Abortion - Wrong?

The Christian Church from the 1st Century has condemned abortion. "You shall not kill the embryo by abortion and shall not cause the newborn to perish." (Paragraph 2271 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church quoting the early church writings.) Prior to the New Testament we have God's Word regarding creation of humans in Psalm 139:13-16. "For you created my inmost being, you knit me together in my mother's womb. Again in Jeremiah 1:5 we read: "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I dedicated you."

Biologically, after only a few weeks, it is clear that the differentiation of the zygote (single cell fertilized egg) is a developing human being. The three tissue groups, the ectoderm (skin, nervous system, glands) the mesoderm ( muscles, bone) and the endoderm (gut, & internal organs) are well developed. A heart beat can be detected before the woman looks pregnant.

In spite of all this evidence some refuse to acknowledge that God has created a new human life in a mother's womb; because it is not yet born. Human experience also confirms life after conception. Human experience reinforces the fact that abortion is evil and usually has serious consequences. My experience in ministering to ladies for over 30 years in prayer ministry sessions is this: Abortion and incest sins rank highest in destructive consequences for the woman.

Incest is obvious and quickly recognized as wrong, however; abortion is unfortunately often more subtle in its destructive consequences. A woman can have an "unclean" feeling and is constantly washing her hands or doing some other act to assuage the haunting guilt that she experiences. People in abortion clinics (nurses, employees) statistically have much higher psychological problems such as guilt and stress. It is so disabling to some that they have to quit their jobs.

Mother Theresa of Calcutta was asked on a U.S. national interview. "What do you think is America's greatest problem?" With little hesitation she said one word "abortion". After the surprised response from the interviewer she went on to explain. If a country that condones killing unborn children and their mothers approve this, then the country is in serious trouble because of such a lack of respect for a new life.

This repudiation of God's miraculous gift of new life has its consequences. Incidentally someone once charted a graph showing a lock step correlation with the number of abortions and the economic decline that has occurred since the Roe vs. Wade ruling sanctioned increased abortions.

So serious in the eyes of the Church is abortion that excommunication is possibility. I quote the Catechism of the Catholic Church: Paragraph 2272: "Formal cooperation in an abortion constitutes a grave offense. The Church attaches the canonical penalty of ex-communication "latae sentential" 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 the parents and whole society."

It seems clear to the Catholic Church that abortion is murder of a helpless human life, in utero, for she says this in the Catechism in paragraph 2273: The inalienable right to life of every innocent human individual is a constitutive element of civil society and its legislation: The inalienable rights of the person must be recognized and respected by civil society and the political authority. These human rights depend neither on single individuals nor on parents: nor do they represent a concession made by society and the state: they belong to human nature and are inherent in the person by virtue of the creative act from which the person took his origin. Among such fundamental rights one should mention in this regard every human being's right to life and physical integrity from the moment of conception until death.

Paragraph 2274 makes it clear that from conception the person... the embryo and fetus, must be defended in its integrity, cared for, and healed, as far as possible, just like any other human being.

Denis Van Loan DDS For more information in the form of two completely free books... click on the 1st website below. First book: Nature of man...spirit, soul & body. Second book: A collection of Christian Spiritual Gems

http://www.christian-spiritualwarfare.com