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rfmcdonaldThere was recently a fairly large scandal when Quebec City Archbishop Marc Ouellet reiterated the Roman Catholic Church's dogma that abortion is always unacceptable, even in the case of women who have been raped.
While Ouellet's statements are, I think, morally repellent--I disagree very strongly with ideologies which legitimate sociopathy as a mechanism for sexual reproduction--no one should pretend to be surprised by them. One thing that has always surprised me about pro-lifers is their refusal to treat women who have had abortions as criminals. If fetuses are in fact fully-fledged human beings, and the decision of a woman to set an appointment at a clinic for an abortion is surely as much a premeditated act as the decision of a woman to murder her children, why should a woman who has had an abortion not be brought up on charges of manslaughter?
Thoughts?
One of Canada's leading Catholic officials, Cardinal Marc Ouellet, is calling for a reopening of the debate over abortion and legislation guaranteeing legal rights for fetuses.
Ouellet, the primate of the Roman Catholic Church in Canada, sought to clarify his position on the issue in a news conference Wednesday in Quebec City, where he is archbishop.
Earlier this month, Ouellet prompted a firestorm of criticism from politicians and women's groups when he called abortion a "moral crime" as serious as murder — even in cases where the pregnancy was the result of rape.
On Wednesday, Ouellet told reporters he was "a bit surprised by the magnitude of the reaction" to his comments, which he said had been "twisted" and taken out of context.
"They took one small phrase and created a weapon … to discredit me," Ouellet said.
But Ouellet, accompanied by Ottawa Archbishop Terrence Prendergast, took only a small step back from his controversial position.
He called abortion a "moral disorder," but said the circumstances must be taken into account.
"I am not making a judgment on the woman ... because the woman has to take her decision in light of her personal circumstance," Ouellet said. "Only God knows all the elements of her final judgment of conscience.
"And if she goes to abortion, I will help her afterwards and even more because she will need lots of support because of the consequences of the fact."
While Ouellet's statements are, I think, morally repellent--I disagree very strongly with ideologies which legitimate sociopathy as a mechanism for sexual reproduction--no one should pretend to be surprised by them. One thing that has always surprised me about pro-lifers is their refusal to treat women who have had abortions as criminals. If fetuses are in fact fully-fledged human beings, and the decision of a woman to set an appointment at a clinic for an abortion is surely as much a premeditated act as the decision of a woman to murder her children, why should a woman who has had an abortion not be brought up on charges of manslaughter?
Thoughts?
