The Catholic Church teaches that it is immoral to have an abortion. That from the time of conception, the small mass of cells known as the blastocyst is a living entity and as such, and to abort it would be paramount to committing murder. I recognize that murder (of a human being) is the ultimate injustice. The mere thought of having your life cut short is sickening and makes your stomach want to churn.
But at what point does the mass of cells become a human or something resembling a human? At what point does a fetus develop the ability to feel pain? And what about special circumstances such as the case of where the fetus endangers the life of the mother or where the fetus is the result of the mother being raped?
The position of the Catholic Church is strict and unwavering. They deem that it is downright unacceptable in any case, at any point in time to perform an abortion. Any and all forms of contraception are immoral, save for the rhythm method, which is vastly incorrect and inconsistent as a woman's monthly period is irregular and subject to change, thus it cannot be accurately predicted. But how much Catholics adhere to this rule? If Catholics did adhere to this rule, there would be countless more children being born every year. And what about Sexually Transmitted Diseases? That is just a risk you will have to live with.
When does a fetus develop the ability to feel pain? Studies have shown that during the first 24 weeks after conception, a fetus is unable to feel pain. It is my belief that any abortion to be done should be within this time-frame. And outside this time-frame, should be only exceptionally special circumstances, such as rape or endangerment of the mother.
What if the fetus poses a threat to the life of the mother? Surely she should be allowed to abort the pregnancy.
And what about cases of rape? Consider if you were a woman and you were raped whilst innocently walking home in the night after a movie. You then find out that you are pregnant. Would you want to have to mind the child of the man who forcibly extricated sexual intercourse from you despite your attempts to resist and flee? Would you really be able to love this child, knowing the experience that brought him into the world?
What if you are in a delicate place in life; going to school or climbing the career ladder, would it be fair for you to be forced to raise a child that would undoubtedly create an additional burden on your already fragile situation. Why should you have to take time off from school and delay and risk your future potential because of some unwarranted attack by a crazy hooligan? What if you are in a demanding financial situation, barely making ends meet? Why should you have to jeopardize your future aptitude due to something that was in way your fault?
You can see my reasoning behind specified cases of abortion. Do you really want a raped woman to have to carry the fruit of her attacker?
But at what point does the mass of cells become a human or something resembling a human? At what point does a fetus develop the ability to feel pain? And what about special circumstances such as the case of where the fetus endangers the life of the mother or where the fetus is the result of the mother being raped?
The position of the Catholic Church is strict and unwavering. They deem that it is downright unacceptable in any case, at any point in time to perform an abortion. Any and all forms of contraception are immoral, save for the rhythm method, which is vastly incorrect and inconsistent as a woman's monthly period is irregular and subject to change, thus it cannot be accurately predicted. But how much Catholics adhere to this rule? If Catholics did adhere to this rule, there would be countless more children being born every year. And what about Sexually Transmitted Diseases? That is just a risk you will have to live with.
When does a fetus develop the ability to feel pain? Studies have shown that during the first 24 weeks after conception, a fetus is unable to feel pain. It is my belief that any abortion to be done should be within this time-frame. And outside this time-frame, should be only exceptionally special circumstances, such as rape or endangerment of the mother.
What if the fetus poses a threat to the life of the mother? Surely she should be allowed to abort the pregnancy.
And what about cases of rape? Consider if you were a woman and you were raped whilst innocently walking home in the night after a movie. You then find out that you are pregnant. Would you want to have to mind the child of the man who forcibly extricated sexual intercourse from you despite your attempts to resist and flee? Would you really be able to love this child, knowing the experience that brought him into the world?
What if you are in a delicate place in life; going to school or climbing the career ladder, would it be fair for you to be forced to raise a child that would undoubtedly create an additional burden on your already fragile situation. Why should you have to take time off from school and delay and risk your future potential because of some unwarranted attack by a crazy hooligan? What if you are in a demanding financial situation, barely making ends meet? Why should you have to jeopardize your future aptitude due to something that was in way your fault?
You can see my reasoning behind specified cases of abortion. Do you really want a raped woman to have to carry the fruit of her attacker?
