This is obviously not the main reason Christians must oppose abortion, and we should never lower our guard so that it looks as though we are ready to compromise. However, Christians should be concerned about the health and well-being of others, and if this latest review is correct, there is enough information here about the psychological health dangers of abortion to encourage us to speak out against it even on that level. There is going to be a fuller report posted later today, so it would be a good idea to follow the link.
I do not think women pregnant as victims of rape should be criticised by the Church for not wishing to continue the pregnancy.
ReplyDeleteImagine the effect of that on your mental health!
Also the environment in the womb affects the foetus and is in itself affected by the biochemistry there as recent research has shown- unhappy mother, unhappy baby.
I think we need to be flexible on this one as Catholic women are voting with their feet on such issues.
Just a thought.
Sam, we have to be honest about this. Abortion is the direct killing of innocent human life. As such it can never, ever be justified. Also, those who have abortions after rape do not do themselves any favours as you can see from evidence (for example through Rachel's Vineyard - a charity which helps women post-abortion). When such women have abortion they attempt to deal with one tragedy by creating another. The Church does not criticise rape victims for their emotional response but we have agencies and charitable groups (as above) that try to help them and support them. There is no evidence that abortion helps anyone who has been raped, but even if there was, we cannot use abortion as some kind of medicine - that is perverse. Abortion is deliberately caused innocent death. That can never be presented as an answer to anything.
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