Do aborted babies go to heaven?

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Everstruggling

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Several years ago my girlfriend of the time got pregnant, we decided that we should have an abortion (I was raised Catholic, but left the Church, my girlfriend never was). The baby was not baptised obviously, so will it go to heaven? I am still not a practicing Catholic, but I am reconsidering my views.

I know this might seem a strange thing to say, but I can deal with the idea of being an accomplice to a murder much or easily than I can deal with the idea that I have kept my child away from God.

I realize that my admition is not going to make me all that popular on this board, but if someone could at least set my mind at ease about my child’s soul, I’d really appreciate it.
 
Of course your baby went to heaven ! God doesn’t punish children for the parents actions, esp a tiny baby. Relax and pray. I will.
Kathy
 
I can not say for sure,but I do know God is merciful and just.I(my personal belief) is they are martyrs.The abortions themselves are rooted in pagan religions and are diabolic in nature.So in my mind I feel the attack on their life is another attack on Jesus who is life itself.When I think about it this way,I really feel they will be given a special place in heaven because of their unjust death.I am glad you are thinking about coming home to the Church.🙂 There is help for you about your baby,I think you need to talk to someone.The dads are rarely thought of and they have to deal with the pain from abortion too.God Bless I will keep you in my prayers and ask your little one to pray foryou too:)
 
I believe that this particular question has been raised before on these forums; a search for those threads might be profitable.

Your unborn child, while not free of original sin, was innocent, in the sense that he or she was not capable of sinning himself/herself. We trust in the mercy of God, and it seems reasonable to believe that His mercy would extend to these innocents in a special way. Your unborn child had no opportunity to hear the Gospel, and thus no opportunity to choose God – or to reject God. I trust that God takes these factors into account, and lovingly accepts these souls into His eternal presence.

Therefore, I do not believe that you condemned your unborn child’s soul to eternal separation.

It would be good for you to express your contrition to a priest in the confessional. My prayers are with you.
 
Technically, the Church doesn’t claim to know, but she does say to trust in God’s mercy. I would believe they go to heaven simply because Jesus said to let the little one’s come to him unhindered. As the above poster noted, it’s pretty unreasonable to believe they are anywhere but heaven, especially given the role of invincible ignorance being an excuse for no baptism. If there’s anyone who is invincibly ignorant, it’s an unborn child. So invincible ignorance plus no sins whatsoever would mean heaven, in my opinion.

As for being unpopular, we all sin. That’s why we have confession:)
 
Thanks for your answers, advice, and prayers. I appreciate it.

Everstruggling
 
Everstruggling,
In the Gospel of Life (Evangelium Vitae) Pope John Paul II says the following:

**I would now like to say a special word to women who have had an abortion . The Church is aware of the many factors which may have influenced your decision, and she does not doubt that in many cases it was a painful and even shattering decision. The wound in your heart may not yet have healed. Certainly what happened was and remains terribly wrong. But do not give in to discouragement and do not lose hope. Try rather to understand what happened and face it honestly. If you have not already done so, give yourselves over with humility and trust to repentance. The Father of mercies is ready to give you his forgiveness and his peace in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. You will come to understand that nothing is definitively lost and you will also be able to ask forgiveness from your child, who is now living in the Lord. With the friendly and expert help and advice of other people, and as a result of your own painful experience, you can be among the most eloquent defenders of everyone’s right to life. Through your commitment to life, whether by accepting the birth of other children or by welcoming and caring for those most in need of someone to be close to them, you will become promoters of a new way of looking at human life. **

The moms and dads of aborted children are the hidden victims precisely because of the torment of questions like this. Ministrys such as Rachel’s Vineyard ( www.rachelsvineyard.org ) are wonderful ways fully accepting the loving forgiveness which Christ offers us all, and becoming reconciled with your child who is now with the Father. If you haven’t experienced healing through a ministry like this, I would encourage you to prayerfully consider doing so. It has helped me tremendously.

Amy
 
This is a good discussion. Some time ago, my younger sister informed me that our mother had an abortion prior to her marrying my father. It has never been spoken of since, and I don’t want to ask my mother about it for obvious reasons.

But for some reason tonight I was thinking about it. I’m in RCIA now, and I’ve been strongly pro-life for years. Tonight I found myself wondering if all this means I have an elder brother looking down on me from Heaven. It’s all speculation and I don’t expect anyone in this lifetime to be able to give me a definitive answer on that, but I thought I share my thoughts with you all. God bless you and Merry Christmas.

Oh, and to the author of this thread, know that God feels your pain. He will forgive you and help you heal. Remember that he loves you no matter what. He does not wish to punish you and make you cry. Instead, he holds you and cries with you.
 
The unborn babys do not commit any sin and therefore i agree with others they do rest in heaven.
Just the same as any other unbaptised children.

GOD BLESS
 
Wait, so, abortion is a mortal sin, I assume. Meaning, if you commit it with full knowledge and deliberate consent, you’re on your way to Hell. Of course, you can repent at a later time and go to Heaven yourself.

But on the other hand, if you get an abortion, you’ve just sent an eternal soul straight to Heaven. And you’ve kept that eternal soul from risking Hell by living a full life on Earth.

A few questions arise from this:
  1. If you get an abortion is it a mortal sin if you believe that you’re doing the right thing by saving your child from the possibility of an eternity in a lake of fire being tortured forever and ever? Killing someone is usually wrong, but in this case it seems like it could possibly be justified. Similarly, breaking into someone’s house is usually wrong – but if you’re saving someone from a burning building, then it’s probably justified.
  2. Even if you do risk your own eternal life by getting an abortion, wouldn’t the right thing be to get it any way? After all, you know the truth and can still be saved again. You understand that you can go to confession and return to the light of Christ. But your unborn child could grow up, totally reject the faith, and then voluntarily throw itself into eternal torment. Yes, there is a great deal of risk by committing a mortal sin – but at least you know you’ve saved your own child with absolute certainty.
  3. Wouldn’t it be noble for someone to get many hundreds of abortions? She would be sending hundreds of souls straight to God, saving many of them who would have otherwise been sent to eternal agony. Surely her own eternal life would be in jeopardy, but look at all the good she’s done! God might even smile upon her noble self sacrifice.
 
Well why wouldn’t they? Yes, I am sure there are all the millions of aborted babies in heaven right now. They did not get to hear the word of God, so I do not think it would be fair of him to damn them. This doesn’t just go for babies but people around the world or ancient civilizations who have never heard the word of the Christian God. I do not think they are damned either. It wouldn’t be right or fair if they never got the chance.
 
Exalt said:
A few questions arise from this:
  1. If you get an abortion is it a mortal sin if you believe that you’re doing the right thing by saving your child from the possibility of an eternity in a lake of fire being tortured forever and ever? Killing someone is usually wrong, but in this case it seems like it could possibly be justified. Similarly, breaking into someone’s house is usually wrong – but if you’re saving someone from a burning building, then it’s probably justified.
How can one justify murder? By simply going to confession won’t make any impact unless your truly sorry for committing the act in the first place. It takes more than a week to be truly sorry for intentional murder. Yes doing the right thing by allowing the abortionist to pull apart a child who can feel everything that is happening to him/her.
  1. Even if you do risk your own eternal life by getting an abortion, wouldn’t the right thing be to get it any way? After all, you know the truth and can still be saved again. You understand that you can go to confession and return to the light of Christ. But your unborn child could grow up, totally reject the faith, and then voluntarily throw itself into eternal torment. Yes, there is a great deal of risk by committing a mortal sin – but at least you know you’ve saved your own child with absolute certainty.
How did you create this rationalization? Sounds barbaric if your asking me. There is no absolute certainty for the child’s soul however as Catholics we feel that God would grant this youngster a trip to Heaven. The point of having sex is to create life NOT destroy it.
  1. Wouldn’t it be noble for someone to get many hundreds of abortions? She would be sending hundreds of souls straight to God, saving many of them who would have otherwise been sent to eternal agony. Surely her own eternal life would be in jeopardy, but look at all the good she’s done! God might even smile upon her noble self sacrifice.
I’m guessing that you are being sarcastic in a very macabre way. The purpose of being alive is to know, love, and serve God.
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God Bless!
 
Exalt said:
  1. If you get an abortion is it a mortal sin if you believe that you’re doing the right thing by saving your child from the possibility of an eternity in a lake of fire being tortured forever and ever? Killing someone is usually wrong, but in this case it seems like it could possibly be justified. Similarly, breaking into someone’s house is usually wrong – but if you’re saving someone from a burning building, then it’s probably justified.
  2. Even if you do risk your own eternal life by getting an abortion, wouldn’t the right thing be to get it any way? After all, you know the truth and can still be saved again. You understand that you can go to confession and return to the light of Christ. But your unborn child could grow up, totally reject the faith, and then voluntarily throw itself into eternal torment. Yes, there is a great deal of risk by committing a mortal sin – but at least you know you’ve saved your own child with absolute certainty.
  3. Wouldn’t it be noble for someone to get many hundreds of abortions? She would be sending hundreds of souls straight to God, saving many of them who would have otherwise been sent to eternal agony. Surely her own eternal life would be in jeopardy, but look at all the good she’s done! God might even smile upon her noble self sacrifice.
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So by that logic, why not slit the throats of babies and kill those with special needs? Since obviously they are unable to make a real good choice regarding God so killing them would send them straight to Heaven. What a noble thing it would be if a woman killed hundreds of new born babies with a carving knife.

Here’s how it works: God is the author of life, no one, and that is absolutely NO ONE has the right to determine whether or not someone else, especially an innocent child should live or die.
 
Exalt said:
Wait, so, abortion is a mortal sin, I assume. Meaning, if you commit it with full knowledge and deliberate consent, you’re on your way to Hell. Of course, you can repent at a later time and go to Heaven yourself.

But on the other hand, if you get an abortion, you’ve just sent an eternal soul straight to Heaven. And you’ve kept that eternal soul from risking Hell by living a full life on Earth.

A few questions arise from this:
  1. If you get an abortion is it a mortal sin if you believe that you’re doing the right thing by saving your child from the possibility of an eternity in a lake of fire being tortured forever and ever? Killing someone is usually wrong, but in this case it seems like it could possibly be justified. Similarly, breaking into someone’s house is usually wrong – but if you’re saving someone from a burning building, then it’s probably justified.
  2. Even if you do risk your own eternal life by getting an abortion, wouldn’t the right thing be to get it any way? After all, you know the truth and can still be saved again. You understand that you can go to confession and return to the light of Christ. But your unborn child could grow up, totally reject the faith, and then voluntarily throw itself into eternal torment. Yes, there is a great deal of risk by committing a mortal sin – but at least you know you’ve saved your own child with absolute certainty.
  3. Wouldn’t it be noble for someone to get many hundreds of abortions? She would be sending hundreds of souls straight to God, saving many of them who would have otherwise been sent to eternal agony. Surely her own eternal life would be in jeopardy, but look at all the good she’s done! God might even smile upon her noble self sacrifice.
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In all seriousness and with a heavy heart it seems that you wish that your mom might have made that choice for you. You are very lost and are in my prayers… teachccd
 
In all fairness, none of you have really addressed my central point. If abortion sends the baby to Heaven, isn’t it ultimately a good thing? The only thing you can say is that murder is a potentially mortal sin, which I’ve already conceded. But isn’t eternal life more important than this temporal one anyway?
 
Everstruggling said:
Several years ago my girlfriend of the time got pregnant, we decided that we should have an abortion (I was raised Catholic, but left the Church, my girlfriend never was). The baby was not baptised obviously, so will it go to heaven? I am still not a practicing Catholic, but I am reconsidering my views.

I know this might seem a strange thing to say, but I can deal with the idea of being an accomplice to a murder much or easily than I can deal with the idea that I have kept my child away from God.

I realize that my admition is not going to make me all that popular on this board, but if someone could at least set my mind at ease about my child’s soul, I’d really appreciate it.
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Peace be with you, Everstruggling. You’ve gotten several good answers. It is true, we cannot know the eternal fate of your child… but at the same time, God is Love and Mercy. It would be a cruel God who would condemn every unbaptized aborted child to hell because they didn’t meet a sacramental through no fault of their own.

Likewise, I don’t think a just God would extend salvation to ALL children in this situation, if they would have gone on to reject God from their lives. In this way we must all remember that while it is possible that an aborted child could go to heaven, it is just as possible for such a child to go to hell. The judgement is God’s and so we are to view abortion as deadly evil because it cuts short the child’s time to discover God in THIS world before being put before judgement by whatever standard a loving and merciful but just God uses to determine the fate of these poor souls.

So I think it best to say that we cannot know what your child’s ultimate fate was, but that you should take comfort in knowing that God is compassionate and does not punish the child for the actions of its parents. There is at least chance that your child was given the free will choice to love God and therefore to accept eternal salvation.

As to your popularity here… you’ve been through a difficult decision. I don’t think any of us can judge you or your specific situation, nor are we allowed to. We are all sinners here, and all of us need God’s mercy to have any hope of salvation. Your contrition doesn’t make you unpopular here… it makes you one of the fold. I hope you find the peace you are looking for and that you’ll take the time to talk to a priest, potentially in the confessional, but even outside as a prelude to coming back to the church.

Perhaps I’m being a little wishful in my thinking here, but welcome back home to the Church.
 
Exalt said:
In all fairness, none of you have really addressed my central point. If abortion sends the baby to Heaven, isn’t it ultimately a good thing? The only thing you can say is that murder is a potentially mortal sin, which I’ve already conceded. But isn’t eternal life more important than this temporal one anyway?
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Your point has been addressed, multiple times.

Abortion does not send a baby to heaven. It sends a baby to judgement. We do NOT know the outcome of this judgement AT ALL. It could be heaven, it could be hell.

What we do know is that God is merciful and does not punish the baby for the actions of the parent, so the baby is not culpable of not having TIME to get baptised or accept God in this life.

What we also know is that God is just, and if a baby were to be the next Hitler and by every act of will would reject God, that this baby will not get a free pass simply because it was aborted.

So we all we can know is that we have cut short the life of the baby to give them the honor and human dignity of the life that God rendered them, and we have cut short their time to use their free will in this life to choose and discover God. We HOPE in God’s mercy and love, and trust in His justice, but we do NOT know or believe that all babies who are aborted will be sent to heaven.

So abortion remains a grave crime against human dignity and life, a mortal sin, and does NOT lead to automatic salvation for its victims.
 
Exalt said:
In all fairness, none of you have really addressed my central point. If abortion sends the baby to Heaven, isn’t it ultimately a good thing? The only thing you can say is that murder is a potentially mortal sin, which I’ve already conceded. But isn’t eternal life more important than this temporal one anyway?
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If you truly valued life you would’ve never asked those three questions in the first place. Why did God create life? For us to know, love, and serve him? OR for us to grow into savage beasts by simply killing every person in existence. If you realize the true significance of abortion the question would never be addressed to begin with. Imagine willingly letting your own child to be mutilated by man-made tools on top of an altar of sacrifice (table). The child’s hopes and dreams are now completely relinquished. For any person to carry this out they would have to be delusional or possessed. God Bless!
 
Since aborted babies go to heaven, then should we have more abortions? Romans 6
 
Hope Only

**1261 **As regards children who have died without Baptism, the Church can only entrust them to the mercy of God, as she does in her funeral rites for them. Indeed, the great mercy of God who desires that all men should be saved, and Jesus’ tenderness toward children which caused him to say: “Let the children come to me, do not hinder them,” [63] allow us to hope that there is a way of salvation for children who have died without Baptism. All the more urgent is the Church’s call not to prevent little children coming to Christ through the gift of holy Baptism.

63 Mk 10 14; cf. 1 Tim 2:4.

vatican.va/archive/catechism/p2s2c1a1.htm#VI
 
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