The Roman Catholic View on Abortion

Abortion is the ending of pregnancy before the birth and the Roman Catholic Church would say that this is morally wrong. An Abortion results in the death of an embryo or fetus. Abortion, the Church says destroys the lives of helpless, innocent children. By aborting these unborn infants, humans are hurting themselves; they are not allowing themselves to meet these new identities and unique personalities. The Church teaches the human life begins at the moment of conception. During the past quarter century, abortion has joined race and war as one of the most debatable subjects of controversy in the United States. It discusses human interaction where ethics, emotions and law come together. Abortion poses a moral, social and medical dilemma that faces many individuals, which can create an intensely emotional and sometimes even violent atmosphere.

The Roman Catholic Church would hold that from the moment of conception, the embryo or fetus is alive. This life imposes a moral obligation on its parents to preserve it. Abortion is seen by the Church as being tantamount to murder. In the United States, about 1.6 million pregnancies end in abortion. Woman with incomes under eleven thousand are over three times more likely to abort than those with incomes above twenty-five thousand. Unmarried women are four to five times more likely to abort than married women are, and the abortion rate has doubled for eighteen and nineteen year olds. Recently the U.S. rate dropped six percent overall but the rate of abortions among girls younger than fifteen jumped eighteen percent.

About forty percent of Americans believe that abortion should remain legal and forty percent believe that it should be banned except when the pregnancy threatens the life of the mother or is the result of rape or incest. In addition, fifteen percent believe that it should be illegal in all cases. However, abortion is considered murder by half of all Americans.

Scientific research has successfully shown that abortion cause many psychological side effects. It leaves the woman with many strong feelings about their decision. They feel sadness, wishing that their situation could have been different and grief for a lost life. Guilt arises because they know a fetus represents an independent life. Anger builds up towards other people having to do with their decision. Sometimes the mother may feel that she has in fact been abandoned. Most of all, the mother may feel ashamed and embarrassed about her action. People close to the mother may be angry with her for ending her pregnancy and make it difficult for her to deal with. Even years after abortion, women tend to remember the regretful experience. They usually wonder about the baby's personality and it might have looked like. Symptoms like nightmares panic attacks and flashbacks are sins of a recently discovered Post Abortion Syndrome.

Word Count: 474