On the issues pertaining abortion. This was the fruit of a discussion I had on facebook with some pro-choice acquaintances. I am sharing it because I learnt so much myself through the discussion.
Claim: A woman has the right to her own body. She is not a baby-making machine and has the right to abort a baby she is not ready for.
Response: A human person has the gift of will to decide. I believe that the man and woman are aware that every time they participate in sexual intercourse, there is always the possibility of a life being formed. If the couple is not ready for a child, then they should practise self-mastery and refrain from sexual intercourse. A baby is a life, and hence abortion can never be anything short of murder. If we define true freedom as the ability to do anything, anytime and anywhere we want to, we are about to find out that we are wrong. If we advocate that true freedom lies in having the ability to make decision, to an extent that it surpasses the obligatory respect for life, then we have been mislead. If one can choose murder (in this case abortion) because one is the master of one's life and this is one's freedom of choice, then one can also choose to murder his/her 10-year-old daughter if the child is perceived to be inhibiting the parent’s growth as an individual. One can also choose to murder his wife, if he finds her an obstacle in his relationship with another woman, whom he has fallen madly in love with, whom he believes hold his key to a meaningful life.
Fortunately for us, value of a life and the due respect does not come with terms and conditions. A murder is a murder regardless of what stage in life it is performed. The value of life is an objective matter. The value of one's life is never dependent on what he does, what skills or talents he has, how good he is, but by the simple fact that he has life. The value of life is neither altered by the actions, the intentions, nor the method through which that life was conceived.
The Catholic church has never supported abortion. This is because we firmly acknowledge that no one life is of greater value than the other. In the case when the unborn child poses a direct fatal threat to the mother, all will be done to save that life, without intending direct harm to the child. If in the process of saving the mother, the child dies, then we know it was not a result of an intention to kill (even if it was to kill in order to save). Everything possible must be done to try to save both the mother’s and child’s life. If during the course of saving their lives, either the child or the mother dies, then, it is in no case an abortion or murder.
I can understand that the decision to not abort can become a very challenging one, especially when one is in a rather painful situation, such as teen pregnancy, rape, economic situation etc. However, do any of these factors reduce the value of that life growing? No. The value of the life growing inside does not decrease based on situations. It is actually a gift that the value of life is an objective thing, unaltered by circumstances. This actually means that regardless of who you are, what you do, where you stay, how much you earn, your value is equal to every other human person on earth. That is equality of persons in its essence.
When we justify murder according to the circumstances, in this case, abortion is justifiable if it was done with a good intention, ( i.e to preserve the child from trauma as she may not receive the support, love and care she deserves, or because the mother is unable to care for the child) then we are implying that the value of life is subjective.
I can actually apply the same principle into a different situation. If as a mother of a 10-year old, I find myself unable to care for the child, to provide for the child, then I can choose to kill the child. If I know I am going to die soon due to some disease etc, then I can choose to kill my child as I will not be able to provide for the child after death, after which she might end up in a orphanage leading a life far from the ideal. Would you agree with the mother who pushed her 5-year old daughter down the apartment to death (i'm sure you read similar cases in the papers) if she knew she was not able to provide for the child, is that action justified? No. Murder, regardless of the situation or condition, remains a murder. The value of a 10-year old child is the same as the one-month old foetus.
It is actually easier to have a moral stance that can be altered according to our convenience. What is difficult is finding the strength to stand by a moral stance, even if the situation is not to our convenience or benefit.
There is a common misconception that pro-lifers are self-righteous, judgemental, stubborn individuals who do not try to understand the situation the woman is in. Again, when we are against abortion, it is not because we feel we have the right to judge. No one does. 'Let the one here who has not sinned cast the first stone'. No one has the right to judge another. But everyone has the responsibility to care and fight for the value of every human life.
And the beautiful thing is, as a church, even as we have our moral stance, we don't impose it on others. We don't advocate punishments to people who did not have the same stance, or people whose actions violated these moral stances. But that does not stop us from being reminders. And as reminders, we're not saying you are doomed to hell because you have supported/performed abortion. We are saying that we love you enough to want to be honest with you. We love you enough to want you to recognise the value of your life, and every life around you.
