Abortion and the
Catholic Church
Definitions
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Deliberate cessation of prenatal life
Central problem of the definition:
When in the course of the continuing development
from fertilized egg to newborn infant does a human
person exist?
Two dominant positions:
[1] a human person does not exist until later stages
of prenatal development
[2] human person exists at the earliest stage of
development
Basic Facts About Method
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There are two basic types of abortion:
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Medical Abortion (sometimes called chemical
abortion)
Surgical Abortion
Medical or Chemical Abortion
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RU-486 or the “French
Abortion Pill”
Taken in the first
trimester.
1st round creates an
inhospitable womb.
2nd round induces
contraction
Follow-up visit to be
sure of complete
abortion
Surgical Abortion
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Suction Aspiration
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The most common type in the first trimester.
A woman a given anaesthesia and her cervix is
moderately dilated
A suction curette is inserted into the womb, the
embryo or fetus is suctioned out.
Surgical Abortion
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Dilation and Curettage (D & C)
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Similar to the suction aspiration, except that a
small hook shaped knife is also inserted to break
up the embryo or fetus to facilitate suction.
Surgical Abortion
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Up to 18 weeks (Into the second trimester)
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Dilation and Evacuation (D & E)
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Forceps are inserted into the womb to dismember the
fetus to facilitate removal from the uterus.
Surgical Abortion
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Partial-Birth Abortion
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Guided by an ultrasound, the physician locates
the fetus and secures a leg with forceps
The legs are guided into the birth canal
The baby is delivered except for the head
Scissors are inserted into the base of the skull
A suction catheter is inserted into the skull to
remove the brain. The fetus is then removed from
the birth canal.
Partial Birth Abortion Law
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Upheld in 2007, the ban on partial birth
abortion.
Physicians debate whether the method is
ever necessary as the procedure takes place
most often after viability.
Physicians who offer abortion in the later
stages of gestation can use a chemical/saline
injection into the heart of the fetus, so there is
no partially live birth
The Roman Catholic
Church says that
deliberately causing an
abortion is a grave
moral wrong.
It bases this doctrine
on natural law and on
the written word of God
(Scripture).
When does life begin?
The Church says that human
life begins when the woman's
egg is fertilized by a male
sperm.
From that moment a unique life
begins, independent of the life
of the mother and father.
Each new life that begins at
this point is not a potential
human being but a human
being with potential.
Other Perspectives on Life's Origin
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"The Quickening" A more ancient understanding of the origin of
life. "The Quickening" is the moment that the woman first feels
movement. It was often understood as the moment the soul entered the
fetus.
Week 2 or 3 It's unclear whether or not the pregnancy will result in a
single or multiple birth until the 2nd or 3rd week
The 8th Week Brain waves are present at the start of the 8th week.
Viability This is the point where the fetus is likely to survive outside of
the womb. Modern technology places this anywhere between the fifth and
sixth month.
What Difference Does It Make?
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This image shows the size of
the embryo until the 8th week.
If it's not life, it's not
murder.
If a population can
agree on when life
begins, making law will
be a much easier
process.
Is it possible to separate
the religious &
philosophical from the
medical?
History of Church Teaching on Abortion
The Church condemned
abortion as early as the
2nd century CE: a
document called
the Didache, written in
the 2nd century (some
time after 100 CE), states:
"You shall not kill the
embryo by abortion and
shall not cause the
newborn to perish".
Contemporary Catholic View
Pope John Paul II took a very
strong line on abortion, describing
it as murder.
Frequently man lives as if God did
not exist, and even puts himself
in God's place... He claims for
himself the Creator's right to
interfere in the mystery of human
life. Rejecting divine law and
moral principles, he openly
attacks the family.
Pope John Paul II, 2000
Evangelium Vitae (The Gospel of Life)
In 1995, Pope John Paul II wrote an encyclical (a teaching letter to the whole
Catholic Church) called Evangelium Vitae ('The Gospel of Life').
He stated the fundamental position of the Church:
I confirm that the direct and voluntary killing of an innocent human
being is always gravely immoral.
Pope John Paul II, Evangelium Vitae, 1995
In this he was directly referring to abortion, euthanasia and the destruction of
human embryos in medical research.
On abortion specifically the Pope wrote:
I declare that direct abortion, that is, abortion willed as an end or as a means,
always constitutes a grave moral disorder, since it is the deliberate killing of an
innocent human being.
Pope John Paul II, Evangelium Vitae, 1995
Scripture
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Exodus 20:13: Thou shalt not kill.
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Jeremiah 1:5: Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
before you were born I set you apart”
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Psalm 139: For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother's womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well. Your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be.
The “What If ” Cases:
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Pregnancy as a result of rape or incest?
Pregnancy where the fetus is known to have
physical or mental disabilities?
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The Church responds that in such cases, if
abortion were allowed, it would be presenting the
case that a person’s worth depends on the
manner of conception or perception by others.
COMPASSION and SUPPORT are the
responses.
Review of the Principle of Double Effect
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There exists an action with two outcomes:
one positive and one negative.
We must INTEND the good outcome, and
merely tolerate the negative. (The good
outcome can’t be a casual result of the bad.)
The action must be morally good or morally
neutral.
The good outcome must be “proportional” to
the bad outcome.
The Principle of Double Effect in Detail
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http://ethics.sandiego.edu/presentations/appli
edethics/doubleeffect/doubleeffect.ppt#256,1,
The Principle of Double Effect