Expert: Fr. Timothy Johnson - 12/23/2010

Question
QUESTION: I was reading about the case out in the western US where a Nun gave the go-ahead on  an abortion to save the life of a mother, I see nothing wrong with this at all, when is it ok to have an abortion? Surely the Church has came up to par with 21st century on social issues...I see nothing wrong when it is between life and death..now I do however find it wrong when someone has it done elective as if it was getting a nose job or something ridiculous like that, but as to save the life of a mother with 4 kids! I find this to be very primitive way to think.

ANSWER: Hi, Shawn:

The simple answer: It is NEVER under any circumstance morally permissible to kill a baby, born or unborn.  It is quite primitive to think that murder is acceptable - I agree.

Fr. Timothy Johnson

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: what about kill a mother who is in a life or death situation? Isn't her life worth more..since she has 4 children to raise and can produce more children???? I think issues like this is why the RCC is losing members and only having 23% of its parishes attend mas regularly..less than that go to confession... I think the Church needs reformed, again IMO.

Answer
The only ones to me who seem to be able to countenance the situation of killing anyone, mother or child, would be those who do not accept the intrinsic value and dignity of each and every life.  There is no greater or lesser value of a human life, regardless of age or any other circumstance.  The situation you presented is not a matter of acting to kill a mother.  In fact, the situation you describe is a scenario of making a conscious choice and act of murder to directly kill an unborn baby.
The Church gains members by the respect and adherence to the Truth; and she loses members due to the loss of Faith and apostasy.  I do not think authentic reform can involve the repeal of the objective truth and value of the Positive Natural Law of God summed up in the 10 Commandments.  It is sad when people such as yourself present these matters based upon a merely altruistic and relative value of "numbers of people" in an "organization."  The Church is not all about numbers: it is about presenting the Truth and helping people to abide in that Truth, always striving.  If we give up the struggle, death and decay are already creeping in.  False ideas of moral relativism and bad theology, etc. are the actual reasons people stay away from the Mass; and certainly they will not go to Confession if they are no longer striving to live holy lives and have given up the struggle.
In an analogous way, the very idea you present is something like saying the Church needs to permit the moral evil of adultery - to say give up, don't bother: there is no need to keep one's public vows.  Do whatever you want.  There is no sin, nothing that needs to be forgiven.  Just throw the Sacrament of Marriage to the side without any regard for its intrinsic value.  It's all about doing whatever I feel like at the moment, regardless of the harm it does to others.  Let's all just go on our way and pretend like there is no right and no wrong, and just do whatever we feel like; and that there is no sin, no need for conversion, forgiveness, the healing power of God's Grace, the help to do what is right and good.  And then to conclude that the Church should stop teaching that there is such a thing as sin and a call to conversion and interior reform of one's life.
Unless we uphold the intrinsic worth and dignity of each human life, then it becomes the fearful matter of: when am I next?  When might somebody decide my life is not worth living anymore?  When will somebody seek to kill me because they have reasoned that I am in the way, not worth being able to live anymore?  Think of Nazi Germany and Communist Russia.  Let's hold fast to the power and truth of Jesus Christ to not allow those histories to repeat themselves in and among us here and now in society.  Sorry - but this is a scary thought.
Numbers, numbers, numbers - policy based upon a pat-on-the-back because it seems like it works to keep the numbers of the organization BIG.  This is not the Gospel.

Fr. Timothy Johnson