Abortion: Complete Disregard For Human Life

[franciscanheart]

[b]Abortion: A True Disregard of Human Life[/b]

Let us first remember the words of Christ himself….
[i]“The thief cometh not, but for to steal and to kill and to destroy. I am come that they may have life and may have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10)[/i]

The Catholic Church has always taught that all direct, intended abortion at every stage of pregnancy is seriously wrong.

[b]Old Testament[/b]
1 Samuel 16:7
[i]7 But the Lord said to Samuel: “Do not judge from his appearance or from his lofty stature, because I have rejected him. Not as a man sees does God see, because man sees the appearance but the Lord looks into the heart.”[/i]

If it is the appearance one is worried about, about having a child too young or unwed, then they can forget their image. The integrity of a person is what the Lord will judge, not their appearance. Being a Christian, and even more so a Catholic, is difficult. It is, in itself, a Cross to carry. Suffering is necessary, however, to be a follower of Christ. He himself says: [i]“Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.”[/i] Matthew 16:24

Psalm 82:3-4
[i]3 Defend the lowly and fatherless; render justice to the afflicted and needy.
4 Rescue the lowly and poor; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.[/i]

Psalm 127:3
[i]3 Children too are a gift from the Lord, the fruit of the womb, a reward.[/i]

Zechariah 7:9
[i]9 Thus says the Lord of Hosts: “Render true judgment, and show kindness and compassion towards each other.”[/i]

We are called to protect these precious gifts from God. They are to be watched over and not to be harmed. Just as each moment you live is a gift, so too is each moment of this child’s life, born or unborn.


Psalm 139:13-16
[i]13 You formed my inmost being; you knit me in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you, so wonderfully you made me; wonderful are your works! My very self you knew
15 my bones were not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, fashioned as in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes foresaw my actions; in your book all were written down, my days were shaped, before one came to be.[/i]

Isaiah 49:1-3,5
[i]1 Hear me, O coastlands, listen, O distant peoples. The Lord called me from birth, from my mother’s womb he gave me my name.
2 He made of me a sharp-edged sword and concealed me in the shadow of his arm. He made me a polished arrow, in his quiver he hid me.
3 You are my servant, he said to me, Israel, through whom I show my glory.

5 For now the Lord has spoken who formed me as his servant from the womb, that Jacob may be brought back to him as Israel gathered to him; and I am made glorious in the sight of the Lord, and my God is now my strength![/i]

Jeremiah 1:5-8
[i]5 Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I dedicated you, a prophet to the nations I appointed you.
6 “Ah, Lord God!” I said, “I know not how to speak; I am too young.”
7 But the Lord answered me, Say not, “I am too young.” To whomever I send you, you shall go; whatever I command you, you shall speak.
8 Have no fear before them, because I am with you to deliver you, says the Lord.[/i]

God has a plan for each of us before we are created. While in the womb, He knows every day of our life. He knows our strengths and weaknesses. He knows our likes and dislikes. He also has a task that is assigned to us. He knows what each of us will choose to do, and to not do. If aborted, this life is not fulfilled. The task is left unattended. It will never be accomplished. Each life though does have the potential for something amazing. God has a wonderful, glorious plan if we allow it to unfold.


[b]New Testament[/b]

Matthew 25:45
[i]45 He will answer them, ‘Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me.’[/i]


Luke 18:15-16
[i]15 People were bringing infants to him that he might touch them, but when the disciples saw this, they rebuked them.
16 Jesus, however, called the children to himself and said, “Let the children come to me and do not prevent them; for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. …”[/i]


[u]The Sacredness of Life….[/u]
John 10:10
[i]10 A thief comes only to steal and slaughter and destroy; I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly.[/i]

Philippians 1:21
[i]21 For to me life is Christ, and death is gain.[/i]


[b]Church Fathers and Saints[/b]

The Didache ca 60-70AD
[i]"Thou shalt not murder a child by abortion."[/i] 2:2

[i]"The Way of Death is filled with people who are... murderers of children and abortionists of God's creatures."[/i] 5:1-2

The Epistle or Barnabas ca 125 A.D.
[i]"Thou shalt love thy neighbor more than thy own life. Thou shalt not murder a child by abortion."[/i] 19:5

The Constitution of the Holy Apostles
Book VII.
Concerning the Christian life, and the Eucharist and Initiation into Christ
Sec. I
III. Thou shall not slay thy child by causing abortion, nor kill that which is begotten; for "everything that is shaped, and has received a soul from God, if it be slain, shall be avenged, as being unjustly destroyed."

St. Basil the Great, Epistle 138: "He who destroys the fetus deliberately is guilty of murder." PG 36:672. (Written about 375 AD)

It seems to be clearly stated that the [u]murder[/u] of an innocent human by abortion is evil and absolutely unacceptable. It is known that every life is a work of the hand of God and that each is more than one can fathom. “Thou shalt love thy neighbor more than thy own life.” “Others first, myself last.” This is the rule to live by. This is the key. [b]Live like Christ!![/b]


St. Athenagoras ca 177 A.D.
[i]"We say that women who induce abortions are murderers, and will have to give account of it to God. For the same person, would not regard the child in the womb as a living being and therefore an object of God's care and then kill it.... But we are altogether consistent in our conduct. We obey reason and do not override it."[/i] -Legatio 35

Flavius Josephus, "Against Apion" 2:202:
[i]"The law [Jewish law] orders us to bring up all our children, and forbids women to cause abortion of that which is begotten; and if any woman seems to have done so, she will be a murderer of her own child, by destroying a living creature." (Probably late
first century AD).[/i]

Time and time again we see that abortion was recognized to be the killing of a person. Even without medical research to prove that life begins at the moment of conception they were fully aware of the presence of one of God’s children, their brother or sister in Christ.


Tertullian, Apologeticum 9:8:
[i]For us, since murder has been forbidden, it is also not permitted to dissolve what is conceived in the womb while the blood is being formed into a human being. It is an anticipation of murder to keep one from being born; nor does it make a difference whether one takes the life of one already born, or disturbs one in the process of being
born: even the one who is going to be a human being is one." Text from Sources Chrétiennes No.108, p.184. (Written about 197 A.D.)[/i]

Nlititicilis Felix ca 180-225 A.D.
[i]"There are women who swallow drugs to stifle in their own womb the beginnings of a man to be - committing infanticide before they even give birth to the infant." –Octavius[/i]

St. Hippolytus ca 170-236 A.D.
St.Cyprian of Carthage, Epistle 52, to Cornelius:
[i]"He [the schismatic Novatian] struck the womb of his wife with his heel and hurried an abortion, thereby causing parricide." (Written about 251 AD)

"Reputed believes began to resort to drugs for producing Sterility and to gird themselves round, so as to expel what was conceived on account of their not wanting to have a child either by a slave or by any paltry fellow, for the sake of their family and excessive wealth. Behold, into how great impiety that lawless one has proceeded, by
inculcating adultery and murder at the same time." -Refutation of all Heresies 9:7[/i]

St.Jerome, Epistle 22.13:
[i][speaking of virgins] "Others drink for sterility and commit murder on the human not yet sown. Some when they sense that they have conceived by sin, consider the poisons for abortion, and frequently die themselves along with it, and go to hell guilty of three crimes: murdering themselves, committing adultery against Christ, and murder against their unborn child." PL 22.401. (Written about 380 AD).[/i]

The Apocalypse of Peter ca 135 A.D.
[i]"I saw a gorge in which the discharge and excrement of the tortured ran down and became like a lake. There sat women, and the discharge came up to their throats; and opposite them sat many children, who were born prematurely, weeping. And from them went forth rays of fire and smote the women on the eyes. These were those who produced children outside of marriage and who procured abortions."[/i] -26

[i]"Those who slew the unborn children will be tortured forever, for God wills it to so."[/i] -2:264

Sibylline Oracles 2.281-82:
[i]" ...as many as aborted what they carried in the womb, as many as cast forth their offspring unlawfully [will be punished after the resurrection]."[\I]

The Canons of the Council of Ancyra (which canons were accepted and received by the ecumenical synods)
Canon XXI.
[I]Concerning women who commit fornication, and destroy that which they have conceived, or who are employed in making drugs for abortion, a former decree excluded them until the hour of death, and to this some have assented. Nevertheless, being desirous to use somewhat greater lenity, we have ordained that they fulfill ten years [of penance], according to the prescribed degrees.[/i]

Council of Eivira ca 305 A.D.
[i]"If a woman becomes pregnant by committing adultery, While her husband is absent, and after the act she destroys the child, it is proper to keep her from communion until death, because she has doubled her crime."[/i] -Canon 63

Clement of Alexandria ca 150-180 A.D.
[i]"Our whole life can go on in observation of the laws of nature, if we gain dominion over our desires from the beginning and if we do not kill, by various means of a perverse art, the human offspring, born according to the designs of divine providence; for these women who, if order to hide their immorality, use abortive drugs which expel the child completely dead, abort at the same time their own human feelings."[/i] -Paedagogus 2

It is apparent that in aborting a child you not only abort that baby but also the mother and Christ. The mother’s emotions are shredded to pieces, along with God’s heart. Punishment, like the crime, is described as being grave. Penance, while defined here, is dependent upon the priest, however, true penance is served every day of the mother’s life. She lives daily with the fact that she murdered one of God’s precious children. Being denied the Eucharist, who could imagine?


[b]Something to remember….[/b]
The [i]Declaration of Procured Abortion[/i], issued with the approval of Pope Paul VI in 1974, stated that “whatever the civil law may decree in this matter, it must be taken as absolutely certain that a man may never obey an intrinsically unjust law, such as a law approving abortion in principle. He may not take part in any movement to sway public opinion in favor of such a law, nor may he vote for that law.”


The condemnation of abortion has been reaffirmed on several occasions by [b]Pope John Paul II[/b], who stated on October 7, 1919:
[i]“Let me repeat what I told the people during my recent pilgrimage to my homeland: ‘If a person’s right to life is violated at the moment in which he is first conceived in his mother’s womb, an indirect blow is struck at the whole of the moral order, which serves to ensure the inviolable goods of man. Among these goods, life occupies the first place. The Church defends the right to life, not only in regards to the majesty of the Creator, who is the First Giver of this life, but also in respect of the essential good of the human person. Human life is precious because it is the gift of a God whose love is infinite; and when God gives life, it is forever. …’
And so we will stand up every time that human life is threatened. When the sacredness of life before birth is attacked, we will stand up and proclaim that no one ever has the authority to destroy unborn life. When a child is described as a burden or is looked down upon only as a means to satisfy emotional need, we will stand up and insist that every child is unique and unrepeatable gift of God, with the right to a loving and united family.”

After stating that the death penalty should not be used “except in cases of absolute necessity” (in [I]Evangelium Vitae[/i]), John Paul said,
[i]“If such great care must be taken to respect every life, even that of criminals and unjust aggressors, the commandment ‘You shall not kill’ has absolute value when it refers to the innocent person. And all the more so in the case of weak and defenseless human beings, who find their ultimate defense against the arrogance and caprice of others only in the absolute binding force of God’s commandment.”[/i]

The Pope condemned the deliberate killing of the innocent:
[i]Therefore, by the authority which Christ conferred upon Peter and his Successors, and in communion with the Bishops of the Catholic Church, I confirm that the direct and voluntary killing of an innocent human being is always gravely immoral. This doctrine, based upon that unwritten law which man, in the light of reason, finds in his own heart (cf. Rom 2:14-15), is reaffirmed by Sacred Scripture, transmitted by the Tradition of the Church and taught by the ordinary and universal Magisterium.
The deliberate decision to deprive an innocent human being of his life is always morally evil and can never be licit either as an end in itself or as a means to a good end…[/i]

Furthermore he said,
[i]“Nothing and no one can in any way permit the killing of an innocent human being, whether a fetus or an embryo, an infant or an adult, an old person, or one suffering from an incurable disease, or a person who is dying. Furthermore, no one is permitted to ask for this act of killing, either for himself or herself or for another person entrusted to his or her care, nor can he or she consent to it, either explicitly or implicitly. Nor can any authority legitimately recommend or permit such an action.”

“Human life is sacred because from its beginning it involves ‘the creative action of God’, and it remains forever in a special relationship with the Creator, who is its sole end. God alone is the Lord of life from its beginning until its end: no one can, in any circumstance, claim for himself the right to destroy directly and innocent human being.”

“Some people,”[/i] he continued, [i]“try to justify abortion by claiming that the result of conception, at least up to a certain number of days, cannot yet be considered a personal human life. But in fact, ‘from the time that the ovum is fertilized, a life is begun which is neither that of the father nor the mother; it is rather the life of a new human being with his own growth. It would never be made human if it were not human already…. modern genetic science … has demonstrated that from the first instant there is established the programme of what this living being will be: a person, this individual person with his characteristic aspects already well determined. Right from fertilization the adventure of a human life begins, and each of its capacities requires time – a rather lengthy time – to find its place and to be in a position to act.’ Even if the presence of a spiritual soul cannot be ascertained by empirical data, the results themselves of scientific research on the human embryo provide ‘a valuable indication for discerning by the use of reason a personal presence at the moment of the first appearance of human life: how could a human individual not be a human person?’ … ‘The human being is to be respected and treated as a person from the moment of conception; and therefore from that same moment his rights as a person must be recognized, among which in the first place is the inviolable right of every innocent human being to life.’”[/i]

He went on to declare:
[i]“Therefore, by the authority which Christ conferred upon Peter and his Successors, in communion with the Bishops – who on various occasions have condemned abortion and who … albeit dispersed throughout the world, have shown unanimous agreement concerning this doctrine – I declare that direct abortion, that is, abortion willed as an end or as a means, always constitutes a grave moral disorder, since it is the deliberate killing of an innocent human being. This doctrine is based upon the natural law and upon the written Word of God, is transmitted through the Church’s Tradition and taught by the ordinary and universal Magisterium.”[/i]

As John Paul said, “a law which violates an innocent person’s natural right to life is unjust and, as such, is not valid as a law.”


In his letter of June 21, 1991, to the bishops of the world, Pope John Paul II stated:
[i]When legislative bodies enact laws that authorize putting innocent people to death and states allow their resources and structures to be used for these crimes, individual consciences, often poorly formed, are all the more easily led into error. In order to break this vicious cycle, it seems more urgent than ever that we should forcefully reaffirm our common teaching, based on sacred Scripture and Tradition, with regard to the inviolability of innocent human life.[/i]

[b]From the Catechism of the Catholic Church[/b]
[i]2270 Human life must be respected and protected absolutely 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. (Jer 1:5; cf. Job 10:8-12; Ps 22:10-11 … Ps 139:15)

2271 Since the first century the Church has affirmed the moral evil of every procured abortion. This teaching has not changed and remains unchangeable. Direct abortion, that is to say, abortion willed either as an end of as a means, is gravely contrary to the moral law:

You shall not kill the embryo by abortion and shall not cause the newborn to parish.
(Didache 2, 2: SCh 248, 148; cf. Ep. Barnabe 19, 5: PG 2, 777; Ad Diognetum 5, 6: PG 2 1173; Tertullian, Apol. 9: PL 1, 319-320)

God, the Lord of life, has entrusted to men the noble mission of safeguarding life, and men must carry it out in a manner worthy of themselves. Life must be protected with the utmost care from the moment of conception: abortion and infanticide are abominable crimes.
(GS 51)[/i]


Abortion is a grave sin against humanity, and Our Heavenly Father. It takes the life of an innocent human being with potential to live outside of the womb and praise God all the days of their life. No one has the right to tamper with, or destroy, life, which begins at the moment of conception. Every person is called to defend life from this point on, recognizing human rights even for the smallest of people. The Lord came that we might all have life, and have it to the full.

God bless you all,
Laura Thomas

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I dedicate this tract to my brother and sister who were both miscarried in the third month of their existence. I pray that you are watching over our family and me. I know you are in a better place, forever praising God.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I’d also like to extend a special thank you to Jennie Catherine for her help in making this happen. She is wonderful.

[StColette]

Wonderful job Laura !!!!!! hehe I already to you in an IM that it was completely "wondermous" and it truly is so I'm saying it on here hehe

and thank you again for the thank you in your post and yw for the help. Keep up the awesome good work. And you're wonderful too !!

God Bless,
Jennie Catherine

[MC Just]

Whoa.....

[MC Just]

now that is dopenistic!!!

[phatcatholic]

absotively posolutely wondermous

[franciscanheart]

thanks yall....


yall are wondermous

God bless,
Laura Thomas

[phatcatholic]

i just noticed a mistake:

[quote]The condemnation of abortion has been reaffirmed on several occasions by Pope John Paul II, who stated on October 7, 1919:[/quote]

1919? i don't think the pope was around then

[rachael]

i'm gonna use this in my arguments.

[franciscanheart]

[quote name='phatcatholic' date='Jan 31 2005, 11:32 AM'] i just noticed a mistake:



1919? i don't think the pope was around then [/quote]
uh oh. to be fixed soon..... thanks!

[franciscanheart]

[quote name='rachael' date='Jan 31 2005, 04:08 PM'] i'm gonna use this in my arguments. [/quote]

[phatcatholic]

what's the date supposed to be and i'll edit it

[franciscanheart]

oh yeah.... i forgot i cant edit it anymore.

i gotta look it up again but i dont wanna move right now (it hurts to move) so ill get it in a bit. youre not even on right now anyway.

[spathariossa]

[quote name='hugheyforlife' date='Jan 31 2005, 10:42 PM'] oh yeah.... i forgot i cant edit it anymore.

i gotta look it up again but i dont wanna move right now (it hurts to move) so ill get it in a bit. youre not even on right now anyway. [/quote]
Gotta be '79 right? That looks kinda like 19