[ZULU]

This woman was indeed a personal of great moral courage and saintly character.

While I applaude her courage and conviction, and while I oppose abortion as murder, if faced with the decision to choose between my wife and an unborn child, I would unhesitatingly choose my wife.

Abortion is indefensible except to save the life of the mother, in case of rape or incest, or to prevent a monstrous birth which would lead a life of constant pain or die shortly after term anyway.

The above exceptions are rare and the overwhelming majority of abortions performed in the U.S. are to prevent the consequences of an immoral act, to prevent "inconvenience" to the parents or parent, or for other totally trivial and inexcusable reasons.

Abortion is the fruit, for the most part, of rampant immorality and a lifetsyle which views sex as a form of indoor athletics instead of a very special intimate act between two people, a man and a woman, joined in marriage.

It is the bitter fruit of the "Playboy Philosophy".

[lavrenti]

What interests me is that the sainthood process took so quickly. She died 42 years ago. A movement to canonize her was only of recent vintage.

I am aware of the process--none of this is discussed in the article. Won't go into it, but the beatification/canonization of this woman is very unusual, and I doubt JP II would go along with something "political" in the open sense.

There is a story here, but it isn't whas one assumes.

[Aquinasfan]

Abortion is indefensible except to save the life of the mother, in case of rape or incest, or to prevent a monstrous birth which would lead a life of constant pain or die shortly after term anyway.

Except for the life of the mother, I disagree. In the latter cases, you are placing some other principle above the right to life, which is the primary right.

That's why the life-of-the-mother case is the only legitimate exception, because you're trading life for life.

[NYer]

A view of the tapestry of Italian pediatrician Gianna Beretta Molla, who was named a saint with five others by Pope John Paul (news - web sites) II in a canonization ceremony in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican (news - web sites), Sunday May 16, 2004.

It takes tremendous faith and enormous strength of character to make and accept such a selfless decision. I wish you could have seen (can't find a picture on the web) the image of her daughter, Gianna, assisting her father as he went up to receive the pope's blessing. St. Gianna's son is a priest; he concelebrated the mass with the Holy Father.

Not everyone is called to this level of spirituality. In the case of this family, it reflects their deep devotion and total commitment to life.

[Hermann the Cherusker]

Abortion is indefensible except to save the life of the mother

Lets say you are driving down the street, and my father's elderly mother is slowly ambling across. My father sees that you aren't watching where you are going and don't see his mother, and so are bound to hit her at a high rate of speed with your car and kill her.

It would seem you support his right to "choose" to shoot you or not in order to save the life of his mother.

[gcruse]

in case of rape or incest,

Why?  Is the newly created human to blame for its circumstances?  It's hard to respect prolifers who place conditions on their largesse. Is it the bitter fruit of situational ethics?