What a weighty title! Thanks for being willing to read this and not shying away from this subject that is so surrounded by controversy.
As I said in my previous blog, I feel the Catholic Church should not change its view on opposing contraception and abortion for several reasons, the chief one being that they got it right the first time. Today I will focus on the Catholic Church's right teaching on abortion.
Let me elaborate on why I feel this way. First of all, I'll reiterate that the church is not a political entity. It is under a moral obligation to speak truth. It is responsible for guiding the faithful and must not abandon any of its right teachings to placate either its followers or others in society.
To speak truth about abortion, we must first clearly define our terms. This means we have to look closely at conception. The Church, as well as science, defines conception as the moment that an egg is fertilized by a sperm. The church further views that at this moment of conception, a new person comes into being; unique and precious, complete and total. Nothing is left to be added, including the soul. The full essence of a person is encapsulated in this rapidly dividing embryo. Those who have studied embryology can attest that this is in fact so. DNA, the blueprint for building up this new human, is now combined from the father and mother in a unique genetic code. This human is also spiritually unique. It is key to note that this embryo's body is no more a part of its mother's body than my 11 year old daughter is a part of mine, although it is a great deal more dependent than my daughter is.
If the whole component of human-ness wasn't present at conception, but became possible later on, say at implantation or after the brain is formed, then the science of in vitro fertilization - where sperm and egg are combined outside the human body to create embryos which are then implanted- would not be possible. What is so great about this is that we get all of this from science; it is directly observable. This is one of the beautiful moments where church teaching and hard science waltz together in harmony and complimentarity.
So, if this embryo is a unique human at the moment of conception (I think it would be difficult in this day and age to deny this in the face of empirical evidence), then in an abortion, something takes this being to a state of unbeing. What is no longer is.
Then, we must look at whether is is always possible or necessary to provide human rights to all equally, or if some people should not garner the same rights. The most basic of the human rights is the right to life. I would argue that all people, if people, must be offered the same rights, must be viewed as equally valuable. In fact, mankind has made this mistake again and again with some horrendous results. The largest atrocities of history have come from the faulty mindset of favoring one group over another. It is the same problem no matter where you look- the error of slavery, with blacks being considered subhuman; the devastation of the holocaust, where many lost their lives due to a madman's use of propaganda to marginalize those on the peripheries of society; even to the oppressions of pre-civil rights America. All these mindsets are based on the prideful thinking of one's individual rights being paramount over another's. There is always a stripping away of or denying humanity to the marginalized group. A parent should not kill her unborn child in the same way that she should not kill her 1 year old one- and she should not be led to believe that is her only viable choice. No matter how painful or upsetting or distressing, it is fundamentally unfair and unjust for her rights to override those of the new person's.
While I do completely believe that abortion is wrong, and appreciate the church standing strong on this moral truth; I do not lose sight of the struggling young women who are making this choice. This is a choice that no one really wants to choose. Few women embrace and celebrate; proclaim their abortion, for all to see. They bear this infant as a major burden; and no wonder- they feel abandoned by those around them, many outside the support system of a secure relationship, many underage and without parental care or guidance. Money is a concern, fears of the future are also terrifying. This may be a young teen or preteen who knows that they cannot yet successfully parent. This may be a rape survivor, battered by trauma and wanting the whole ordeal to disappear. It could be an underage prostitute fearing the wrath of her pimp or a middle-aged woman coerced by her abusive spouse. The woman could be struggling with substance abuse and be fearful of the effects on her unborn child. These women have no adequate support systems. They feel they have no good options.
Father Ryan O'Neill, Catholic priest from Grand County several years ago, relayed a story at mass about a young woman who verbally attacked him at McDonald's regarding the Church's stance on abortion. His response to her? "God is pro-choice. But some choices are always wrong." God wants us to choose the course of our lives and gives us the freedom to do so. He also wants us to make good decisions, not grave errors.
Right or wrong, this woman is so vulnerable at this point, it may feel impossible to figure out what is the right thing, let alone choose it. This can be difficult in a society where the erroneous messages that abortion is no big deal and this is about her reproductive freedom loom large. In the middle of this chaos, this fear, this loneliness, making the best choice or even a decent choice may feel impossible. In the cases I described above, once the choice to terminate a pregnancy is made and the act is over, the crisis has not been removed and the difficulties are still very much present. Rather, the truly compassionate answer is to give hope to the hopeless, comfort to the fearful, and help to this suffering soul. True help is a clear winner to an abortion.
Where does this help come from? The Christian community is also not blind to these vulnerable young women. For instance, Catholic Charities of Denver have many services to offer these women, as well as a home for women. Many other Catholic and Christian groups also run crisis pregnancy centers in our state and worldwide. I currently volunteer in a crisis pregnancy center. The women who use our services are embraced and guided. They are not coerced or judged. We aim to meet them where they are at. They are given accurate information and are empowered to make decisions outside the realm of fear. They are given time. They are nurtured. Some women who enter our center do choose abortion- the gulf is too wide- and they are still loved. Many others choose to make a parenting plan or an adoption plan. During the subsequent stages of their pregnancy, they are given help with every detail- from navigating the adoption world to preparing to welcome their child through added services such as childbirth classes, parenting classes and breastfeeding support. At many centers, it is possible to find housing options if necessary. The goal is to help the woman and the child both.
Of those that choose abortion, the reactions are varied. Some may bear a secret pain; while others may seem to be able to dismiss this moment in their past fully. Others undergo a kind of unraveling of the fabric of their lives, undergoing a downward spiral with major mental health problems as a result. Regret is a strong emotion in many women. For others, the pain becomes stronger when they conceive a child they plan to parent or when a friend or sister has a baby. For those who are still struggling deep inside with painful memories, post abortion healing is available at many crisis pregnancy centers. Women are given the chance to process the past, to bring it to light and to heal. A well known post abortion ministry is Project Rachel; many women have found solace through its programs. No mistake is too great for God's infinite mercy and his healing is available to all who ask for it.
