How do I overcome the suicide objection to abortion?

[atassina]

Wednesday 20 May 2009
Last Saturday while I was doing sidewalk counseling if front of the local abortion mill, a Catholic woman told me that years ago she had had a “medical abortion”. Her daughter was inside getting a “medical abortion” also. (Why, her daughter was having sex with her boyfriend who had just gotten out of prison.) Her daughter too had had miscarriages. Her definition: A medical abortion is a necessary medical procedure to preserve the life of the pregnant mother. Why? Because her doctor told her that if she gave birth, she would die. She already had had several miscarriages. Therefore she termed it a “medical abortion” as distinct from an abortion of convenience. Good thing she had a rosary hanging from her rear view mirror. And also a good thing that “she believed all the teachings of the Church”. How do I overcome this suicide objection: If I have my baby it will kill me. In other words, “I will kill myself if I give birth.”

 

[Reepicheep]

Who told her she would die if she gave birth?
How trustworthy is the person who told her this?
What evidence does that person offer?
Has she/have they considered any alternative?
(Such as aggressive medical treatment, Ceasarian section…).
Is it “proven certain death” or “highly risky”?
(Not the same thing).

 

[Swick]

Wednesday 20 May 2009
Last Saturday while I was doing sidewalk counseling if front of the local abortion mill, a Catholic woman told me that years ago she had had a “medical abortion”. Her daughter was inside getting a “medical abortion” also. (Why, her daughter was having sex with her boyfriend who had just gotten out of prison.) Her daughter too had had miscarriages. Her definition: A medical abortion is a necessary medical procedure to preserve the life of the pregnant mother. Why? Because her doctor told her that if she gave birth, she would die. She already had had several miscarriages. Therefore she termed it a “medical abortion” as distinct from an abortion of convenience. Good thing she had a rosary hanging from her rear view mirror. And also a good thing that “she believed all the teachings of the Church”. How do I overcome this suicide objection: If I have my baby it will kill me. In other words, “I will kill myself if I give birth.”

hmmm…I will try to answer your question…if i remember this correctly our priest addressed this in the homily not too long ago and it went like this. Jesus is love and you cannot love Jesus if you dont love others and love sometimes requires sacrifice. He gave an example of a real life woman who was in this very situation and he said that she decided to go along with the birth regardless of what the doctors said because she loved her unborn son so much. Thankfully however when she gave birth everything went fine and did not perish and she gave birth to a healthy baby boy. Now I am no expert in the teachings of the church and I definatly not God but I would venture to say that if you sacrifice yourself out of love for another it wouldnt be considered suicide as we know to be sin. I could however be horribly mistaken but I hope it helps.

 

[atassina]

Good responses. I am looking for three short penetrating questions that will allow me to lead her away from the abortion mill/death camp. (This one actually has a non-operational oven out back to burn the “medical waste” babies.) I want to help both the baby and the mother.

 

[kage_ar]

When someone has been scared to death by a doctor, there is no way a short sidewalk session can change their mind. Your VERY BEST chance to save this baby and the mother is to have the name and number of a good pro-life high risk OBGYN who will work with you. Your local Crisis Pregnancy Center should be able to give you the name and numbers of doctors who work with them.

Ask the mother to take time to go see this doctor, offer to drive her there.

If you know the diagnosis the mother has been given, this website might help:

benotafraid.net/

 

[budgie2]

I have a friend that had an abortion and she said that she would have committed suicide otherwise. If a woman is feeling like this she is obviously very depressed and wonder if she should be assessed for mental illness. Some women may need special support in pregnancy which they currently do not get from the doctors and therefore they end up having abortions through a total lack of support. In the past pregnant women in crisis pregnancies used to go and live with a community of nuns if they were planning to give their children up for adoption. I don’t know if there’s enough now but there should be more hospices for pregnant women.