Catholic Teaching

From the 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.

Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you.

My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately wrought in the depths of the earth.

2271 Since the first century the Church 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 or a means, is gravely contrary to the moral law:

You shall not kill the embryo by abortion and shall not cause the newborn to perish.

God, the Lord of life, has entrusted to men the noble mission of safeguarding life, and men must carry it out in a manner worthy of themselves. Life must be protected with the utmost care from the moment of conception: abortion and infanticide are abominable crimes.

2272 Formal cooperation in an 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 incurs excommunication latae sententiae," "by the very commission of the offense,"and subject to the conditions provided by Canon Law.The Church does not thereby intend to restrict the scope of mercy. Rather, she makes clear the gravity of the crime committed, the irreparable harm done to the innocent who is put to death, as well as to the parents and the whole of society.

2273 The inalienable right to life of every innocent human individual is a constitutive element of a civil society and its legislation:

"The inalienable rights of the person must be recognized and respected by civil society and the political authority. These human rights depend neither on single individuals nor on parents; nor do they represent a concession made by society and the state; they belong to human nature and are inherent in the person by virtue of the creative act from which the person took his origin. Among such fundamental rights one should mention in this regard every human being's right to life and physical integrity from the moment of conception until death."

"The moment a positive law deprives a category of human beings of the protection which civil legislation ought to accord them, the state is denying the equality of all before the law. When the state does not place its power at the service of the rights of each citizen, and in particular of the more vulnerable, the very foundations of a state based on law are undermined.... As a consequence of the respect and protection which must be ensured for the unborn child from the moment of conception, the law must provide appropriate penal sanctions for every deliberate violation of the child's rights."

2274 Since it must be treated from conception as a person, the embryo must be defended in its integrity, cared for, and healed, as far as possible, like any other human being.

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Gradualism and Abortion
From Evangelium Vitae (The Gospel of Life):

A particular problem of conscience can arise in cases where a legislative vote would be decisive for the passage of a more restrictive law, aimed at limiting the number of authorized abortions, in place of a more permissive law already passed or ready to be voted on. Such cases are not infrequent. It is a fact that while in some parts of the world there continue to be campaigns to introduce laws favouring abortion, often supported by powerful international organizations, in other nations-particularly those which have already experienced the bitter fruits of such permissive legislation-there are growing signs of a rethinking in this matter. In a case like the one just mentioned, when it is not possible to overturn or completely abrogate a pro-abortion law, an elected official, whose absolute personal opposition to procured abortion was well known, could licitly support proposals aimed at limiting the harm done by such a law and at lessening its negative consequences at the level of general opinion and public morality. This does not in fact represent an illicit cooperation with an unjust law, but rather a legitimate and proper attempt to limit its evil aspects. (73)

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Partial Birth Abortion
From "Partial Birth Abortion" a reflection by Cardinal Alfonzo López Trujillo
Pontifical Council for the Family

The term partial-birth abortion describes an abortion technique used in the final months of pregnancy, during which there is an intervaginal partial birth of the living fetus:  the content of the brain is then sucked out before delivery is complete. This technique was legalized in the United States after the decision of the Supreme Court in the case of Roe vs. Wade in 1973, which authorized the different States to issue measures permitting artificially-induced abortions.

There is a legal raison d'être for the development of this method: it was deduced from the deliberation of the Supreme Court of the United States which states that the term "person" as used in the 14th Amendment of the Constitution is not applicable to the unborn child, and that until the moment of birth it is possible to put an end to this child's life without incurring judicial action. On the other hand, the legislation of the various States all specify that during birth, when an infant has fully emerged from the mother's womb and shows even only the slightest sign of life, he or she is a person in the eyes of the law, so that, from the legal standpoint, to deliberately deprive the child of life would be homicide. On the other hand, it is legally permissible to kill this child during birth, on condition that the child still remains partially inside the uterus...click here to read more... 

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FAQs

Why is the Church opposed to abortion?

What is the "trigger ban" and why does TCC support it?

Additional Resources

Evangelium Vitae (The Gospel of Life)
Pope John Paul II

Declaration on Procured Abortion
Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith

Donum Vitae
INSTRUCTION ON RESPECT FOR HUMAN LIFE IN ITS ORIGIN AND ON THE DIGNITY OF PROCREATION: REPLIES TO CERTAIN QUESTIONS OF THE DAY

Charter of the Rights of the Family

Veritatis Splendor: The Splendor of the Truth
Pope John Paul II

Resolution on Abortion
U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops

Partial Birth Abortion
Cardinal Alfonzo López Trujillo, Pontifical Council for the Family


Catechism of the Catholic Church

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Testimony on Respect for Life
PUBLIC TESTIMONY PUBLIC TESTIMONY
HOUSE COMMITTEE ON STATE AFFAIRS
TEXAS HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
APRIL 2, 2007
Most Reverend Kevin W. Vann, Diocese of Fort Worth

Testimony on Embryonic Stem Cell Research
PRESENTATION TO HOUSE COMMITTEE ON STATE AFFAIRS
TEXAS HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
APRIL 12, 2007
Fr. Joseph C. Howard, Jr.


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