Hypothetical question

[bradwill911]

For those who accept abortion in cases of rape or incest:

If an infant automatically appeared after a woman was raped or violated via incest, would it be okay to kill the baby?

 

[Teen4Christ]

Yes…because the lady just went through something terrible, it means the baby should be killed.


I get the argument…but still…if you really think about it, it’s just…silly.

 

[bradwill911]

Yes…because the lady just went through something terrible, it means the baby should be killed.


I get the argument…but still…if you really think about it, it’s just…silly.

Not sure if I follow you.

Are you in favor of abortion in cases of rape and incest?

Are you against abortion in all other cases? Why?

 

[Teen4Christ]

Not sure if I follow you.

Are you in favor of abortion in cases of rape and incest?

Are you against abortion in all other cases? Why?

I’m not a fan…no.

I am against it, yes. But I also beleive that abortion laws should remain the same for the time being until we can further educate people on it.

 

[Deacon_Ed_B]

**A definite answer, from official Church teaching. ** Abortion is murder. Even in rape or incest, what sin did the child commit. You are murdering an innocent child because of the sin of another. Before throwing around opinions such as this, you must have an properly informed conscience. That is not an "I think this is what would be o.k.’ attitude. A properly formed conscience is based on knowledge of the teachings of the Church and not on an ill informed opinion. .

 

[RedGecko]

If an infant automatically appeared after a woman was raped or violated via incest, would it be okay to kill the baby?

Since the baby would not interfere with the woman’s life in any way, why would she want to kill it? The motive for abortion is missing from your scenario.

 

[bradwill911]

Since the baby would not interfere with the woman’s life in any way, why would she want to kill it? The motive for abortion is missing from your scenario.

In my hypothetical, the baby is hers so it would interfere with her current life. Please add the motive for the abortion to my scenario and answer the new question if you’d like.

 

[RedGecko]

In my hypothetical, the baby is hers so it would interfere with her current life.

But all she would have to do is leave the baby at a hospital and simply walk away. She is under no obligation to care for him or her.

Please add the motive for the abortion to my scenario and answer the new question if you’d like.

I don’t know of a scenario which would be similar to a pregnancy. But I think the motive for abortion has to do with physical burden and attendant health risks.

 

[bradwill911]

But all she would have to do is leave the baby at a hospital and simply walk away. She is under no obligation to care for him or her.

• So what you are saying is that she would recognize the baby as a human life

I don’t know of a scenario which would be similar to a pregnancy.

• The purpose or intent, then, of aborting a baby created during a traumatizing and evil act, is not to end the life of the child, but rather to avoid the pregnancy? Ending the life of the child is just the outcome of ending the pregnancy. Is this different than the purpose of other abortions?

 

[RedGecko]

The purpose or intent, then, of aborting a baby created during a traumatizing and evil act, is not to end the life of the child, but rather to avoid the pregnancy? Ending the life of the child is just the outcome of ending the pregnancy. Is this different than the purpose of other abortions?

OMG, your question is way past my knowledge of abortion and why women choose them.

I don’t know exactly why raped women would choose abortion. But I would guess that the intent is to end the pregnancy rather than wanting to kill.

 

[bradwill911]

OMG, your question is way past my knowledge of abortion and why women choose them.

I don’t know exactly why raped women would choose abortion. But I would guess that the intent is to end the pregnancy rather than wanting to kill.

No worries, my question was just a hypothetical scenario that came into my mind during prayer and I felt compelled to share it to get some perspective.

Many are in favor of abortion only in cases of rape or incest. I’m just trying to get my mind around why it is okay in those cases. As a Catholic, I’m against all abortions. I find it hard to believe that a person can view abortions as the killing of an innocent child except in cases where the child is conceived by criminal conduct. If the child is still a child in those cases, as in my hypothetical scenario, then ending the child’s life via abortion would still be murder. In other words, if abortion is murder in the case of an unwanted pregnancy that resulted from an agreed upon sexual act, it is also murder if the sexual act was criminal. The life is still a life.

Now, in cases of incest or rape, the intent might seem to be good. The intent may be to protect the victim from the daily reminder of the attack and from the years of possible reminders from when she looks at the child (should she decide not to put the child up for adoption). The girls I know who have been sexually assaulted did not get pregnant. But, they still remembered their attack and attackers many years after the fact. So, I don’t think that aborting a child will change the memory of the harmful act. If anything, it will add yet another bad memory. Can’t get rid of evil with evil.

Sorry for the ramble, just writing down my thoughts.

 

[JimG]

Rape is a crime. We ought not execute the child for the crime of his father.

Incest is also illegal, and a sin of the parents. Again, we do not execute a child for the sin of the parents.

 

[bradwill911]

Rape is a crime. We ought not execute the child for the crime of his father.

Incest is also illegal, and a sin of the parents. Again, we do not execute a child for the sin of the parents.

I agree with both of your points, just trying to get my head wrapped around the idea of abortion being ok in cases of rape/incest. Why do many think it is fine in these scenarios?

 

[JimG]

I agree with both of your points, just trying to get my head wrapped around the idea of abortion being ok in cases of rape/incest. Why do many think it is fine in these scenarios?

I think that those scenarios are largely used as a wedge by pro-choice groups to try to indicate that there are some cases in which abortion ought to be OK; and if it’s ok then, well, let’s just expand the situations in which it is ok. But if you say to them, OK, let’s agree to ban abortion except in those instances, they will never agree, precisely because those instances involve only a tiny minority of actual abortions.

 

[Newbie2]

OMG, your question is way past my knowledge of abortion and why women choose them.

I don’t know exactly why raped women would choose abortion. But I would guess that the intent is to end the pregnancy rather than wanting to kill.

I would guess the same. I understand why such women would consider abortion as an option. Can you imagine the horror of rape,and being reminded of it every moment of your pregnancy?

Women in such circumstances need love and support, and a reason to have the baby whether or not they decide to keep him or her, or give him or her up for adoption. (I lothe using the term “it” instead of him or her when referring to a baby. )