Catholic Perspective on Abortion - Research Paper Example

Introduction Abortion has become a trivial subject for researchers as it turned to be an accustomed social practice in many of the modern states. Today it is common and legal in many parts of the world especially in United Kingdom and in the United States. Post-modern life and its changing moral concepts have intensified the trend at an alarming rate. Although volumes have been written on this issue, constitutional amendments reduced the gravity of the offence and made it a generally accepted misdemeanour. The rampant increase in the number of abortions in the UK since the Abortion Act 1967 and in the U.S. since the Act of 1973 indicates how easily the basic moral concept of a nation could be overthrown. Catholic Church is the main influencing institution which appeals the world to review its moral perception on abortion. This paper tends to discuss Catholic opinion on this issue from Biblical, historical, ethical and theological perspective. Autonomy versus rights of foetus Legal discussions on abortion have not yet defined the autonomy of woman against the privileges of foetus. When does a life actually begin is the issue that has been disputed in the abortion debate. According to the catholic view, foetus itself is a potential life and any harm against it is immoral. Although woman has the rights to decide pregnancy, the rights of a foetus to live in this world can not be denied. The belief that foetus is not a human being makes abortion a silly private affair. “Abortion raises questions about harm to the personal actor- the woman obtaining it- but the question that has made abortion controversial is whether the foetus counts as a non personal actor. If the foetus is not a person, then it is not a non-personal actor to whom harm can be caused. If the foetus is person, then a relevant actor is harmed, since it is harmed” (Heinze, 2005, p. 30). Evolution of Catholic Opinion on Abortion Although Catholic Church always upheld its position in opposition to abortion, there has been considerable discrepancy in the teachings of Popes during the course of its theological evolution. The point of ‘ensoulment’ seemed to be the focus of debate over several centuries in the Catholic history. The term ensoulment refers to the point of time when soul enters the foetus. There was great variation between the opinions of the Popes. St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas believed in delayed ensoulment and taught that ‘human soul can not live in an unformed body.’ (Robinson, 1997). In fact, ‘Delayed Ensoulment’ is the concept first introduced by Aristotle (BC.384-322) according to which foetus at the early stage of conception holds only a vegetable soul, and the actual animation happens only with the ensoulment at a delayed stage. St. Augustine was obviously influenced by this pagan thought which suggested that an abortion performed before ensoulment would not be homicide. However he condemned direct abortion and contraception as sexual sins since they are against human life. Obviously, the prevailing religious thought was that sexual act could only aim at reproduction rather than pleasure. According to Pope Innocent III, ensoulment occurs when the woman feels foetus moving in the womb. This was termed as quickening. Although his deeds and convictions on various religious and social issues have been widely criticized, Pope innocent 3 is considered to be the most efficient pope of middle age in Catholic history. His opinion about abortion might seem ridiculous in this era of science and technology. He also believed that abortion before ‘animation’ can not be considered as offence, and the animation would occur only after 40 days of conception for a boy and 80 days for a girl. He was powerful enough to impose the attitude that whoever disobeys the Papal opinion on any subject would be excommunicated. However irrespective of the ambiguity concerning ensoulment or quickening, he also strongly opposed abortion. In contrast, in1588 Pope Sixtus V corrected the view of his ancestors through his famous Papal Bull Effraenatam which announced abortion would be a homicide regardless of the age of foetus. Those who take abortion had to incur severe punishments like excommunication and death penalty. As Hardaway R M (1997) states, in fact the Pope wanted to suppress prostitution trade by enforcing the new abortion concept; and he preached that the unwanted child is the punishment from God for the human lust. Pope Sixtus V maintained an entirely different stance on this issue by opposing all sorts of abortion and contraception. According to him both were the evidence of human lust. In 1591 the Papal bull Effraenatam was revoked by the new Pope Gregory XIV and the concept of ‘quickening’ was reinstated. He believed that the ensoulment happened after 116 days of conception. Later in 1869, Pope Pius IX revised the Catholic view by abolishing the concept of Foetus animatus and foetus inanimatus. (Robinson, 1997). According to him there was no particular point of ensoulment but the conception. The Papacy of Leo XIII was a landmark in the catholic school of thought about abortion. Leo XIII through his two decrees modified the traditional stance of Catholic Church. He denounced all kinds of abortion regardless of the age or condition of foetus. He prohibited craniotomies (abortion performed to save the life of a pregnant woman) in 1884 and by another decree in 1886 prohibited all kind of procedures that directly kill the foetus. (Robinson, 1997). The current view of Catholic Church seems to be highly influenced by the teachings of Leo XIII. Theological Perspective Catholic belief is not exclusively established on the Holy Gospel. In addition, it has been highly influenced by Christian tradition, theologians, Saints, Papal encyclicals etc. Hence the Church has adopted from the theories of its great Saints in the course of debate about abortion. Although this dependence caused disparities in opinion, the church since its early stage has explicitly condemned abortion. Since the early history of Christianity, abortion had been considered as fatal offence equal to murder. Between the 2nd and 4th century, great theologians and saints such as Barnabas, Anon, Athenagoras, Clemant of Alexandria, Tertullian, St. Hippolytus, St. Ambrose, St. Chrisostom, and St. Jerome and many others warned the world to abstain from sexual offence and abortion. Almost all of them believed that adultery and abortion were associated sins. Although the exact stage of ensoulment was not determined, the Church believed that “abortion after ensoulment would be worse than infanticide because it had the terrible consequences of condemning the fetus to limbo- the fate of all non-baptized souls” (Posner, Richard A., 1992 p.273). Human life and its dignity was always the concern of Catholic Church over centuries in its debate about abortion. In olden days Christian nations maintained very strict civil laws to prevent abortion. For instance, in Spain, where Catholic Church was a major influence, a woman who was guilty of abortion could be buried alive. (Coppens, Charles, 2009). The church always upheld the view that each individual is unique and his/her birth is not accidental; instead, it happened according to the heavenly plan. Therefore, any form of direct intervention to harm the unborn must be a sin that is equal to murder. Eventually the current concept has been developed and now the Church does not count conception and ensoulment as different process. “Human life must be respected and protected from the moment of conception. From the first moment of his existence, a human being must be recognized as having the rights of a person-among which is the inviolable right of every innocent being to life” (Catechism of the Catholic Church-2270). Biblical Perspective The study of the church is ultimately based on the foundation of the Holy Scriptures. Abortion in biblical perspective is equal to murder. As per the Bible man does not have any right over the life of another individual. The fifth commandment says, “You shall not kill” (Ex: 20-13). Although the rule had been cherished for centuries, its interpretation varied since Moses to Christ. Jesus Christ gave a further vivid interpretation to the commandment. “You have heard that it was said to the men of old, “you shall not kill: and whoever kills shall be liable to judgement.” But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be liable to judgement.” (Mt: 5:21-22). Hence, from the Christian perspective life has to be highly respected and protected in every sense. Not only physical harm but also mental and moral disgrace should be considered as murder. If then irrespective of the age or stage, life is to be protected. Since the Catholic Church purports that foetus is human, any sort of activity that would harm it, would be a sin. The church has the reason to justify the concept that foetus since the conception is a human being. The Holy Bible says “before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you.” (Jer: 1:5). Although the Holy Bible does not firmly define its ethical view on abortion, the Church counts it with the other sins like homosexuality, adultery and sodomy (Gen.19). There are indications that the bible condemns contraceptive actions like Coitus Interruptus that is the withdrawal of penis before completing the sexual duty. (Gen: 38:8-10). Based on the Scriptures the Church forms a social view that every individual life deserves respect and dignity because he/she is the true image of God. (Keenan J., Harington D., 2002 p.168). Therefore the church believes that every human life is equally determined by the divine providence. The word of God reminds that each individual is unique and his role has been well defined even before the conception. The biblical concept is sound enough for the church to oppose any form of abortion. “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.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church). Legislations and Issues The debate has been intensified by the introduction of various legislations in many of the industrialized nations. Although the Acts were intended to suppress the illegal practice, the moral perception of the governments has been widely questioned. For example, when the Abortion Act 1967 was passed in UK, Lord Devlin a former law lord criticized the law in his lecture The Enforcement of Morals (1959) saying that ‘what makes a society of any sort is a community of ideas, not only political but also ideas about the way its members should behave and govern their lives’, and for him these ideas were nothing but the morals common in the society (Mothersole & Ridley, 1999, p. 28). According to him, any conduct which arouses feelings of intolerance, indignation and disgust is injurious to society, and should be controlled by the law even if no harm is caused to others. Lord Devlin’s ideas were opposed by Professor Hart of Oxford. He questioned the view that the majority had a right to enforce their ideas on others and agreed that the law should enforce some moral norms of the society –universal values. (Mothersole & Ridley, 1999, p. 28). According to the Catholic opinion, when the law supports the Hart theory that a person can not be accused for the immoral thoughts it ultimately encourages immorality which results in immoral activities or crimes. The Catholic Church believes that there are many things which can not be enforced only by laws. The socially approved practices and traditions have their own significance in a culture. The Church argues that after the Law came into force many of the moral concepts have been terminated from the minds of people. The practices like homosexuality and abortion had been disapproved for centuries. But today it is not so. The church believes that legislations on abortion have caused far reaching adverse effects on every society. Though the law had its own provisions to safeguard the rights of the foetus or to prevent unwanted practices, the actual result was quite suspicious. For instance, The Abortion Act 1967 permitted abortion legal up to 28 weeks gestation until 1990 when the law was amended by the Human Fertilization and Embryology Act and became legal only up to 24 weeks except if there is extreme foetal abnormality or there was a serious risk of physical or mental injury to the woman (Education for Choice: History of UK abortion law). However, the option has been widely misused. Contemporary Issues The traditional theological concept of Catholic Church on abortion has been developed into a rather broader subject of social concern over the recent decades. Hence, according to the Church, today abortion is not merely a sin committed by an individual; instead, it has immeasurable ethical impact on the society as a whole. Moreover the Church heeds its active concern over the subsequent health issues of abortion in its anti-abortion campaigns. Catholic Church must be the first institution to introduce a determined opinion that opposes abortion of all forms. The birth control policy of the Church is closely associated with its opposition to contraception. (Kuhse H., Singer P., 2009 p.164). The Church Condemn both abortion and contraception since they prevent human life. In the Middle Ages, under the Papacy, Church could control abortion to a great extent although its several assumptions are being criticized today as dubious. However, the legislations on abortion brought dramatic changes in the scenario even in Catholic countries. The dangerous provision of the law which permitted abortion under the observation of medical practitioners has been obviously misused. The provisions of the Act in UK restates that “a person shall not be guilty of an offence under the law relating to abortion when a pregnancy is terminated by a registered medical practitioner if two registered medical practitioners are of the opinion, formed in good faith” (Abortion Act 1967 (c. 87). Though the law insists the consent of two doctors and counselling to the client, in usual practice none of these instructions are strictly followed. Legislation has helped the emergence of many business groups in the UK, U.S and other countries wherever abortion has been partially legalized. The Act also recommends that the termination of foetus could be done in a situation when the pregnancy would risk the life of a woman. The Catholic Church insists on the review of Abortion Act because majority of abortion cases are fraudulent although they have been conducted as therapeutic abortion. In the U.S. instead of regulating abortion, the law has only set limit on the powers of the states to regulate it. (McBride, 2007, p.1). One comment would best illustrate the horrible face of abortion as a cultural issue; “Almost half of American women have terminated at least one pregnancy, and millions more Americans of both sexes have helped them, as partners, parents, health care workers, counsellors or friends” (Pollitt, 1997). The noticeable growth in the number of abortions in the UK since 1967 shows the dominance of a new theory over the British society. The absence of moral enforcement has been gradually engulfing the social setup as the Catholic thinkers had warned about. “In 2007, the total number of abortions on residents of England and Wales was 198,500 compared with 193,700 in 2006, a rise of 2.5%” (Facts about Abortion: U.K. Abortion Statistics). The Church asks whether law has no business in shaping the moral behaviour of the individuals. Most of the industrialised countries irrespective of their Catholic influence have enacted abortion laws. Ireland is the only exception with total prohibition on abortion; whereas other countries like France and Italy have rather liberal laws on abortion. France, Italy, and Spain permit the limit of 10 weeks, 90 days, and12 week’s gestation respectively. (Nicholson R H., 1991). Ethical Perspective Although people of these nations have become accustomed to abortion as an approved social practice, the underlying danger looming over the young generation can not be forgotten. The liberal approach of governments and paucity of adequate legislation on this regard have conveyed a false message to youth that a condom or a contraceptive could be the minimum license for intercourse. Media is often the accused perpetrator for making sex a concern of youngsters and school going children. The children who watch TV and access internet are often found vulnerable to sex. Unwanted relationships ultimately result in inevitable pregnancy. Then there arises the question whether such a pregnancy could be allowed progress or can the foetus be terminated. Usually the latter happens as if it is a permissible homicide. The exaggerated feeling of freedom and the vulnerable nature of adolescence let the teenagers rely on their friends, probably of the opposite sex. The Catholic Church is worried that the Abortion Laws have taken away the remnants of moral fence which could control the teenagers from premature sexual act. The new generation considers sex, abortion and contraception with little seriousness. As a result pregnancy and abortion under sixteen years have been increasing more than ever before. The prevailing situations and the statistics show that the abortion industry has gained it’s throttlehold on the community of United Kingdom. It is the best example how a law could be misused for the selfish intentions. The situation has left no room for a new Devlin/Hart debate. Considering the present scenario one would assume that finally Devlin theory has been proved right. Abortion performed to save the life of a pregnant woman is rare. It shows that the law has failed to meet its objectives. People have been taking advantage from the weak points of the Abortion Act. Although pregnancy is the autonomy of a woman, abortion can not be considered so. In many of the undeveloped countries abortion is often performed by traditional practitioners in anti-sanitary conditions without any antiseptic, anesthetic equipment. Thus the woman is exposed to the high chance of getting infectious diseases in the genital system. It obviously violates the physical integrity and dignity of women. The issue whether the foetus is a person, is no more a matter for debate to Catholic Church. The after effects of abortion like mental as well as physical agony could be enough for the Church to convince public about the related problems of abortion. Time has proven that in addition to the political laws moral concepts and values also should be the part of law enforcement. Catholic Initiatives Catholic Church is the main influencing body which attempts to gather public opinion for the amendment of the abortion acts. Several sex education campaigns and awareness programs are being conducted for making people conscious about the depth of this issue. In UK, despite the protests and requests of the Church, one more Bill was passed by the parliament which would place the value of human life at a more debatable position. The BBC News, in this respect, reports that “the Human Fertilization and Embryology Bill which allows experiments on hybrid human-animal embryos, passed despite a rebellion by 16 Labour MPs” (BBC News: MPs support embryology proposals 2008). The Catholic Church keeps its explicit position against all legislations like Human Fertilization and Embryology Bill. According to the Church, those Bills consider human life as just a substance for experiments. The awaiting disaster will be unpredictable. In this context the Church is inviting public conscious to the abortion issue for a second time. England’s Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Cornor and Scotland’s Cardinal Keith O’Brien put pressure “on catholic politicians to reform British abortion law. The Arch Bishop of Westminster turned abortion into a general election issue in England two years ago by calling on voters to back only antiabortion candidates” (Doughty, Steve 2007). In the United States abortion has been a major issue in the election campaigns for several decades. The Catholic Church thrust political pressure for the legislative reforms and conducts agitations and campaigns in this concern. However the practice has been mounting at an exceeding ratio in the country. (Good D F., Wodak R. (eds.), 1999). Furthermore, Catholic Church has launched numerous international and regional organizations to fight the heinous infanticide all over the world. These organizations disbelieve governmental policies on family planning and contraception. ‘The International Call for the Rights and Dignity of the Human Person and the Family’ is an initiative of The Catholic Family & Human Rights Institute (C-FAM). In the United States, catholic initiatives on pro-life activities are monitored by United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). Remarkable initiatives had been taken by the Church on abortion issue headed by Pope John Paul 2. Through his famous encyclical Evangelium Vitae, Pope John Paul 2 reminded the world that “all are called to a greater responsibility to protect the innocent human life” ( Hayes, Gearon, 1999 p.411). Latest View According to the latest concept of Catholic Church, human life is present since the conception and there fore all intervention that would terminate the fertilized ovum will be sin. Church is against all sorts of direct abortion including craniotomies even if the pregnancy might risk the mother’s life. As per the revised Canon Law of 1983, abortion brings automatic excommunication to the individual who procures it. (Hayes, Gearon, 1999 p.411). However, the term indirect abortion indicates certain exceptions in this regard. The Church admits the conditions like Ectopic Pregnancy in which a therapeutic abortion must be inevitable. It is an unusual situation when the embryo gets lodged in fallopian tube and can not develop further. Removal of a cancerous uterus also might cause indirect abortion which can be justified according to the Catholic principle (Hayes, Gearon, 1999 p.411). Abortion and contraception are interrelated issues in the catholic view because both prevent human life. Therefore, one needs to have clear understanding about the catholic concept on birth control and contraception. Church is against all sorts of contraceptive measures including condoms, and pills; because Church believes that all artificial methods are evil and against the natural law. ‘Contraceptives break natural connection between the procreative and unitive purposes of sex’ because according to Church, sex is only permissible within marriage, and is solely meant for reproductive means (Roman Catholicism-BBC). Critique The catholic policy on abortion and contraception has been widely criticized for centuries. Regardless of the constant stance against abortion, the supporting assumptions varied over the course of its history. The major criticism against Church is that it has failed to uphold a unanimous opinion on the abortion debate. According to the critics, considerable variation can be seen between the early teachings of the Church and the modern concept. For example, the church in the past maintained a notion that sex for pleasure was sin and procreation was the sole objective of it. Only those who desired offspring should marry and indulge in sex (Maguire D C., pp. 62-63). Furthermore chastity was cherished to be the greatest virtue. However, now the concept of marriage and sexual life is significantly changed. In the same way, as mentioned earlier, there was no unanimous opinion regarding the animation/ensoulment. The terms remained ambiguous over centuries as a hot button issue for Papal encyclical. As per the quickening theory there was a provision of abortion before the ensoulment because in that stage an embryo holds only a vegetable soul; whereas, in modern concept abortion in any instance is offence. Another major failure of Catholic mission is that many of the Catholic predominate countries have legalized medical abortion and the number of abortion goes up at an alarming rate. For instance, “in Mexico, where Catholic Church is a strong influence and birth control has been restricted, one third of all women have reportedly had abortions.” (McPherson 1986, p.43). As another study states, abortion is highly prevalent among the Catholics in several countries (around 30%) as compared to the protestant groups (Fried M G.,1990.p129). Although there are contrasting opinion among theologians that an individual human life can not be found until two or three weeks after fertilization, the official stance of Catholic Church is that potential Human life must be protected since the conception. ( Hayes, Gearon, 1999 p.411). However, the Catholic movement against abortion can not be ignored from the history of human race. The issue has been taken as a relevant mission by the Church throughout its history. The disparities in assumptions were the presumable result of the absence of scientific knowledge in the medieval period. Conclusion In the course of time the Church has undergone reasonable review and developed comparatively well defined position. The Church is simultaneously cautious and anxious about the legal amendments that justify abortion and unethical experiments on embryo. The incessant interaction of the Church has highly contributed to the development of the abortion debate to be a major ethical concern of the world (Luker, 1985 p.58). Since abortion is exceedingly deep rooted with communities, punitive legislation alone will not be sufficient to eradicate this evil practice. The Catholic Church has to heed its genuine concern to ensure political as well as religious participation in this issue. 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