Transcript Abortion and the Early Church

Things Everybody
Should Know About
Abortion
In the ancient world abortion was frequently
practiced by pagans and occasionally by
Jews and Christians.
Reasons:
1. To conceal illicit sexual activity
2. To limit heirs (the wealthy)
3. To preserve feminine beauty
Types of Abortion
in the ancient world
• Chemical
– Pessaries
– Poisons
• Mechanical
– Binding or striking the abdomen
– Spikes, blades and hooks
Oath of Hippocrates (400 BC)
“I swear by Apollo Physician, by Asclepius, by
Health, by Panacea, and by all the gods and
goddesses, making them my witnesses, that I
will carry out, according to my ability and
judgment, this oath and this indenture… I will
use treatment to help the sick according to my
ability and judgment, but never with a view to
injury and wrong-doing. Neither will I administer
a poison to anybody when asked to do so, nor
will I suggest such a course. Similarly, I will not
give to a woman a pessary to cause an
abortion.”
Seneca praised his own mother for not
having “crushed the hope of children that
were being nurtured in her body.”
Seutonius records Domitian’s affair with his
niece Julia. He forced her to abort her
child by him, which resulted in her death.
Ovid: “The first one who thought of
detaching from the womb the fetus forming
in it deserved to die by her own weapons.”
Juvenal: “So great the skill, so powerful the
drugs, of the abortionist, paid to murder
mankind in the womb.”
Christianity
Pharmakeia is forbidden in the New
Testament (Galatians 5:20; Revelation
9:21, 18:23, 21:8, and 22:15)
Translated either as sorceries or magic
potions.
The poisons (pharmakeia) used in abortion
and contraception were procured from a
“pharmacist” or magician.
The Didache (110 AD)
The Didache’s list of prohibitions it includes:
“murder, adultery, sodomy, fornication,
theft, the use of magic and philters,
infanticide and abortion.” Literally it
declares: “…you shall not murder a child
by abortion...”
It also says that the Way of Death is full of
cursing, murders, adulteries, idolatries,
robberies, and hypocrisies. It is also filled
with people who are murderers of
children.”
Clement of Alexandria (150-215 AD)
In The Tutor: “…for these women who, in
order to hide their immorality, use abortive
drugs which expel the matter completely
dead, abort at the same time their own
feelings.”
Athenagoras (150-200 AD)
To Marcus Aurelius: “What reason would we
have to commit murder when we say that
women who induce abortions are
murderers, and will have to give an
account of it to God? For the same
person would not regard the fetus in the
womb as a living thing and therefore an
object of God’s care [and then kill it]… But
we are altogether consistent in our
conduct…”
Tertullian (160-240 AD)
In his Apology: “In our case, murder being once
for all forbidden, we may not even destroy the
fetus in the womb, while as yet the human being
derives blood from other parts of the body for its
sustenance. To hinder a birth is merely a
speedier man-killing; nor does it matter whether
you take away a life that is born, or destroy one
that is coming to birth. That is a man which is
going to be one; you have the fruit already in
the seed.”
St. Ambrose (339-397 AD)
“The wealthy, in order that their inheritance
may not be divided among several, deny
in the very womb their own progeny. By
use of parricidal mixtures they snuff out
the fruit of their wombs in the genital
organs themselves. In this way life is
taken away before it is given… Who
except man himself has taught us ways of
repudiating children?”
St. Augustine (354-430 AD)
In De Nube et Concupiscentia: “Sometimes,
indeed, this lustful cruelty, or if you please, cruel
lust, resorts to such extravagant methods as to
use poisonous drugs to secure barrenness; or
else, if unsuccessful in this, to destroy the
conceived seed by some means previous to
birth, preferring that its offspring should rather
perish than receive vitality; or if it was advancing
to life within the womb, should be slain before it
was born.”
St. John Chrysostom (347-407 AD)
“Why sow where the ground makes it its care to
destroy the fruit? Where there are many efforts
at abortion? Where there is murder before the
birth? For even the harlot you do not let
continue a mere harlot, but make her a murderer
also. You see how drunkenness leads to
whoredom, whoredom to adultery, adultery to
murder, or rather to something even worse than
murder. For I have no name to give it, since it
does not take off the thing born, but prevents it
being born…”
St. Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274 AD)
Abortion is always a grave moral evil against
the natural law.
He believed that the soul did not enter the
child until the 40th day for boys and the
80th day for girls. This meant that, for him,
abortion was wrong, but not murder, until
after “homonization” when the child
received its human soul.
The American Medical
Association
In the mid 1800’s, concern about women’s safety,
falling birth rates, and indecent advertising, and
the discovery of the real nature of conception,
caused legal opinion to change. Led by
Horation Robinson Storer, a Boston physician,
the newly formed AMA (1847) began to lobby
politically for the outlawing of abortion at any
stage of gestation.
In the 20 years following, 31 states passed or
amended their laws on abortion to protect preterm infants at all stages of gestation.
Things begin to Change…
The American Law Institute (ALI) proposed,
in its 1959 model criminal code for all the
states, a "reform" abortion law. The model
bill, approved by ALI in 1962, declared that
abortion should be permitted for the
physical or mental health of the mother, for
fetal abnormality, and for rape or incest.
In June 1967, following the ALI model, the
American Medical Association voted to
change that body's long-standing
opposition to abortion. With a new
resolution, the AMA now condoned
abortion for the life or health of the mother,
for a baby's 'incapacitating' physical
deformity or mental deficiency, or for
cases of rape or incest.
In that same year state abortion laws began to
change, but only after years of organized
campaigns by pro-abortion forces.
Colorado, North Carolina, and California
became the first states to adopt versions of
the ALI "reform" abortion law.
By 1970, four states - New York, Alaska, Hawaii
and Washington - passed laws that basically
allowed abortion on demand. Of those four,
New York's was the only law without a
residency requirement and the state quickly
became the nation's abortion capital.
Roe
v.
Wade
Dallas District Attorney
Henry Wade
Norma McCorvey
Roe v. Wade (1973)
“Texas urges that, apart from the Fourteenth
Amendment, life begins at conception and is
present throughout pregnancy, and that,
therefore, the State has a compelling interest in
protecting that life from and after conception. We
need not resolve the difficult question of when
life begins. When those trained in the respective
disciplines of medicine, philosophy, and theology
are unable to arrive at any consensus, the
judiciary, at this point in the development of
man's knowledge, is not in a position to
speculate as to the answer.” (IX.B)
Roe v. Wade (1973)
“Texas urges that, apart from the Fourteenth
Amendment, life begins at conception and is
present throughout pregnancy, and that,
therefore, the State has a compelling interest in
protecting that life from and after conception. We
need not resolve the difficult question of when
life begins. When those trained in the respective
disciplines of medicine, philosophy, and theology
are unable to arrive at any consensus, the
judiciary, at this point in the development of
man's knowledge, is not in a position to
speculate as to the answer.” (IX.B)
“With respect to the State's important and
legitimate interest in potential life, the
"compelling" point is at viability. This is so
because the fetus then presumably has
the capability of meaningful life outside the
mother's womb. State regulation protective
of fetal life after viability thus has both
logical and biological justifications. If the
State is interested in protecting fetal life
after viability, it may go so far as to
proscribe abortion during that period,
except when it is necessary to preserve
the life or health of the mother.” (X)
“With respect to the State's important and
legitimate interest in potential life, the
"compelling" point is at viability. This is so
because the fetus then presumably has
the capability of meaningful life outside the
mother's womb. State regulation protective
of fetal life after viability thus has both
logical and biological justifications. If the
State is interested in protecting fetal life
after viability, it may go so far as to
proscribe abortion during that period,
except when it is necessary to preserve
the life or health of the mother.” (X)
“With respect to the State's important and
legitimate interest in potential life, the
"compelling" point is at viability. This is so
because the fetus then presumably has
the capability of meaningful life outside the
mother's womb. State regulation protective
of fetal life after viability thus has both
logical and biological justifications. If the
State is interested in protecting fetal life
after viability, it may go so far as to
proscribe abortion during that period,
except when it is necessary to preserve
the life or health of the mother.” (X)
“In Doe v. Bolton, post, p. 179, procedural
requirements contained in one of the
modern abortion statutes are considered.
That opinion and this one, of course, are
to be read together.”
Doe
Sandra Cano
v.
Bolton
Georgia State Attorney General
Arthur K. Bolton
Doe v. Bolton
“We agree with the District Court, 319 F.Supp., at
1058, that the medical judgment may be
exercised in the light of all factors -- physical,
emotional, psychological, familial, and the
woman's age -- relevant to the well-being of the
patient. All these factors may relate to health.
This allows the attending physician the room he
needs to make his best medical judgment. And it
is room that operates for the benefit, not the
disadvantage, of the pregnant woman.” (IV.C)
Doe v. Bolton
“We agree with the District Court, 319 F.Supp., at
1058, that the medical judgment may be
exercised in the light of all factors -- physical,
emotional, psychological, familial, and the
woman's age -- relevant to the well-being of the
patient. All these factors may relate to health.
This allows the attending physician the room he
needs to make his best medical judgment. And it
is room that operates for the benefit, not the
disadvantage, of the pregnant woman.” (IV.C)
Gaudium et Spes: (1964)
“Life must be safeguarded with extreme
care from conception; abortion and
infanticide are abominable crimes.”
Pope Paul VI: (1972)
The teaching of the Church on the issue of
procured abortion “has not changed and is
unchangeable.”
Catechism of the Catholic Church
#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.”
Human Life Begins at Conception
In 1981 (April 23-24) a Senate Judiciary
Subcommittee held hearings on the very
question: When does human life begin?
Following are testimonies from two of the
doctors who testified:
Dr. Hymie Gordon, Chairman of the Department
of Genetics at the Mayo Clinic, said: "By all
the criteria of modern molecular biology, life
is present from the moment of conception."
Dr. McCarthy de Mere, a medical doctor and law
professor at the University of Tennessee,
testified: "The exact moment of the beginning
of personhood and of the human body is at
the moment of conception."
Dr. Jerome Lejeune, known as "The Father of
Modern Genetics," also testified that human
life begins at conception before the Louisiana
Legislature's House Committee on the
Administration of Criminal Justice on June 7,
1990.
"At no time," Dr. Lejeune said, "is the human
being a blob of protoplasm. As far as your
nature is concerned, I see no difference
between the early person that you were at
conception and the late person which you are
now. You were, and are, a human being."
Conception
The Emergency Contraception Pill, or
morning after pill, is a pill that is available as
a combination of estrogen-progestin, or
progestin only. These are the exact same
medications that are contained in normal,
daily, birth control pills. They work to inhibit
ovulation, fertilization, and implantation of
the egg in the uterus. Emergency
Contraception does not work if a fertilized
egg has already implanted. The pill can be
used within 72 hours of sex to prevent or
stop a pregnancy.
“At least half of just over 3 million unintended
pregnancies each year in the US result in
abortions. Emergency Contraceptive Pills (ECP),
taken after unprotected intercourse, provide a
short, high dose of hormones. When taken
within 72 hours of the exposure, they are 75%
effective in preventing a pregnancy that would
have otherwise occurred. Depending on when
the ECPs are taken, they prevent ovulation,
fertilization of the ovum, or block implantation
into the uterine endometrium. ECPs are not an
abortifacient and will not terminate or even
interfere with an existing pregnancy.” (Univ. of
New Mexico Medical Health Center Website)
Cell Division
Moving down fallopian tube
Implantation (Day 5-6)
(Day 13)
Day 21
3.5 Weeks
At Four Weeks
• Embryo is 1/4 inch in length
• Digestive system, backbone and spinal
cord begin to form
• Placenta (sometimes called "afterbirth")
begins developing
• The single fertilized egg is now 10,000
times larger than size at conception
Manual Vacuum Aspiration
Manual vacuum aspiration can be
done up to 10 weeks. The cervix
is dilated, and the child is
suctioned out with a handheld
syringe. If the child is not found
within the removed tissue, the
woman is tested for possible
ectopic pregnancy. The
procedure takes about ten
minutes.
Development at Two Months
• Embryo is 1-1/8 inches in length
• Eyes, nose, lips, tongue, ears and teeth
are forming
• Penis begins to appear in boys
• Embryo is moving, although the mother
can not yet feel movement
Abortion Pill – Ru-486
• (1-8 weeks) It is an abortion inducing
drug.
• Takes three office visits
• Has not been shown to be safe and may
require a surgical procedure if it is
incomplete
RU-486, or abortion pill, is a pill taken in
combination with prostaglandin. Ru-486 is a
high dose of mifepristone, which works to
block the creation of progesterone, a
hormone that is necessary to create and
sustain pregnancy. This triggers the uterus to
shed its lining and opens the cervix.
2-7 days later, misoprostol is given to cause the
uterus to contract and expel the embryo. It
can be used within 49 days since the last
menstrual period as a medical abortion.
Development at Three Months
• Fetus is 2 1/2 to 3 inches long
• Weighs about 1/2 to 1 ounce
• Nails start to develop and earlobes are
formed
• Fetus develops recognizable form
• Arms, hands, fingers, legs, feet and toes are
fully formed
• Eyes are almost fully developed
• By this stage, a fetus has developed most of
his/her organs and tissues
• Fetal heart rate can be heard at 10 weeks with
a special instrument called a Doppler
11 Weeks
after
conception
10 Perfect Toes
Suction Curettage
•
•
•
•
•
The most common method at this stage
The vagina is washed with antiseptic
The cervix is shot with a painkiller
The cervix is dilated
A tube attached to a suction machine is
inserted into the uterus
• The suction machine “empties the uterus,”
usually taking the child apart limb by limb
• To make sure the child is gone, the walls of
the uterus are scraped with a metal loop
Development at Four Months
• Fetus is 6 1/2 to 7 inches long
• Weighs about 6 to 7 ounces
• Fetus is developing reflexes such as sucking
and swallowing. Fetus may begin sucking
his/her thumb
• Tooth buds are developing
• Sweat glands are forming on palms and soles
• Fingers and toes are well defined
• Sex is identifiable
• Skin is bright pink, transparent and covered
with soft, downy hair
Saline Injection
• A strong salt solution
is injected into the
mother’s womb.
• Baby dies a slow
and painful death
(2-24hrs)
• Mother delivers the
dead baby
Development at Five Months
•
•
•
•
Fetus is 8 to 10 inches long
Weighs about 1 pound
Hair begins to grow on his/her head
Soft woolly hair called lanugo will cover its
body (and some may remain until a week
after birth when it is shed)
• Mother begins to feel fetal movement
• Internal organs are maturing
• Eyebrows, eyelids and eyelashes appear
Dilatation and Curettage
• Steel knife cuts baby away from
mothers womb.
• Cuts baby into pieces.
• Removed by suction into jar for
disposal.
Development at Six Months
• Fetus is 11 to 14 inches long
• Weighs about 1 3/4 to 2 pounds
• Eyelids begin to part and eyes open
occasionally for short periods of time
• Skin is covered with protective coating
called vernix
• Fetus is able to hiccup
Dilatation and Evacuation
• Tools are inserted into the Uterus
• This dismembers the baby’s body and
crushes the skull
• The body parts removed with forceps
• There are strong indications that the
baby experiences pain.
Development at Seven Months
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Fetus is 14 to 16 inches long
Weighs about 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 pounds
Taste buds have developed
Fat layers are forming
Organs are maturing
Skin is still wrinkled and red
If born at this time, he/she will be considered
a premature baby and require special care
Partial Birth Abortion
• Baby is delivered
breech.
• Long hollow tube is
inserted into the baby’s
brain.
• Killing and delivering
the baby at the same
time.
Development at Eight Months
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Fetus is 16 1/2 to 18 inches long
Weighs about 4 to 6 pounds
Overall growth is rapid this month
Tremendous brain growth occurs at this time
Most body organs are now developed with
the exception of the lungs
Movements or "kicks" are strong enough to
be visible from the outside
Kidneys are mature
Skin is less wrinkled
Fingernails now extend beyond fingertips
Development at Nine Months
•
•
•
•
Fetus is 19 to 20 inches long
Weighs about 7 to 7 1/2 pounds
The lungs are mature
Baby is now fully developed and can survive
outside the mother's body
• Skin is pink and smooth
• He/She settles down lower in the abdomen in
preparation for birth and may seem less
active
Did you know?
• 1.6 million abortions each year in the
United States alone. 55 million
worldwide
• There are 4,400 abortions every day
(one abortion every 20 seconds)
• 98% of abortions are caused because
of socio-economic reasons. (not
medical reasons)
An Overview of Abortion
in the United States
Developed by
Physicians for Reproductive Choice and Health® (PRCH)
and The Alan Guttmacher Institute (AGI)
© January 2003
PRCH & AGI  2003
Pregnancies in the United States
(Approximately 6.3 Million Annually)
60%
52%
48%
% of pregnancies
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Intended
Unintended
Source: Henshaw, 1998
(1994 data)
PRCH & AGI  2003
Outcomes of Unintended Pregnancies
(Approximately 3.0 Million Annually)
% of unintended pregs.
60%
47%
50%
40%
40%
30%
20%
13%
10%
0%
Abortions
Births
Miscarriages
Source: Henshaw, 1998
(1994 data)
PRCH & AGI  2003
Incidence of Abortion
 In 2000, 1.31 million pregnancies were terminated by
abortion in the United States.
 Some 2.1% of all women aged 15–44 had an abortion in
2000.
 Abortion is one of the most common surgical procedures in
the United States.
Source: Finer and Henshaw, 2003
PRCH & AGI  2003
Annual Number of Abortions
Per 1,000 Women Aged 15–44
35
25
20
15
10
5
20
00
19
98
19
96
19
94
19
92
19
90
19
88
19
86
19
84
19
82
0
19
80
Rate per 1,000
30
Source: Finer and Henshaw, 2003
PRCH & AGI  2003
Abortion Rates in Western
Industrialized Countries
30
Rate per 1,000
25
21.3
22.2
18.7
20
16.5
16.4
15.6
15
7.6
10
6.5
5
0
United
States
(2000)
Australia Sweden Denmark Canada
England Germany Holland
& Wales
Source: Henshaw et al., 1999
(1996 data)
Reasons for Abortions
PRCH & AGI  2003
Most Important Reason Given for
Terminating an Unwanted Pregnancy
Inadequate finances
21%
Not ready for responsibility
Woman’s life would be changed too much
21%
16%
Problems with relationship; unmarried
Too young; not mature enough
Children are grown; woman has all she wants
Fetus has possible health problem
12%
11%
8%
3%
Woman has health problem
Pregnancy caused by rape, incest
Other
3%
1%
4%
Average number of reasons given
3.7
Source: Torres and Forrest, 1988
(1987 data)
Gestational Age
PRCH & AGI  2003
Abortions by Gestational Age
(Weeks Since Last Menstrual Period)
70%
% of abortions
60%
57.6%
50%
40%
30%
20.3%
20%
10.2%
6.2%
10%
4.3%
1.5%
0%
<9
9-10
11-12
13-15
16-20
21+
Weeks
Source: Elam-Evans et al., 2002
(1999 data)
PRCH & AGI  2003
PRCH & AGI  2003
Deaths per 100,000
Deaths per 100,000
Abortions or Births
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
12.7
6.6
3.7
0.2
<9
0.3
0.6
11-12
1.8
0.6
16-20
Births
Abortions by gestation
Source: Gold 1990
(1981–1985 data)
PRCH & AGI  2003
Percentage Distribution of
Abortion Deaths
29%
23%
18%
20%
16%
14%
10%
er
O
th
m
bo
lis
Em
io
n
ct
fe
In
or
rh
em
H
ne
sth
es
ia
ag
e
0%
A
% of deaths
30%
Source: Lawson et al., 1994
(1983–1987 data)
Stakes Study in Finland
281 women who died within one year
of their last pregnancy:
Stakes Study in Finland
281 women who died within one year
of their last pregnancy:
Stakes Study in Finland
281 women who died within one year
of their last pregnancy:
Stakes Study in Finland
281 women who died within one year
of their last pregnancy:
A study of 11,057 pregnancies
showed…
“The 752 mothers who reported one or more induced
abortions in the past were more likely, at the same
interview, to report bleeding in each of the first 3
months of the present pregnancy. They were
subsequently less likely to have a normal delivery and
more of them needed a manual removal of the placenta
or other intervention in the third stage of labor. In
births following induced abortions, the relative risk of
early neonatal death was doubled, while late neonatal
deaths showed a 3- to 4-fold increase. There was a
significant increase in the frequency of low
birthweight, compared to births in which there was no
history of previous abortion. There were increases in
major and minor congenital malformations…”
The Lie
“Repeating the big lie often
enough convinces the
public. The number of
women dying from illegal
abortions was around
200-250 annually. The
figure we constantly fed to
the media was 10,000.
These false figures took
root in the consciousness
of Americans, convincing
many that we needed to
crack the abortion law.”
Bernard Nathanson
(Founder of NARAL)
The Lie
“We systematically vilified the
Catholic Church and its
‘socially backward ideas’
and picked on the Catholic
hierarchy as the villain in
opposing abortion. This
theme was played
endlessly. We fed the
media such lies as ‘we all
know that opposition to
abortion comes from the
hierarchy and not from
most Catholics…’”
Bernard Nathanson
(Founder of NARAL)
Norma (Roe) McCorvey
“I felt "crushed" under
the truth of this
realization. I had to
face up to the awful
reality. Abortion wasn't
about 'products of
conception.' It wasn't
about 'missed
periods.' It was about
children being killed in
their mother's wombs.
All those years I was
wrong.”
Sandra (Doe) Cano
“ I'm just now learning a
lot of the details, and
I'm really shocked,
abortion is against
every belief I have. I've
never been for
abortion. I never went
for an abortion. I was
not the person they say
I was. This case was
based on lies."
Carol Everett
“I cannot tell you one thing
that happens in an
abortion clinic that is not
a lie. I've never been
able to come up with the
words to describe the
abortion procedure.
There are no words to
describe how bad it really
is. It kills the baby.”
Former Abortion
Clinic Owner
Ron Fitzsimmons
Executive Director National Coalition of Abortion Providers
Regarding his testimony in well-publicized
interviews about the frequency of partial –
birth abortions:
"[I] lied through my teeth. In the vast majority
of cases, the procedure is performed on a
healthy mother with a healthy fetus that is 20
weeks or more along…”
“
PRCH & AGI  2003
For the Mothers
• Gabriel Project: for help with
pregnancy
• Project Rachel: for women who have
had an abortion
• Birthright, Catholic Charities, for both
• Light House:
For young women
who have chosen to
have their babies