This week's Spirit & Life is by Marie Meaney, Ph.D., a contributor to Human Life International's online publication the Truth and Charity Forum.
Spirit & Life is the weekly e-column of
Human Life International.
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Dear Friends,
Throughout
his decades long career, Philadelphia abortionist Kermit Gosnell killed
thousands of innocent babies, and harmed numerous adult women. His
recent conviction for the murder of three babies born alive who then had
their spines cut with scissors, and the involuntary manslaughter of
Karnamaya Mongar, caused many to wonder if the death penalty was a just
punishment for his crimes (though prosecutors have decided he will
instead face life in prison).
As
Christians, we are called to evangelize the world, forgive those who
have done wrong, and pray that all will turn their lives over to Christ.
When we encounter men and women who perform acts of pure evil, such as
Gosnell, this teaching can be extremely hard for us to practice. In this
week's Spirit & Life, Dr. Marie Meaney focuses on the
message of Christ's mercy, and on praying for Gosnell's conversion:
"Gosnell is our brother ... As such, he deserves our hope for his
conversion. We see the horror of what he has done, but we should pray
that he will repent and change."
As
Pope Francis recently reminded the world, Jesus Christ came into this
world and died to redeem the sins of all on this earth. Despite the
media hype about the Holy Father's statements, we know there is nothing
new in this teaching. Our Lord offers his mercy and love to all men and
women, if only we will accept those mighty gifts. As we continue in this
great Year of Faith of the Church, please join me in praying that all
who have sinned will seek the forgiveness and mercy of Our Lord Jesus
Christ.
Sincerely yours in Christ,
Father Shenan J. Boquet
President, Human Life International
Dare We Hope for Gosnell?
A few days ago the news broke that a deal was struck between Kermit Gosnell
and prosecutors. Gosnell waived his right to appeal the verdict. In
return, the prosecutors dropped their demand for the death penalty. Up
until this point the question was still very much in the air whether he
should receive this extreme punishment or not.
In a short article for First Things,
Robert George has asked for mercy for Gosnell, who had, among other
things, snipped the spines of children born alive after abortions, kept
their body parts in jars, put the lives of women at risk by operating in
filthy conditions, and employed people as nurses without any medical
diplomas.
The
Gosnell saga was a sensation in the pro-life community far and wide.
The story was finally covered, at least marginally, by the mainstream
media after they were shamed into reporting it by numerous
denunciations. The media hated the Gosnell case because it contradicted
their predominantly pro-abortion ideology that is wrapped in soothing
lies about safe, rare and legal abortions.
Gosnell could
have received the death penalty under Pennsylvania law. This raises the
question whether his execution would have been a good thing or not.
Robert
George mentions a number of arguments against the death penalty in
Gosnell's case: one of them (which he doesn't support himself, though he
says it could be used) is that the logic of legalized abortion leads to
infanticide. The Planned Parenthood Federation, among other groups, has defended the practice of infanticide as a backup plan for a botched abortion!
Whether a child is killed in the womb or outside, it is de facto
the same: an innocent life is directly and intentionally taken. One
could argue that there is a double standard in condemning Gosnell to the
death penalty while allowing other abortionists to go scot-free, simply
because they stay within the boundaries of an unjust positive law.
Of
course, one could also reason that the law is not unjust when punishing
Gosnell and should therefore be carried out to its full extent. That
others are not punished is a shame, but at least he gets what he
deserves. But Professor George doesn't actually embrace this line of
argument.
Gosnell
is our brother, George argues, and as such, he deserves our hope for
his conversion. We see the horror of what he has done, but we should
pray that he will repent and change. One could object that this is not
yet an argument against the death penalty in and of itself.
In
the Middle Ages, when people at large were much more concerned about
their eternal fate, no contradiction was seen between executing a man
and hoping for his eternal salvation. A priest was generally present at
the execution, and the criminal could turn to him for the last
sacraments and spiritual support until the end. Apart from the general
opinion that the death penalty was seen as being the just punishment for
certain crimes, the hope was that such a strict punishment would shake
the criminal out of his moral blindness and awaken him to his misdeeds
-- let him turn to God and repent. For the eternal punishment expecting
him in the next life was going to be much worse than any punishment he
could receive in this life.
Punishment,
as the French philosopher and mystic Simone Weil has said, following
Plato, is a need of the soul. Therefore, the criminal has -- strange as
this may sound -- a right to punishment, since it puts him back in touch
with the realm of justice out of which he has propelled himself through
his crime. Punishment helps him access again the truth about his deeds.
The
question would then be whether the death penalty is ever the
appropriate answer to a crime. Robert George does not think that it is
ever required or justified as a matter of retributive justice, and thus
puts himself in line with Blessed Pope John Paul II.
Except in cases of not being able to protect society against a criminal, Pope John Paul stated in Evangelium vitae
that the death penalty was not justified. Since the value of an
individual person is infinite, to ask for his death is therefore
incommensurate even if the criminal himself has many lives on his
conscience.
That
human justice is furthermore fallible and lacks the knowledge of
another person's soul and his responsibility (which would require the
omniscience of God) could be used as a further argument against the
death penalty. However, my goal is not to debate the question of the
death penalty as such, which would require much more space, but to look
at George's plea for mercy for Gosnell and its significance as a
pro-life witness to the world.
George
obviously agrees that Gosnell must be punished; the abortionist is now
condemned to multiple life-sentences without parole, and rightly so.
Justice is met imperfectly either way. One could argue that not even the
death penalty is an adequate punishment for some horrific crimes. It is
"only" one life against many others, and furthermore we will only be
rightly judged in the next life by a judge who alone is capable of doing
so. But by being merciful and not discontentedly complaining that he
should have been executed, we are sending a message to Gosnell and to
the world which is singularly powerful.
True
mercy is not separate from justice or from the truth. Life in prison
without possibility of parole does not let Gosnell off the hook easily.
Nor does this sentence send the message that his deeds weren't horrible
after all, or that he is getting off lightly. But it provides time for
him to convert; we wish his ultimate good which requires his repentance.
The mercy he is experiencing is a severe and a demanding mercy
requiring a painful transformation for him.
Mercy
is the expression of the ultimate victory of the good; it shows how
superabundantly the good can make up for all possible evil that has been
committed. Only God can bring this about, therefore human mercy will
merely be an expression of this divine mercy. His mercy which makes all
things new can transform murderers like Gosnell and make them
participate in the joy of Heaven, though it does presuppose his
repentance and making reparation for his deeds as far as that is
possible.
It's
possible this message of mercy and the hope it expresses in his
capacity to change won't reach him. But it would be a fine gesture if
the pro-life movement tried to contact him and made this clear. It would
not just be an important message to him, but also to the world. This
gospel of mercy may resonate with all who have been involved in
abortions and have repented but have a hard time forgiving themselves
and truly believing in God's forgiveness.
Perhaps
former abortion doctors or former abortion clinic directors like Abby
Johnson could send such a message to Gosnell. As St. Thérèse of Lisieux
exclaimed, even if she had committed the worst sins, she would still
throw herself into the merciful arms of God. Let us hope the same for
Gosnell.
