We must avoid judging the internal guilt of women who have had an abortion

La Salette Journey ^ | May 10, 2012 | Paul Melanson

[cleghornboy]

It was St. Augustine, Father and Doctor of the Church, who said, "Interficere errorem, diligere errantem" - Kill the error, love the one who errs. I have actually taken that as the motto for this Blog. Gaudium et Spes of the Second Vatican Council put it this way: "..it is necessary to distinguish between error, which always merits repudiation, and the person in error, who never loses the dignity of being a person even when he is flawed by false or inadequate religious notions. God alone is the judge and searcher of hearts, for that reason He forbids us to make judgments about the internal guilt of anyone." (No. 28).

This teaching isn't always understood by some. In an article on abortion which may be found at LifeSiteNews, Stacy Trasancos, who writes a column for The Catholic Free Press, writes, "It's a faulty question to ask whether or not a woman suffers mental anguish after she kills her own child. Of course she does, a woman with her sanity and dignity intact doesn't do that in the first place....a woman who kills her child in the womb is suffering mentally and will suffer mentally afterwards. Something is terribly wrong in her soul and in her life."

But here we encounter an immediate problem. To say that there is something "terribly wrong" in the soul of a woman who has had an abortion and that her sanity and dignity are not intact is to make a judgment about her internal guilt and her motives. The very thing which the teaching of the Church forbids.

Pope John Paul II, in his wonderful Encyclical Letter Evangelium Vitae, explains that many factors influence the decision which a woman makes when she is burdened with an untimely pregnancy. He writes, "As well as he mother, there are often other people too who decide upon the death of the child in the womb. In the first place, the father of the child may be to blame, not only when he directly pressures the woman to have an abortion, but also when he indirectly encourages such a decision on her part by leaving her alone to face the problems of pregnancy...Nor can one overlook the pressures which sometimes come from the wider family circle and from friends. Sometimes the woman is subjected to such strong pressure that she feels psychologically forced to have an abortion: certainly in this case the moral responsibility lies particularly with those who have directly or indirectly obliged her to have an abortion. (EV, No. 59)

The Holy Father also places responsibility for the tragedy of abortion on, "doctors and nurses...when they place at the service of death skills which were acquired for promotion of life," and on "legislators who have promoted and approved abortion laws," and, "to the extent that they have a say in the matter, on the administrators of the health-care centers were abortions are performed” (EV, No. 59).

It is always a tragedy when a woman makes the decision to have an abortion. But this decision to have an abortion is made in the context of multiple personal and societal pressures in what Pope John Paul II so aptly termed the "culture of death." Although the responsibility for the abortion decision is not entirely, nor perhaps even primarily hers, she must bear its burdensome consequences almost entirely alone for the rest of her life. So perhaps it's best to avoid questioning her sanity and dignity?

Perhaps instead, we should follow the lead of Pope John Paul II, whose pastoral outreach to women who have had an abortion is a model of tenderness and compassion [rightly understood] as well as being hopeful:

"I would like to say a special word to women who have had an abortion. The Church is aware of the many factors which may have influenced your decision, and she does not doubt that in many cases I was a painful and even shattering decision. The wound in your heart may not yet have healed. Certainly what happened was and remains terribly wrong. But do not give in to discouragement and do not lose hope. Try rather to understand what happened and face it honestly. If you have not already done so, give yourselves over with humility and trust to repentance. The Father of mercies is ready to give you his forgiveness and his peace in the Sacrament of Reconciliation." (EV, No. 99).

Witness how the Holy Father does not condone sin or error? He rightly stresses that an abortion is, objectively speaking, a grave wrong even as he offers hope and encouragement by reminding women who have had an abortion that forgiveness and peace may be theirs in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

One would think that Stacy Trasancos would understand this better than most. For she has herself admitted, at the website Catholic Online, that she got pregnant in college, has had an abortion, that she's taken drugs and worked as a stripper, that she's been divorced, and that her seven children are from three different men.

The same Good God Who forgave Stacy her sins offers His Mercy to every woman who has had an abortion. Perhaps instead of questioning the souls of such women or their dignity and sanity, Stacy could follow Pope John Paul II's lead? As should we all.

Kill the error, love the one who errs. Hate the sin, love the sinner.

[justice14]

You said that to be redeemed you had to ask forgiveness from the victim. The theif still committed a crime against someone. He did not ask forgiveness.

[ArrogantBustard]

Jesus did say that adultery was the one sin that breaks the covenant.

I presume that you're referring to Matthew 5:32 ... and simply note that the Catholic Church disagrees with your interpretation thereof.

Silverleaf asked about why the Catholic Church does certain things, particularly regarding marriage. Any answer to that must reflect how the Catholic Church understands marriage and again how the Catholic Church interprets any Scripture referring to marriage.

[Mrs. Don-o]

Cleghornboy, you are exactly right on this. But I can see that a lot of the FReepers who are responding, are making no distinction beween objective sin, internal guilt, and legal crime.

You are pointing out the differences, but it's flying right over a lot of people's heads.

[wardaddy]

Plenty women feel no guilt

Or shame

I am southern baptist

We are shame not guilt peoples

[cleghornboy]

Thank you Mrs. Don-o,

They really do not understand the point being made here. But then, many haven’t the God-given gift of the fullness of truth which is to be found in Catholicism. I’m sure there will now be attacks on Catholic moral teaching and the Church in general now.

Hopefully this answer from a Catholic theologian will help:

http://www.ewtn.com/vexperts/showmessage.asp?number=525543&Pgnu=&recnu

[MestaMachine]

But he DID repent and in the most public of all places.
Look. The point is, if your victim is nhot murdered but remains alive, you always have the hope of redemption. There are many ways to repent. But murder is final. There are no more chances after that. Someone who commits the most heinous of crimes might never repent. Some might. Their choice. A murderer does not have that choice.
And just for the record, from a purely human standpoint, I can forgive a misguided person, but I am not the ultimate judge. And I honestly don’t believe that the majority of women who promote and have abortions are misguided.

[wardaddy]

I thought he was kept from Canaan because of his lapse of faith and tantrum at Sinai first go round with the tablets

[MestaMachine]

Moses wasn’t a Jew.

[MestaMachine]

And others think it was because he swung away at the rock that poured out water instead of tapping it as he was instructed.

There was a point early on, that G-d intended to kill Moses, but his wife saved him by offering up the foreskin of their firstborn son. SHE made the Covenant permanent by interceding for him.

[justice14]

But your whole point is based on repenting and asking forgiveness from the victim. The thief did not. You said he did it publically. So then why is it different for someone who murdered someone to repent publically? Sin is sin.

[MestaMachine]

Can’t cure deliberately obtuse.

CAN YOU ASK FORGIVENESS FROM A DEAD PERSON OR RECTIFY THAT WRONG?
I have already said that many who commit crimes do NOT repent or ask forgiveness or feel remorse for their crimes. BUT they DO have the choice. Some CHOOSE to remain unredeemed with the sin still upon their heads. Murder leaves you with no choice. No way to rectify that wrong. Brick wall. Over and out. Finito.
Bye now.

[justice14]

Your logic is asstounding. Tell me where in the Bible it says that you can only repent if the person wronged is available. It doesn’t. So if you steal from someone and they get killed in a freak accident, it sucks to be you. Sounds “Just”.

[rwilson99]

I guess David wasn’t either.

Troll.

[MestaMachine]

The tribe of Judah was the leading tribe of the Kingdom of Judah. David and the royal line belonged to the tribe, and the line continued after the fall of the Kingdom.

Troll?

Moses was a Hebrew reared as an Egyptian. He was not a member of the “tribe” of Judah, hence not a “Jew”. He was a Levite.

Do some reading before you start with the personal attacks.

[daisy mae for the usa]

Understood.

[Captain Steve]

THOU SHALT NOT MURDER.
I am Jewish and murder is the ONE sin there is not, and cannot ever be, forgiveness for. Ever.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

People reading this thread, and MM should know, that’s very bad theology.

Many sins cannot be settled with the victim. There are millions of examples. By your reasoning a tax cheat would have to get forgiveness from every person in the country, or if a person you sinned against died before you spoke to them, it would also be a “unforgivable sin.” Not true.

Ultimately, the problem with sin, and the most important aspect of sin, is that when we sin we are sinning against GOD! Reconciliation with God is always possible (except maybe blasphemy, but that’s another topic).

[SoldierDad]

Moses was Hebrew, and thus, a Jew.

[guitarplayer1953]

If the woman does not know God then she is acting like a heathen. If she knows God and has an abortion she is a murderer.

[Salvation]

1:

CCC Search Result - Paragraph # 2271  (618 bytes )  preview document matches has affirmed the moral evil of every procured abortion. This teaching has not changed and remains unchangeable. Direct abortion, that is to say, abortion willed either as an end ... URL: http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/para/2271.htm

97%

2:

CCC Search Result - Paragraph # 2272  (580 bytes )  preview document matches abortion constitutes a grave offense. The Church attaches the canonical penalty of excommunication to this crime against human life. "A person who procures a completed abortion ... URL: http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/para/2272.htm

96%

3:

CCC Search Result - Paragraph # 2322  (289 bytes )  preview document matches 2 From its conception, the child has the right to life. Direct abortion, that is, abortion willed as an end or as a means, is a "criminal" practice (GS 27 § 3), gravely contrary ... URL: http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/para/2322.htm

96%

4:

CCC Search Result - Paragraph # 2274  (554 bytes )  preview document matches It is gravely opposed to the moral law when this is done with the thought of possibly inducing an abortion, depending upon the results: a diagnosis must not be the equivalent of a ... URL: http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/para/2274.htm

[EDINVA]

Isn’t it the case that in our own judicial system, murder is the one crime that doesn’t have a statute of limitations? And, no doubt, for the reasoning you’ve laid out here.