Abortion

Everyone's been talking about the horrors of that abortion clinic in Philly, and everyone is, rightly, outraged.  I read an article, though, that just made me shake my head a bit at the author's conclusions.  The author concludes that a clinic such as this is indicative of the need to make safe abortion more available.  Now, besides the fact that abortion is never safe for at least one person involved, it seems that Philly isn't exactly lacking abortion facilities.  OK, so this place performed late-term abortions which are illegal, so the women couldn't have gotten those elsewhere, but their babies could also have survived outside the womb thanks to modern medicine.  If they really had a medical reason where continuing the pregnancy was going to be potentially fatal for them, they could have had the child delivered and cared for in an NICU.  Still not ideal, but that's a possibility.

I did agree with one quote from the article, though: "His patients subjected themselves to terrible abuses because that’s what women will do when they’re desperate and they don’t see other options."  It's possible these women felt desperate, but abortion isn't the answer to that.  Maybe they didn't see other options, but again, abortion isn't the answer.  It is not justifiable to  deliberately, directly kill one so that another may avoid consequences.  I'm not trying to sound harsh, but it's the truth that every action has a consequence, for good or bad.  And I do understand feeling terrified at being pregnant - I was terrified when I learnt of my first pregnancy, even though I was married.  I was worried that I wouldn't be a good mother, worried about what I'd have to give up, worried about finances, but I've found that children don't need as much as society tells us, they don't cost as much as society tells us, and anything I've given up has been willingly and has had rich rewards.  I'm far from a perfect mother, but I wouldn't trade it for the world.

I do believe more options need to be available, options for good antenatal care, options for good support for these women during their pregnancies and after the births of their children, options for taking children to school or work as needed or working/learning from home, options for adoption if the women truly cannot care for the children.  But don't tell them they have to sacrifice their children in order to continue school, to pursue a career, or whatever, because that's just wrong.

God and Father of Life,
You have created every human person,
And have opened the way for each to have eternal life.

We live in the shadow of death.
Tens of millions of your children have been killed
because of the Roe vs. Wade decision legalizing abortion.

Father, have mercy on us.
Heal our land
And accept our offering of prayer and penance.
In your love for us,
Turn back the scourge of abortion.


May each of us exult in hearts full of hope
And hands full of mercy
And work together to build a culture of life.

We pray through Christ our Lord. Amen.

(Prayer from the Priests for Life Novena of Reparation for Roe v Wade)