I haven't blogged about this case yet... probably because I knew I couldn't come up with anything to say about it.
The story, as related in the saecular media, goes something like this: A young Brazilian girl is repeatedly sexually abused by her step-father from the age of three. At age 9, she becomes pregnant with twins. Her exasperated mother, completely out of it, is convinced by the conscientious doctors that her young girl will die if she doesn't get an abortion. Mother reluctantly agrees to abortion. Evil, narrow-minded Archbishop immediately comes out of his palace, wagging his finger and declaring to the world that poor, helpless mother and conscientious doctors are automatically excommunicated - i.e. cast out of the Church. Big scandal ensues, and two French Bishops and the leader of the Vatican's pro-life academy rush to the rescue of poor mother and doctors, saying that evil, narrow-minded Archbishop was being very cruel and uncompassionate and that the Church shouldn't pronounce judgment in such a case.
Initially, I bought into this version of events. I didn't agree with the abortion (for reasons that shall be explained below) but it didn't seem as if the Archbishop was going about his job in a manner as sensitive as required by the situation. I wondered why he didn't start by expressing his sympathy with the mother and child under those difficult circumstances and then proceed to rationally set out the reasons why abortion was not the right action to take.
But guess what - the story told by the saecular media is a fib. Go figure. Like it hasn't happened enough times that the media has lied about the actions of the Church for one to stop believing it.
Turns out, as LifeSiteNews reports (wish I had read their version first), that the mother was initially told that the child was not in danger of death and that abortion was not necessary. The mother, evidently not agreeing with this, then took her daughter to a different hospital where the doctors did recommend abortion. The diocesan authorities also knew of the incident beforehand, so they had probably had contact with the mother, warning her that what she was planning on doing was unjustifiable.
In short, the Archbishop of Olinda and Recife, José Cardoso Sobrinho, acted in complete accordance with his duties as a pastor and in a manner corresponding to the gravity of the situation. The mother was no poor, gullible wretch who merely followed the advice of the doctors; she knew exactly what she was doing and the consequences thereof. And as for the two French Bishops and Rino Fisichella from the Pontifical Academy for Life, they were guilty of the very busybodying of which they had accused +Sobrinho.
So, what is wrong with abortion in the case of a 9-year old rape victim? I think this is a case where most people, even pro-lifers, would believe that there was an exception to the unacceptability of abortion. I fully understand these sentiments, as I have shared them myself for a long time. However, the fact is that abortion is never permissible. Never means never.
How can that be? The little girl was not at fault in any way, rather, a tremendous injustice has been comitted against her. No-one is saying that is not the case. However, this injustice is not diminished by comitting another injustice against the, likewise completely innocent, child in the womb. Two wrongs don't make a right!
But what if the young girl was in danger of dying from the pregnancy? First of all, in the case mentioned the doctors disagreed on that. Second, it would still not be permissible to deliberately kill the innocent child in the womb, because it is not permissible to do evil so that good may come of it! This is a utilitarian mindset which is not only unchristian; it is also completely alien to the whole idea of the unique dignity of man. If treating the mother were to inadvertently cause the death of the child, that would be another matter. But you may not simply choose to kill one person so that another might live. Say you were dealing with conjoined twins, and it was evident that they would both die unless you separated one from the other - but in that case only one would live, the other would die. Would you draw lots and deliberately kill one of them so that at least one might live? The task of choosing which human life is most worth living is simply not ours to make as mere humans. And thank God for that.
I urge prayers for the poor girl, who has been severely traumatized both by the persistent sexual abuse and (as if that wasn't enough) probably by the abortion as well.
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