No. The Magisterium does not teach myths. The Magisterium does condemn direct abortion, even to save the life of the mother.
An abortion does not become indirect merely because the mother’s life is in danger. An abortion is not justifiable under the principle of double effect, if it is direct. You don’t determine if an abortion is direct by applying that principle. Instead, the principle itself requires that you first determine if the act is intrinsically evil (and in the case of abortion therefore direct). Intrinsically evil acts are not justified by the principle of double effect.
Ron - you are totally twisting my words or misunderstanding me. And perhaps, I’m not being clear enough.
I know that direct abortions are always condemned, and I know what Church teaching is regarding this. Again, perhaps I’m not being clear enough.
It’s not enough for a mother’s life to be in danger (or at risk), she has to be actively dying for the doctor act to save her life. When the mother is ACTIVELY dying, a doctor has the right to attempt to save both lives, but may not directly kill the baby. In other words, directly killing a baby is never moral.
However, if a C-Section is required to actively save a dying mother, and to avoid directly killing the child, it may be licit, even if baby isn’t yet viable because the baby doesn’t die from a c-section. If the mother dies when a baby isn’t yet viable, they both die. A nonviable baby typically isn’t capable of living without the mother. HOWEVER with modern technology a 4 or 5 month old pregnancy might be able to be saved via a c-section. My nephew was born around 5 months of pregnancy and he’s still alive today, 12 years later.
Point is, a c-section is not an abortion because it gives the child a chance, even if the chances are not good. But the c-section may only take place if absolutely necessary to save an actively dying mother.
What I was saying about “myth” is that in the real world, there are very few (if any) situations where an abortion is required to actively save a mother’s life. Personally, I cannot think of a single situation which would require an abortion to actively save the mother’s life. None. The idea that we need to keep abortion legal to “protect the life of a mother” is what I was calling a myth. It’s not needed because an abortion never protects the life of a mother.
I pray I’m starting to make more sense.
God Bless