Well, I agree with you. But, correct me if I am wrong, in the 9 year old’s case I cited, it was medically stated that she was facing impending death from the pregnancy because of not being fully developed to carry twins. What would you do if you were her mother?
I would work w/ other doctors to save both my child & grand-children if at all humanly possible. We know nothing of the doctor(s) who indicate she was incapable of carrying the twins. There have been many instances of young girls (this age & younger) carrying to term w/ no long term damage. There are conservative methods that can be used in almost every circumstance - regardless of whether that’s the popular method or not. Many women are told they will die if they carry a pregnancy, but miraculously not only survive, but produce more children. Many women are told they are ‘perfect’ for carrying children only to die of an unforseen complication. Life is a risk. I’d much rather know I did nothing to kill an innocent than kill an innocent on a chance it might produce the death of another.
Also it is replete in the old testament where God commanded whole towns to be destroyed, the catholic church has engaged bloody crusades, we all support our countries to possess armies and wage war and we lament the loss of innocent lives but do not say armies should be disbanded.
God knows all and is all, so He has every right to wipe out a town, nation, the world. He made it all and its His to destroy or cultivate. I’d have to say that the instances in the bible that God metted out complete destruction were exceptions - not the rule. Wasn’t it Abraham (I can’t remember) that argued that if there were just 5 righteous men the town should be saved? Didn’t God relent? His ultimate goal, perfected through Christ, is to save us from ourselves and our sinful ways. With Christ, God fulfilled His promise & desires us to partake of His new covenant.
The Crusades & whatever bloody history you want to charge the Church with doesn’t really hold water to me. Times were different then. It wasn’t just the Church killing people for the fun of it. There was a purpose and an intent that varied significantly from killing an innocent on purpose.
Just war is entirely different from abortion. The only purpose of abortion is to kill an innocent. In just war, the innocent that suffer are collateral damage. Their deaths are not intended by anyone (except sometimes the crazy extremists).
I say NO to abortion, but if a young woman on welfare is handed $600 to terminate her pregnancy since she cannot afford to pay medical and living expenses for her child, does not know where to turn in an individualistic society and the government does not want more welfare children, then as Catholics we have to do more than insisting on laws and excommunicating people. If a woman’s life is in danger because of her pregnancy I would respect her choice and lament with her if she chose to let the child go rather than both, for in our faith, the child goes back to God.
What about the woman though? Shouldn’t we offer her assistance that doesn’t endanger her immortal soul? Especially as Catholics, we should show her compassion and give her aid. Its not the government’s job to give everyone $$ and make everything peachy. Its the government’s job to protect us. However, giving the woman $$ for an abortion does more than just terminate her pregnancy. It can (and often does) lead to more behaviors that will land the woman in the same position over & over again. As Catholics we have numerous groups available to support women in crisis pregnancies. As Americans (I don’t know your nationality, but I’m an American), we have a duty to help our brethren. However, American politicians would rather destroy the next generation on the chance of not having to pay out as much $$ in the future, without looking at the consequences. American politicians would rather put harsh limits on the pro-life movement’s crisis pregnancy centers than help them save lives (both of mothers & the unborn). American politicians would rather give their $$ to Planned Parenthood to hand out more condoms, bc, and abortions, as opposed to trying to get people out of the gutters (mentally, physically, and spiritually). A
As Catholics our first objectives need to not be monetary, they need to be spiritual. There is irreparable harm done to a woman when she aborts, whether its physical and/or obvious. Her spirituality is damaged b/c an innocent suffered death rather than being loved and welcomed. As Catholics we are not only supposed to help the innocents, we’re supposed to help
everyone. It doesn’t help everyone in any situation to abort a child. The child always suffers the utmost consequences.
I feel badly for women who feel they
had to abort their children for whatever reason. I don’t pity them and sometimes I actually respect their decision (if they made the best decision they could at the time w/ the information they had), but I don’t like that decision. I’m deeply sorry that these women felt the need to make the decision they did. I attempt to educate as many as possible about alternatives (medical, financial, and spiritual). I offer my time, money, and talents to the pro-life movement. Not simply b/c I want to save the cute cuddly babies, but because I want to save the souls of women who may later be tormented by the guilt of terminating their babies.
People die - that’s part of life. In a way God willed us all to die when He expelled Adam & Eve from the Garden. There’s no guarantee of how long any of us will live. However, just b/c everyone will eventually die is no reason to prematurely end their lives at our personal whim or even for good reason.
“Thou shall not kill” means there can be no Just War. Killing can never be justified, It can be accepted and lamented and even rejoiced over when a country is victorious but from the psychological state of many soldiers afterwards. Killing can never be justified. Also many women who commit abortions do not do it for the fun of it.