Let me preface this by saying I am in agreement with the Church in her moral stances.

That said, the penalty for abortion, whether having one or assisting in one, is automatic excommunication. However, murdering a (born) human being has no penalty of excommunication as far as I know, only the loss of the state of grace.

How is this rationalized? I understand that the protection of the most innocent is our first priority, but why is the punishment heavier for ending the life of the unborn child? Shouldn't they hold equal weight?

Forgive me for appearing jaded, it just doesn't seem "fair." The lives of the unborn and the lives of the born are equally important, IMO.

Thank you in advance for any insights.

Pax,
Melissa

Basically, among serious crimes, the harder a crime is to detect, the higher the sanction attached to it, since the chances of getting away with it are higher, the consequences of getting caught need to be higher. abortion has always been easier to commit without detection than have other forms of homicide, hence the higher penalty in canon law for it than other similar offenses.