DEACON FOR LIFE

Were there to be no support in the whole history of ethical and moral thought, were there no acknowledged confirmation from medical science, were the history of legal opinion to the contrary, we would still have to conclude on the basis of God's Holy Word that the unborn child is a person in the sight of God. He is protected by the sanctity of life graciously given to each individual by the Creator, Who alone places His image upon man and grants them any right to life which they have.

Saturday, March 31, 2007

“When a society accepts abortion it is preparing to eliminate freedom” Says Spanish Family Forum

By Gudrun Schultz

CACERES, Spain, March 30, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - “Abortion implicates denying the existence of the life of a human person,” concluded the first international congress on “Women and Abortion”, held in Caceres, Spain, March 8 to 10.

Organized by the Spanish Family Forum, the congress issued a report on the conclusions arrived at during the two-day session, reported by Fides News Agency.

While abortion denies the existence of “a life which must develop and become complete in autonomy,” the report stated, abortion also denies the life of the unborn child’s parents. The document warned that women must be informed of the real dangers of abortion, particularly the likelihood of developing post-abortion syndrome. As well, the physical dangers of chemical abortions caused by taking drugs such as RU-486 or the “morning after pill” must be made known to women, the report stated.

The public must be alerted to the interests fueling promotion of abortion, including economic, political and social planning initiatives, which the report calls “a chorus which invades the media” and needs to be countered by the presence of pro-life activists.

The congress Conclusions reiterates the humanity of human embryos and emphasizes the immorality of human embryonic research--the report outlines promising alternatives to the use of embryonic stems cells, including cells found in the umbilical cord and amniotic fluid.

The document calls for conscientious objection to immoral research and practices, stating, “When a society accepts abortion it is preparing to eliminate freedom.” Participants in the congress resolved to build a social network the fight the plague of abortion and to support effective family policies.

(with files from Fides News Agency)

“Conclusions” in Spanish: http://www.fides.org/spa/documents/foro_familia_spagna0307.pdf

LIFE IS SACRED

An example of the traditional magisterial teaching which indicates that it is never morally licit to intentionally kill a child through abortion in order to “save the life of its mother” comes from the teaching of Pope Pius XII:

“Every human being, even the infant in the mother's womb, has the right to life immediately from God, not from the parent or any human society or authority. Therefore, there is no man, no human authority, no science, no medical, eugenic, social, economic or moral ‘indication’ that can show or give valid juridical title for direct deliberate disposition concerning an innocent human life-which is to say, a disposition that aims at its destruction either as an end in itself or as the means of attaining another end that is perhaps in no way illicit itself. Thus, for example, to save the life of the mother is a most noble end, but the direct killing of the child as a means to this end is not licit.”