What do you think of the Catholic church excommunicating people who terminated the pregnancy of a rape victim?

Question

The Vatican has issued a statement excommunicating the doctors and nurses involved in terminating the pregnancy of a an 11 year old girl who was raped by her stepfather. This was in Columbia where the rules on abortion are already very strict, only in cases of rape, deformity or danger to the health of the mother and it was carried out legally.

I think the Pope and the Catholic church are both unhinged if they truly believe this was 'an abominable crime' as they call it - and no word of condemnation for the stepfather; there was me thinking raping an eleven year old child was far more of an abominable offence. Carrying that pregnancy to term would have messed that child up for life.

Do you agree with what the vatican said, or would you have allowed the abortion to go ahead unchallenged?

Billy - I'm NOT wrong, and I'm not in the habit of making things up. The story was reported in the Guardian newspaper yesterday, and you'll find it here http://www.guardian.co.uk/colombia/story/0,,1861532,00.html thank you very much.

Answer 1

I will not go into great detail about why I think Catholicism is nothing but junk, but let me just state that if someone terminated a pregnancy that resulted from rape then they may well have been doing the child a favor. Christ knows your heart and is more than able to judge for himself why you did certain things you did. No one should have to answer to a priest or a pope for any of their transgressions. The only intercessory between you and God is Jesus. It specifically says in the bible that you should call no one father except God who is in heaven. Nowhere in the bible does in establish paul as the first pope and thereby giving rise to papal dictates. Nowhere in the bible does in mention the assunction of Mary, nor does it revere her as anything other than a vessel. Needless to say I have many complaints with the catholic religion as a whole, but there again organized religion of all kinds have their upsides and downsides. As for me, I choose to worship God in my home as often as I feel like it in whatever clothes I feel like wearing. I feel like I can not only praise him but I can tell him when I am angry and confused. I trust him to make all things clear. I will lead a life as close to the way Jesus lived his as is humanly possible. I know I will backslide but I know too, that Jesus has already washed my sins away when he died for me at Calvary. I fear no person or body of people who think differently because my faith is solid in it's foundation which is the bible.

Answer 2

It certainly wouldn't surprise me that the Vatican that exists today would do such a thing. Pope Benedict is taking the church back to the dark ages. He is not a good person. His Nazi (I had no choice but to join is BS and everyone should see that) background and his latest stunt re intelligent design over common sense (evolution). NO I would not agree with the Vatican's stance on this one among many other thigs and YES I would have allowed the procedure to take place. AND I would string up the child F*cker in the town square and flay him with a whip til his parts ripped off!

Answer 3

It's Hypocritical. When they are Hiding Priests who have raped little kids. So it doesn't surprise me a bit that they say nothing against the stepfather of that little girl. I wouldn't have challenged it at all. I would have went after the stepfather.

I'm having a hard time with this Catholic issue of the Priests and things like this. Especially compared to the verse that says not to even have the Appearance of evil. How can Catholics still attend their churches while these things persist? You don't see them speaking out or pulling their children out of their services, etc. They blindly go on with life in their religion and justify the Church's rulings on these things by claiming the Pope is infallible concerning things of a spiritual nature (when speaking of morality). I can't view the "Church" as moral or infallible on Anything when they continue to do things like this.

Answer 4

Tough question - and the easiest answer is that I wish the father had been caught and punished before the girl was harmed or even impregnated.

I do not agree with abortion at all so I'd have to say if it were me I would have carried the child to term and put it up for adoption but it would hard for me to tell a little girl to make that same adult choice. However the baby was also an innocent party in all of this and didn't deserve death either....

Answer 5

The Vatican, seat of authority for the catholic church viewed abortion as abortion and shouldn't be committed even for lofty motives.
Raping his stepdaughter is abominable. As is abortion. Do I agreewith the Vatican.? No,I would have allowed abortion to take place in this particular situation. But then I'm not the majority.

Answer 6

Logically, if abortion did not took place there will be 2 life that will be miserable (rape victim and the baby). But on religious point of view, the catholic church is very clear on its beliefs. Who knows what is really right or wrong... even the priests commits mistake and engaged in sexual scandals. All I know is no human should judge any person. Only our Redeemer can judge us.

Answer 7

I am very thinking that Pope Benedict needs a reality check about what the common people want and need. I think this Pope is so book learned that he needs to really spend a day among people of Rome and see what common people want from their church and then put that into action, like Pope John Paul 2 did and I like Pope John Paul 2 better than this Pope any day.

Answer 8

I agree with the Vatican. If you believe that abortion is wrong because it kills an innocent baby, then the circumstances of how the pregnancy came about really don't matter. Life is life, and it is not the child's fault that its father was a rapist. The doctors had full knowledge of the gravity of the sin that they were committing, and went ahead and did it. They also did not repent. So, now they are publicly flaunting their disobedience. Of course they were excommunicated.

Answer 9

Abortions cannot be tolerated under any circumstances, period.
The Catholic Church teaches:

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."

Answer 10

I do think it is rediculas the pope has no right to excomunicate any one I hope they find that God is there for them and the catholic church is the abonination the poor child would have been at far more risk carrying the baby the pope has no idea of real life and as you say he should have strongly condemed the father not the child and those who were helping her may God bless them and guide them it is the pontif who is wrong its Gods church not his