are you not "really " a catholic if you belive abortion has it's place in society?

Question

i am catholic, and i believe that some people should have the choice to have an abortion.. in the case of rape, pregnancy at a terribly young age and im sure there are other circumstances.. i have never had an abortion nor been pregnant at all but i read a post about how i cant be a true catholic, and still be ok with the thought of abortion being ok, at the begining or in certain circumstances.

PLEASE DONT POST BIBLE VERSES< JUST OPINIONS PLEASE!

what the hell did you say seekthetruth??

thank you all for your answers, you really have me thinking

Answer 1

There is no such thing as a "pro-choice Catholic". It is a contradiction in terms.

The idea that abortion is okay in the event of rape and/or sex involving minors is a lesson in how evil begets evil. The lesser evils of rape or sex with/amonst minors will not justify the even greater evil of murder abortion.

From a Doctrinal point of view, this issue is not open to opinion. In the world of Absolute Morality, there are only five things that cannot be justified no matter what the circumstances, and abortion is one of them.

I won't quote you any Bible verses, even though I could and probably should. What I will do is quote you some teachings from the Catechism of the Catholic Church, because that confirms everything I have just told you:

2271 Since the first century the Church has affirmed the moral evil of every procured abortion. This teaching has not changed and remains unchangeable. Direct abortion, that is to say, abortion willed either as an end or a means, is gravely contrary to the moral law:

You shall not kill the embryo by abortion and shall not cause the newborn to perish.

God, the Lord of life, has entrusted to men the noble mission of safeguarding life, and men must carry it out in a manner worthy of themselves. Life must be protected with the utmost care from the moment of conception: abortion and infanticide are abominable crimes.

2272 Formal cooperation in an abortion constitutes a grave offense. The Church attaches the canonical penalty of excommunication to this crime against human life. "A person who procures a completed abortion incurs excommunication latae sententiae," "by the very commission of the offense," and subject to the conditions provided by Canon Law. The Church does not thereby intend to restrict the scope of mercy. Rather, she makes clear the gravity of the crime committed, the irreparable harm done to the innocent who is put to death, as well as to the parents and the whole of society.

2322 From its conception, the child has the right to life. Direct abortion, that is, abortion willed as an end or as a means, is a "criminal" practice (GS 27 § 3), gravely contrary to the moral law. The Church imposes the canonical penalty of excommunication for this crime against human life.

2274 Since it must be treated from conception as a person, the embryo must be defended in its integrity, cared for, and healed, as far as possible, like any other human being.

Prenatal diagnosis is morally licit, "if it respects the life and integrity of the embryo and the human fetus and is directed toward its safe guarding or healing as an individual. . . . It is gravely opposed to the moral law when this is done with the thought of possibly inducing an abortion, depending upon the results: a diagnosis must not be the equivalent of a death sentence."

This is probably not what you want to hear but, remember, it's not about us. We have to trust God and His judgement above our own, and do His will before ours.

Answer 2

I had a priest answer the question for me. I gave birth to a beautiful baby boy. About a year and a half later, I became pregnant again, but my body rejected the baby. It refused to make my child thrive. As it was dead, I had a D & C. I was sad, but told these things happen. The third time I was pregnant and my body aborted the baby, my baby, I was very distraught. I learned there was something wrong with the way my body looked at the cells from my husband when forming the embryo. But I trusted in God, and tried two more times, and had two more abortions, by D & C. The body wouldn't give the tissue up, but wouldn't give it a heartbeat, either.

So now I had a problem. My husband, not a Catholic, did not like wearing condoms, and I did not feel it fair to have him get a vasectomy, when it was me with the "problem." What to do? My priest said that God did not want the sanctity of the marriage ruined by a medical issue over which neither of us had control, so I took birth control pills with full blessings of the Church. Would I have accidentally gotten pregnant again, I would have had another D & C.

Don't listen to the others. You are a Catholic. If Jesus had agreed with all of the Jewish Law of his day, there would be no Catholicism. It is the Spirit of the Law, not Man's interpretation. The priest asked me, "What is in your heart?" I had my answer.

Answer 3

Of course you are still a Catholic. Being and staying a Catholic doesn't mean that you agree with everything the church says at any particular moment. You are a Catholic of you believe the apostolic creed and faithfully execute the sacraments.
A lot of people will try to tell you that you aren't a Catholic, or aren't really a Christian, if you don't follow their point of view. These people have apparently never read the words of Jesus about judging not (when he was defending a women from being stoned for adultery) lest ye be judged.
Abortion is a relatively new problem for the Church to grapple with. We now have technology that blurs the lines between the roles of the worldly and spiritual and how they sometimes crash into one another. Issues like abortion and birth control are hot now, but back in the day the Church was arguing over slavery, divorce and cremation.

Answer 4

A Catholic simply cannot think abortion is OK and still be Catholic.

All human life is precious from the instant of conception to the very last breath. You can't honestly believe it is OK to take the life of an innocent child !

It doesn't matter HOW the child was conceived. Since when do we inflict the DEATH PENALTY on the CHILD of an attacker?????

My dear friend- who was protestant at the time- became pregnant by a rape. She ended up at a Catholic hospital, so there was no ' emergency contraception.' She decided to keep her son. While nothing can erase the horror of what happened to her- it can't for any rape victim...she has told me time and again any pain she suffered was worth it to have her son- who is now on a full ride talent scholarship to a very exclusive fine arts school...

What is worse than a rape pregnancy or a young girl pregnant is that same young woman having to live the rest of her life with the knowledge that she chose to ( or allowed) her child to be brutally murdered.

Check out http://priestsforlife.org scroll down on the left to abortion pictures- NOT FOR THE FAINT HEARTED. Can you look at that and say doing that to a BABY is OK??????

Answer 5

well, I am a catholic, and I really don't think you could be practicing your faith if you believ in abortion. of course in the casew of rapes, or premarital realtions at a terribly young age, we feel bad for the mother, but really, abortion isn't the answer. the murder of an inocent child whos only crime was being conceived is not the answer! adoption is better than death. I have heard a priest say " you know what the biggest problem in the church is nowadays" and I asked, what and he said "there are too many "but-catholics" and I asked "well father whats a "but Catholic" and he said...you know, the type who say "I'm a catholic...but...I believe in the womans right to abortion, I'm a catholic...but...I believ gays should have the right to marry and so on. I am not juding you, but to truthfully answer the question, no I don't think you are "really" practicoing your faith. to sin to cover up a sin doesn't make 0 sins, and in the case of rape, we all reach out to the mother, but why kill the child, at least give it a chance to live a life with other parents who will be able to afford to house it, but don't take its life!
I hope you don't think I am too judging! sorry if sound so...
God bless,
chelsea :)

Answer 6

There are different ways of looking at this.

One is that you must believe all of the truths revealed to the Catholic Church (including that abortion is always a grave evil) to be a Catholic. That's because if you pick and choose which beliefs you want to adhear to, you are a Protestant.

The other school of thought is that if you were baptized, confirmed, recieved the Eucharist and have not renounced the Catholic Faith, you are a Catholic (allbeit a bad one if you believe in abortion).

Abortion is never acceptable. Not even in cases of rape, incest, etc. Why should the baby be killed for the sins of the rapist, molester, etc. Human life is sacred because it is created in the image and likeness of God. It is not man's place to decide who lives and who dies. Only God, who created each of us, has the right to decide when we die. What if you were inconvenient to your parents at some point during your up-bringing (I'm sure you were at times)? Would it have been OK for them to kill you because you were too much of a burden?

Answer 7

I believe that abortion is abortion...regardless of why they're performed. A baby who was conceived by a 13 year old girl has just as much right to live as one conceived by a 30 year old woman.

I've never been raped, had a pregnancy that was threatening to take my life or been pregnant at a young age, but I'd like to think I'd give my baby a chance. I always wonder how many of these aborted babies would have gone on to find the cure for AIDS or cancer, or be the first woman president of the US.

Most pro-choicer's argument is that they want to be able to do with their bodies what they please. That's all fine and well...they can choose to use protection (even multiple forms of birth control if they're that scared of becoming pregnant) or choose not to have sex until they're married. An unborn baby has no voice. He relies on his "mother" to do what's best for him, and I'd like to know how killing him would be in his best interest.

Answer 8

Whats the point of sticking to your religon and causing a life to live miserably later? I have a lot of friends who come from broken family, either they have no dads or mums or their parents abandon them soon as they are born. They always tell me if they can choose, they would rather not be here. If you know you can't give your children a proper home or your love and attention, then don't make them suffer. Seriously, its better off dead for some of them. Having an abortion doesn't mean killing a life, sometimes, it is really a tough decision but we all know what's best for them. Anyway, abortion can only take place when it is still a foetus, when it's still not a baby yet.

Answer 9

you are completely right in your views about abortion and catholocism. there is no contradiction in what you are asking. unfortunately abortion has become a political issue that the church has adopted and tried to force upon the faithful. some may disagree with you but that doesn't make you a bad catholic. many catholics thought it was perfectly right to enslave native americans and steal their land. abortion is a health issue between a woman and her doctor. self righteous 'catholics' don't have to live with the consequences of carrying an unwanted child to term, the burden of giving that child up, or the physical and emotional strain that an abortion can inflict upon a woman. the best advice i heard about abortion is this: against abortion? don't have one.
p.s. don't let people tell you what 'god' believes about abortion. just try to find that word in the bible. they are merely spouting their own political views.

Answer 10

If you don't believe in the authority given by Jesus (God in the flesh) to the Magisterium of the Catholic Church then you are no different than a Protestant. This might not be what you wanted to hear, but it's the truth.

Magisterium=the Bishops in union with the Pope. Please try reading the Catechism of the Catholic Church if you are serious about being Catholic.

By the way, abortion is not just a matter of Church law, it's a matter of basic morality. Infanticide is wrong.