The Sadness of Life After Abortion

Catholic Educator's Resource Center ^ | FR. WILLIAM SAUNDERS

[cpforlife.org]

"America needs no words from me to see how your decision in Roe v. Wade has deformed a great nation. The so-called right to abortion has pitted mothers against their children and women against men. It has sown violence and discord at the heart of the most intimate human relationships. It has aggravated the derogation of the father's role in an increasingly fatherless society. It has portrayed the greatest of gifts -- a child -- as a competitor, an intrusion, and an inconvenience. It has nominally accorded mothers unfettered dominion over the independent lives of their physically dependent sons and daughters. And, in granting this unconscionable power, it has exposed many women to unjust and selfish demands from their husbands or other sexual partners. Human rights are not a privilege conferred by government. They are every human being's entitlement by virtue of his humanity. The right to life does not depend, and must not be declared to be contingent, on the pleasure of anyone else, not even a parent or a sovereign."

Mother Teresa (Wall Street Journal, 2/25/94)

[cpforlife.org]

Good reference PING

What is "Please let me know if you want on or off my Pro-Life Ping List"?…That is Correct for $500!

[Blood of Tyrants]

In the womb, no one can hear you scream.

[HankReardon]

A woman here in Ohio was just released from prison after serving 7 years for killing her new born baby. Just a case of bad timing on her part, I guess.

[CSM]

I have a question for everyone. Is there any reasonable time period that abortion would be morally acceptable? (i.e. first week or month or trimester of a pregnance.)

I was asked this by a "free choice for the mother" person. My answer was that any pregnancy is a blessing and should be considered the ultimate gift to the mother. I am not an extremely religous person, but I still think that God intends for any pregnancy to result in the birth of the child. So that is the view that I have taken, but I still think it is a good question and would like to see your opinions.

[Solson]

There is no period where abortion is morally acceptable. Personhood begins at conception. It is a new, unique, human life. About that, there is no doubt.

Instead of focusing on any religious issue with these folks, discuss what defines a 'person.' Frame your argument in that context and it is clear to see that 'personhood' begins at conception.

[HowlinglyMind-BendingAbsurdity]

Good article.

[Solson]

BTW, I've known a few who have had abortions. To this day, every person remembers the day, the feeling and regrets their decision fully. Every year, the anniversary of what happened comes upon them and really depresses their day. It is something they never forget...especially if they have children now. They often wonder if their aborted child would have looked, behaved, etc. like their other children. It is excruciatingly painful for them.

I really feel for any woman having had an abortion. It is indeed traumatic.

[CSM]

The defining of a person is the entire issue as I see it. The choice for the mother group isn't intellectually honest enough to define any point when a person exists. I agree that upon conception a person exists. I can never get them to point to a specific time for the definition.

Now that I look back at my question, I realize that by even answering their question I am allowing them to reverse the issue and force me to change a decision that I already made. I just need to push it back to them and force them to make a decision!

Thanks for making me think.

[CSM]

I've known one person that had 2 abortions. Her second was not quite a year after the first. I didn't know her for long after so I am not aware of the long term affect. I believe that the guilt of such an action would be overwhelming and very difficult to ever get beyond. I feel sorry for them, but it is a consequence of a horrifying decision!

[cspackler]

I knew a girl years ago that had an abortion. Affair with a married man, pressure to "get rid of it"... I discovered that she had later named her and was writing letters to her every week. Hell, that made me cry. And no, it was not my child.

[massiveblob]

Good article, thanks for the ping.

[spiffy]

Was this the talk that she gave while looking at Bill and Hillary and Tipper and Al, who were sitting next to her? I vaguely remember this. I wish I had seen it.

[Solson]

Have you ever seen the article by Peter Kreeft, "Personhood Begins at Conception"?

[goodform]

Great article. God bless you for posting it.

[Aquinasfan]

Is there any reasonable time period that abortion would be morally acceptable?

No. A human being is what it is from the moment that it's individualized or individuated, at fertilization. What was once two separate things, an egg and sperm, is now a unified being.

Working backwards, it's easy to see that I am the same person at adulthood that I was as a teenager, a child, and an infant. While my body changed, what I am (a human being) persisted throughout my bodily change. (The technical word for "what I am" is "essence" or "substance" or "soul"). But I can trace my physical development back even further, from infant to fetus to embryo to fertilization. I cannot trace my unified physical development back beyond that. Therefore, "what I am" (ensoulment) came into existence at fertilization.

[Aquinasfan]

Is there any reasonable time period that abortion would be morally acceptable?

No. A human being is what it is from the moment that it's individualized or individuated, at fertilization. What was once two separate things, an egg and sperm, is now a unified being.

Working backwards, it's easy to see that I am the same person at adulthood that I was as a teenager, a child, and an infant. While my body changed, what I am (a human being) persisted throughout my bodily change. (The technical word for "what I am" is "essence" or "substance" or "soul"). But I can trace my physical development back even further, from infant to fetus to embryo to fertilization. I cannot trace my unified physical development back beyond that. Therefore, "what I am" (ensoulment) came into existence at fertilization.

[CSM]

Nope. I just googled it for lunch time reading. Thanks.

[cpforlife.org]

I just re-watched it a few months ago. I transfered a few min. to audio for my website. Check it out http://cpforlife.org/id60.htm You will have to scroll a bit.

Honestly, I cannot remember if this was part of that address or not. Mother spoke about this all the time.

Also here http://cpforlife.org/id67.htm the founder of the Memorial took pictures of Mother teaching one of his 11 children to pray. It still inspires me after more than a year!