NFP, Birth Control and Choice

[Elizabeth502]

The mother’s life is not inferior to the life of her unborn baby - ever. However, the mother has options available to her to avoid this life/death situation - even if these choices do not seem immediately evident or easy.

That’s why we have medical professionals. You were not in the ER, nor was I. Ryecroft and her doctors were in the ER. The Catholic Church simply refuses to acknowledge the unusual and rare medical realities which do on occasion occur, requiring split-second decisions with the best medical information available and the best human predictability available, which is all God ever asks of us.

It was the educated opinion of the persons in the ER that ryecroft did not have options at the time which would allow both her and the still-developing life to survive. You’re speaking in generalities about the majority of cases. She’s speaking from experience about the specifics and the minority of cases. The vast majority of repliers on this thread and on ryecroft’s other thread are actually speaking from wishful-thinking. There have been close-calls in ER’s that have enabled both mother and tiny baby to live, but not all such decisions are clear-cut or as hopeful as all that. So many repliers assume that the doctors didn’t know what they were doing but that the repliers have superior medical knowledge and would have been able to save both lives. No, you don’t know that, and you never will, and to believe that is either ignorant or arrogant. You may know about other situations, but each medical case is unique and decisions are only made with the complete data on hand, and the complete training/experience afforded to those personnel.

 

[BiologyBrain]

That’s why we have medical professionals. You were not in the ER, nor was I. Ryecroft and her doctors were in the ER. The Catholic Church simply refuses to acknowledge the unusual and rare medical realities which do on occasion occur, requiring split-second decisions with the best medical information available and the best human predictability available, which is all God ever asks of us.

I realize I was not there. However, the Church does not deny these occasions happen and have drastic consequences. What the Church does is try to limit the rationalization that all situations are this way. Medical professionals are not always correct and sometimes their ignorance can/does cost lives. It is our duty as Catholics & intelligent beings to educate ourselves prior to such emergencies to the best of our ability. Sometimes the choices suck - I understand that & I think/know the Church does as well. The Church offers Reconcilliation as a means for a person to be absolved from the guilt such a life or death situation may cause them.

FWIW I’m not judging Ryecroft or saying her ‘abortion’ was wrong. It is my belief that if she was bleeding that heavily the baby had already succumb. I had a similar situation earlier this year. However, even my doctor did not term the procedure an elective abortion - it was a spontaneous unspecified abortion that almost cost me my life & ultimately cost my child its life. I specifically asked my secular doctor if the baby was alive at the time when she was pulling tissue from me. She indicated that the rupture was such that the baby was no longer receiving blood/nutrients from my body and was already dead - as evidenced by the tissue protruding from my womb. However, b/c there is a degree of uncertainty in my mind, I went to Confession and asked my priest about my situation. I also asked several other theologians I trust to be in line w/ the Church. They all said the same thing - the decision made had to be made quickly and w/ the information I had, my decision was correct. Although in reality, it wasn’t a decision so much as a forced hand - my doctor didn’t ask me prior to removing any tissue - she just did it to save my life. I thank her for that even as I mourn the loss of my child.