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Chapter 3. Abortion

The subject of abortion evokes strong images. People carrying signs with fiery rhetoric. A lonely woman crying. Two people on opposite sides of a barricade having a loud, angry discussion.

Too often images such as these have captured our emotions and blinded us to the truths behind the images. The fundamental truths we all know involve God and the reason He created all human life: His love is infinite. His compassion, mercy, forgiveness, and love for all of us should be our basis for trying to understand how to make decisions involving life and death.

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What is abortion?

Abortion is a medical term, and as a medical term, it has a specific meaning. When the development of an already-conceived child is interrupted, an abortion has occurred. There are two types of abortions. What we commonly call a miscarriage is termed a spontaneous abortion by medical professionals, since the pregnancy was interrupted spontaneously. The secular discussion of abortion, however, focuses solely on the second type of abortion: induced abortion. Induced abortion occurs when a person or persons intentionally interrupt the development of an unborn child.

There are several methods of performing an induced abortion, which can be grouped into two categories: surgical and chemical. In surgical abortion, surgical tools are used to remove the unborn child from the mother's womb, ending the child's life. While the details vary between different surgical procedures, it must be pointed out that in all of the cases debated in the public arena, it is a living child that is dismembered and killed, not a dead or anesthetized child.

In chemical abortion, chemicals are introduced into the woman's body or the child's body to cause the child to be born prematurely with the intention of causing the child's death. RU-486 is an example of a chemical which causes abortions. Another common chemical abortifacient is the birth control pill, which, in addition to preventing conception, can also prevent the newly conceived child from implanting in the mother's womb. (See the section on Contraception for more information.)

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What kind of abortions are legal?

When the U.S. Supreme Court issued the Roe vs. Wade and Doe vs. Bolton decisions in 1973, their arguments supporting legal abortion were based on the "right to privacy." These two decisions stated that American women must be permitted the right to have abortions for the reason of their "health" because abortion was considered a private, medical decision outside the realm of government to control. The "right to privacy," discovered by the Court in our Constitution, was considered more important than the unborn child's right to life because the Court questioned the precise moment when the unborn child became a human being and was therefore protected by the Constitution. These two decisions (Roe vs. Wade and Doe vs. Bolton) state that the viability of the unborn child, that is, his or her ability to survive outside the womb, has a bearing on when abortion should be permitted.

In practice, a child can be aborted at any stage of pregnancy prior to natural delivery since the term "health" has been interpreted very broadly by our legal system. Any physical, emotional, or psychological "threat" permits a woman to have an abortion, which has come to mean that any woman can legally receive an abortion for any reason whatsoever. Some states, however, do restrict abortions in the last months of pregnancy on the basis of viability. While legislation in the U.S. Congress has been introduced repeatedly about this issue over the years, there is no law passed by Congress which permits abortion. It has been made legal through a judicial act.

Since 1973, the Supreme Court has heard several legal challenges to this position. While the Supreme Court severely restricts any limits on abortion, it does permit states to pass three types of restrictions: informed consent, parental consent, and parental notification. Informed consent requires that a woman seeking an abortion must be given information about the abortion procedure. Parental consent laws require a minor to obtain the consent of a parent before having an abortion, and parental notification laws require a minor to inform a parent, but consent is not required. The state of Ohio has an informed consent law and a parental consent law. Most Western nations also now permit legal abortion, with some variations in restrictions and procedure.

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What is the Church's position on abortion?

Secular arguments supporting abortion are based on two concerns. First, there is debate over when the unborn child becomes a human being and therefore requires protection under law. Today, it is often suggested that a human being is somehow less of a human being, less worthy and worthwhile, if he or she is not productive, not healthy, not desired, or not intelligent. This argument sees the unborn child as the mother's "property," startlingly similar to the legal status of slaves in our nation over a hundred years ago. The other argument for abortion is based on the belief that a person's actions are right or wrong based solely on his or her feelings, thoughts, and "individual conscience."

As our Church teaches us clearly in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, "Human life must be respected and protected absolutely from the moment of conception."[1] In his recent encyclical, The Gospel of Life, our pope wrote that while many reasons may be proposed for justifying abortion, these reasons "can never justify the deliberate killing of an innocent human being."[2] This belief is founded on our understanding of our God as a good and loving God who creates each and every human being out of love and who alone is sovereign over all life. Each life requires our protection because our God is a God of the living, a God who saves, a God who does not judge worth based on productivity but who loves us all unconditionally. To choose an abortion is to reject God's gift of life and separates the person(s) responsible from God and the Church. As with any sin, God waits patiently and lovingly to forgive such persons when they acknowledge the wrong and ask for forgiveness.

The second argument to which the Church responds involves our understanding of the word "conscience." While we all have the right to "act in conscience and in freedom so as personally to make moral decisions,"[3] each person's conscience must be informed. "[A well-formed conscience] formulates its judgments according to reason, in conformity with the true good willed by the wisdom of the Creator. The education of conscience is indispensable for human beings who are subjected to negative influences and tempted by sin to prefer their own judgment and reject authoritative teachings."[4] For example, a person may sincerely believe he is the King of England, but his sincerity does not make it so. Similarly, many people may genuinely believe that they are following their consciences in supporting abortion, but they are not correct in doing so. In addition to the Church's teaching that abortion ends an innocent human life, we have received the simple command to love one another.

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How does abortion affect us?

Since every conceived child is a human being created by God, every abortion ends that child's life. While God's mercy for this child who was denied the great gift of life is presumed, it must be admitted that each abortion deprives us all of the gift of knowing that unique person.

Abortion is frequently portrayed as a panacea, a "quick-fix" for the woman who is in pain and turmoil over an untimely pregnancy. This "solution" is not quick, painless, or without repercussions for the (12) woman who chooses it. There is an immediate danger in the abortion itself, since legality does not guarantee safety. Women still die from poorly performed abortions and inadequate follow-up medical care and can still suffer from long-term consequences due to abortion, such as temporary or permanent infertility. There are also emotional and psychological repercussions to abortion. Since the woman knows at some level that she has ended the life of her child, she may engage in one or more behaviors to cope with this tragedy. She may find herself struggling constantly to turn off her feelings about the abortion. She may become more sexually active, unconsciously seeking a pregnancy to replace the child she has lost. She may seek to escape from her emotional pain through drugs or alcohol. She may even experience hallucinations of babies crying or become very uncomfortable around children. These responses are part of Post Abortion Syndrome (PAS). Just as a person suffering from a physical illness cannot heal until the illness has been identified, a woman suffering from PAS must first recognize that her problems stem, at least in part, from her decision to abort her child. There are several programs designed to help women suffering from PAS to learn to repent of their decisions, grieve over their lost children, and accept the Lord's forgiveness.

The father of the aborted child is often omitted from the discussion of abortion, but he, too, is affected by this decision. Since it is common for the father to encourage or pressure the woman to have an abortion, he often shares the guilt of this action with her. On the other hand, the father who does not want his child to be aborted discovers that he is powerless to prevent it, since the mother's decision alone is considered sufficient grounds for an abortion, and her "right to privacy" overrules his rights as a parent. Whether the father supports or opposes the decision to abort, however, this decision affects the rest of his life, too. The role of father, offered to him by God who created this new life, has been denied him. This may affect his attitudes toward future children, as well as toward women in general. Since abortions are more common among unmarried couples, abortion as a means of eliminating the "inconvenient" unborn child may encourage him to wrongly treat women as objects of pleasure, rather than understanding human sexuality as a great gift bestowed by God to be shared within a marriage.

The family of the mother and father who have lost a child to abortion may suffer in many ways. Some family members may have encouraged abortion because of apparent difficulties with the age, health, mental state, or economic condition of either parent. Other family members may have supported the birth of the child into the family. Regardless of their position on the abortion, the decision to abort affects relationships. Family members discover that abortion ended the life of the unborn child without ending the bitterness and anger which often enters family relationships as a result of the pregnancy. Grandparents of an aborted child find to their dismay that abortion does not change the behavior that resulted in pregnancy in the first place. Hostility, grief, detachment, mood swings, and profound sadness may result in family members who lose an unborn relative to abortion. Often, their anger at the trauma of the situation causes serious damage to their relationships with the women who have aborted at a time when they need comfort from others more than ever.

In our acceptance of abortion on demand, we have become a "culture of death" rather than a "culture of life". When we, as a society, permit a woman to abort her child, we are detaching ourselves from her pain, uncertainty, and need for help, and requiring her instead to suffer in pain alone. This is death for her child, but it is also "death" for her, since our acceptance of her "privacy" seemingly frees us of our obligation to help her in her need. It is not surprising that our society, which permits abortion for any reason, finds itself confronted by frightening repercussions to that decision. If it is permissible to kill a child in the womb for mere inconvenience, why are we surprised at the chilling cases of mothers intentionally killing their children after birth because they no longer find them "convenient"? The truth that we have forgotten is that "Human life is sacred; from its very inception it reveals the creating hand of God.[5] When we fail to recognize this fact as a society, our brothers and sisters find themselves making dangerous decisions, decisions that we should lovingly but firmly discourage.

The prevalence of abortion is a scandal to all Catholics for two reasons. First, as a people called to "spread the gospel to all nations," we have clearly failed to speak convincingly to our brothers and sisters of God's great love for every human life. By our inaction, many of our friends and family members have made serious, harmful choices. Second, the fact that Catholic men and women participate in abortion -- by seeking them, performing them, encouraging others, or making it easier to obtain them -- is a terrible failure of our calling to love unconditionally and to be willing to suffer to help those who are suffering. Our actions have also permitted women and men to deny life to their own children, robbing themselves of a great gift and us of our brothers and sisters in the Lord.

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What are the alternatives to abortion?

Abortion ends a human life that has already begun. The simplest, most obvious alternative to such a morally wrong act is to permit the child to grow and be born. The woman who finds she is unexpectedly pregnant should seek good prenatal care to ensure that her child is born healthy and that her own health is cared for; she should seek guidance and comfort from friends and counselors; she should seek material help, if necessary, during her pregnancy. She should also carefully consider her own situation to determine whether parenting the child herself or placing the child for adoption is preferable.

If she chooses to parent her child herself, she has many alternatives, based on her individual needs and preferences. Despite her feelings to the contrary, family members are commonly very supportive after they have recovered from the initial shock of the news of the pregnancy. It is also common for the family to grow closer during this time of trial, perhaps in part because the new mother needs help from others so much. When relationship, economic, or career situations do not allow her to rely on her family, she still has options. The pregnant woman can find group homes for pregnant women and unmarried moms, as well as shepherding homes (in which a couple opens their home to a needy mom) where she can live in a supportive atmosphere.

When we think of women facing untimely pregnancies, we typically think of unmarried teenagers who need help in learning parenting and vocational skills to enable them to support their children. Women in these circumstances typically find support from family and from local crisis pregnancy centers. But women in other circumstances need help with their pregnancies, too. A large number of college and professional women find themselves considering abortion as an option because they fear they will be forced to drop out of college, that they will be looked down upon by coworkers, employers, and friends, and that their careers will be endangered by their pregnancies. Several organizations, most notably The Nurturing Network, provide services designed to help these women resolve their personal needs, by helping them find new jobs or transfer to another university, if necessary. The services of almost every crisis pregnancy center or similar organization are free, and these groups are typically staffed solely by volunteers trained to help with the specific problems of an unplanned pregnancy.

While adoption is commonly portrayed as an abandonment of the child by the mother, it is rather a profoundly loving choice. It cannot be ignored that the woman who places her child in an adoptive home will grieve the loss of her child, but today's adoption procedures offer her a great deal of peace. For example, the birthmother (as she is called), can select the parents for her child from thousands of prospective adoptive parents. She can meet with them before the child is born, if she wishes. She can decide whether she wishes to communicate with the child after birth or not, and how. Some birthmothers ask to visit once a year, some ask to receive photos from time to time, some write letters to their children to explain their decisions, and some prefer to remain anonymous. When handled in a loving way by both birthmother and adoptive parents, the adopted child can grow up knowing that his mother loved him or her so much that she chose a better home than she could have provided herself.

Once a woman has had an abortion, she needs the loving support of others to help her deal with her decision. As already described, Post Abortion Syndrome (PAS) can be a serious emotional problem. An unmarried woman who has had an abortion typically discovers her relationship with her boyfriend ends with the abortion and throws herself into other sexual relationships for comfort. A few years pass before she is married and wishes to have children. It is then, when she begins to study the development of her unborn child or when she begins to fear she cannot have children, that she begins to notice that her abortion really changed her, that she misses her lost unborn child, and that she is deeply ashamed of her actions. Fortunately, there are many support groups and counselors to help her acknowledge the effect of the abortion on her life and seek forgiveness from God and from the child she aborted. God is very merciful to these women, as He is to all of us when we repent of our sins wholeheartedly. Post-abortive women are often the most vocal opponents of abortion.

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What can we do about abortion?

"We are the people of life because God, in his unconditional love, has given us the Gospel of life and by this same Gospel we have been transformed and saved."[6] Because we have been saved by God and sent to proclaim the good news of Christ's salvation, we must speak and act as children of God and people of life. "To proclaim Jesus is itself to proclaim life."[7] In all that we do as individuals and as a Church, we must speak the truth that abortion is unacceptable, we must daily accept opportunities to sacrifice for those considering abortion that all might have life, and we must pray daily for our society to be transformed into one that celebrates life rather than destroying it.

Concretely this means that we must become better informed about how our local community helps women in crisis. When a troubled friend, coworker, or family member comes to us for guidance and comfort, we can help them ourselves, and we can refer them to local crisis pregnancy centers, national organizations, and/ or support groups for further assistance. In our professional lives, we must be conscious of our calling to serve all life in love, particularly those who work in the field of medical care.[8] In our families, we can proclaim and celebrate the "Gospel of life" by showing love and respect in acts of service for one another and by praying daily as individuals and as families for a worldwide growth in love for God and for all people. As our pope wrote, "We need to begin with the renewal of a culture of life within Christian communities themselves."[9] We can transform our troubled world by working to form our consciences in truth, studying the teachings of the Church, becoming informed about social and political changes, educating one another in the service of life, speaking the truth even when it is difficult, and changing our own lives to reflect our call to serve those in need.

When we have created individuals, families, and a society that see Christ in the confused, pregnant woman, we will find peace, life, and love in our world.

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Resources

Local adoption information

Information about local events and legislation

Local crisis pregnancy centers (all services are free)

Post-abortion support

For women who have had problems after an abortion and need medical, legal, and/or emotional help, call 1-800-962-2319 or 1-800-634-2224

National pro-life organizations

Prayers

Please add your own prayers to these.

Truly you have formed my inmost being;
you knit me in my mother's womb.
I give you thanks that I am fearfully,
wonderfully made;
wonderful are your works.
My soul also you knew full well;
nor was my frame unknown to you
When I was made in secret,
when I was fashioned in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes have seen my actions;
in your book they are all written;
my days were limited before one of them existed.
How weighty are your designs, O God;
how vast the sum of them!
Were I to recount them, they would outnumber the sands;
did I reach the end of them, I should still be with you.
Psalm 139:13-18

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Prayer for Unwed Mothers

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Proclaiming the Sanctity of Life  | Purpose of This Handbook  | The Importance of Life  |  Abortion  |  Contraception  | Death Penalty  |  Euthanasia  |  Substance Abuse  | Suicide  |  Conclusion  |  Footnotes

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