 1995)

• Abortion takes a gift of God - a living human baby in the image of God for parents to love and nurture (or entrust to another to do so) - and throws it back "unopened" in a brutal act of murder.

• "Abortion occurs when a mother doesn't recognize the value of her child or when she thinks her desires are more important than the life of the child."

• No human is more innocent or defenseless than the than the unborn. "The moral gravity of procured abortion is apparent in all its truth if we recognize that we are dealing with murder and, in particular, when we consider the specific elements involved. The one eliminated is a human being at the very beginning of life. No one more absolutely innocent could be imagined. In no way could this human being ever be considered an aggressor, much less an unjust aggressor! He or she is weak, defenseless, even to the point of lacking that minimal form of defense consisting in the poignant power of a newborn baby's cries and tears. The unborn child is totally entrusted to the protection and care of the woman carrying him or her in the womb. And yet sometimes it is precisely the mother herself who makes the decision and asks for the child to be eliminated, and who then goes about having it done." (Pope John Paul II, 1995)

• "The greatest destroyer of peace today is the cry of the innocent, unborn child."  

• The ones who know best what abortion really is are the medical personnel involved in them and those who have had them. Many who have previously engaged in abortions have confronted their past and are now pro-life activists. They regret their actions and want to stop others from making the same mistakes they have made. Their stories often make a powerful impact on those considering abortion (e.g. stories about babies fighting for their lives during an abortion, stories about babies being born still alive but left to die, descriptions of the gruesome procedures, etc.)

• Often, women are pressured into having an abortion. If one's doctor advises (or participates in) abortion, it may be wise to switch to a pro-life doctor. One must also be careful to choose friends who are pro-life.

• "The decision to abort does not bring happiness to a woman - she may be surrounded by guilt, fear, depression, etc. Once she decides to bring the child to term, to give life to it, she may become more enthusiastic, feel better, and become hopeful."

• "Countless women who were initially unhappy about being pregnant later become overjoyed over their child. Now that the child is known to them, they wouldn't dream of killing it!"

• Corruption has plagued the "abortion industry". There have even been cases of 'abortions' performed on non-pregnant women. Those in the business of killing the unborn have also provided medications and devices to young girls which are shown to be dangerous. Such persons have also argued against parental notification, even though they perform dangerous procedures on minors.

• It is often helpful to look into the background of those who promote abortion. For example, the founder of Planned Parenthood thought forced sterilization for certain groups (e.g. Jews, blacks, ignorant persons, etc.) was acceptable and has been quoted as saying "The most merciful thing a large family can do for one of its infant members is to kill it."

• Those who argue that 'legal' abortion protects women from the dangers of illegal abortion overlook the facts and often exaggerate the so-called "proofs" of their position. For example, in one case, the number of women claimed to have died from illegal abortion was more than the total of all women who had died. It has also been noted that "after the discovery of penicillin, relatively few women who procured illegal abortions died". Today, since they 'legalization' of abortion, pro-lifers maintain that "many more women die from abortions than from when abortions were illegal" and that deaths from 'legal' abortions are greatly underreported. They may also argue that "evidence shows that carrying a baby to term is less dangerous than an induced abortion" and that "when abortion has been curtailed (e.g. in Poland), incidents of deaths from illegal abortions totaled zero". They also point out that reports of widespread so-called "coat hanger" abortions are not backed up by evidence.

• One effective way of stopping abortion is suing for malpractice and then publicizing any legal victories. Women may be turned away from abortions when they find out that abortionists have a reputation for damaging the health of other women.

• Women may be turned away from abortion when they realize their baby will be sold, thrown away, or experimented upon. Some have asked women entering abortion clinics how they feel about the doctors making money from selling their baby - some may even provide the woman with an actual price list for fetal body parts. Occasionally, women change their mind about the abortion after discovering such facts.

• Women who have had an abortion need special care (e.g. she needs to realize that she must repent of her crime; she needs to realize that God is still able to love and forgive her, even despite what she has done; etc.), but abortionists disregard this important fact. [Note: God & His Church still love those who have had abortions. Those who are truly repentant can receive forgiveness in the Sacrament of Confession. There are also a variety of Catholic organizations which can help those who have had abortions. There are places to honor the baby, to name it, to request prayers, etc. What was done was tragic, but they must be instructed not to give up.]

• Thankfully, there are doctors who refuse to participate in abortion. Rather than make a living off of killing children and (often) injuring mothers, they recognize their role as healers.

• Aborted babies usually don't receive Baptism, so necessary to salvation. [Note: Aborted babies should be baptized, even conditionally: "Can. 747 Care should be taken that aborted fetuses, at whatever time they are born, if they are certainly alive, be baptized absolutely; if there is doubt, under condition after (being born)." (1917 Code of Canon Law)] Those who think infant Baptism is unnecessary should consider the constant teaching of the Church, indicated by quotations such as the following:

"Since infant children have no other means of salvation except baptism, we may easily understand how grievously those persons sin who permit them to remain without the grace of the Sacrament longer than necessity may require, particularly at an age so tender as to be exposed to numberless dangers of death." (Catechism of the Council of Trent)

"The souls of those who die in mortal sin, or with original sin only, however, immediately descend to hell, yet to be punished with different punishments." (Council of Lyons II, Denzinger #464) [Note: Infants who die in the state of Original Sin only (that is, unbaptized infants), are traditionally believed to descend to the "upper regions of hell" where - although not suffering physical torments and are in a state of 'natural happiness' - are pained by being deprived by the loss of the Beatific Vision. Never has the Church recognized another means of salvation for such infants besides Baptism.]

"It (the Roman Church) teaches...that the souls...of those who die in mortal sin, or with only original sin descend immediately into hell; however, to be punished with different penalties and in different places." (Pope John XXII, Denzinger #493a).

"...the souls of those who depart [die] in actual mortal sin or in original sin only, descend immediately into hell but to undergo punishments of different kinds." (Council of Florence, Denzinger #693)

"'If anyone denies that infants newly born from their mothers' wombs are to be baptized,' even though they be born of baptized parents, 'or says they are baptized indeed for the remission of sins, but that they derive nothing of original sin from Adam, which must be expiated by the laver of regeneration' for the attainment of life everlasting, whence it follows, that in them the form of baptism for the remission of sins is understood to be not true, but false: let him be anathema. For what the Apostle has said: 'By one man sin entered into the world, and by sin death, and so death passed upon all men, in whom all have sinned' (Rom. 5:12), is not to be understood otherwise than as the Catholic Church spread everywhere has always understood it. For by reason of this rule of faith from a tradition of the apostles even infants, who could not as yet commit any sins of themselves, are for this reason truly baptized for the remission of sins, so that in them there may be washed away by regeneration, what they have contracted by generation, (see n. 102). 'For unless a man be born again of water and the Holy Ghost, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God' (Jn. 3:5)." (Council of Trent, Denzinger #791)

Faith teaches us that since Adam & Eve, the only human being ever conceived immaculately (besides Jesus) was the Blessed Virgin Mary. All other infants are conceived stained by original sin, which has always been held to prevent persons from seeing the Beatific Vision. In Scripture, we see that St. John the Baptist was the only infant sanctified in his mother's womb - but before his sanctification even he was stained with original sin. We see clearly therefore that baptism is necessary for salvation, and those who participate in abortions deny their children this necessary sacrament.

• Mary should be the role model for all women. The Blessed Virgin's feelings towards the killing of innocent children should be ours as well.

• Abortion must be stopped. Each person can help put an end to this tragedy in an appropriate and non-violent manner. You may start by speaking out against abortion, by informing others about fetal development and the dangers of abortion, by emphasizing the sinfulness of abortion, etc. You may engage in appropriate boycotts & picketing. You may consider sending appropriate letters to newspapers, politicians, etc. You may consider leafleting as appropriate. Also, you should make a special effort to vote properly in accordance with a well-formed Catholic conscience.

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