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Monday, September 16, 2013

Read the Catechism in a year: Day 269 - Abort


Read the Catechism in a Year

The Fifth Commandment: You shall not kill.

Why is abortion unacceptable at any phase in the development of an embryo? 


God-given human life is God’s own property; it is sacred from the first moment of its existence and not under the control of any human being. “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you” (Jer 1:5).

God alone is Lord over life and death. Not even “my” life belongs to me. Every child, from the moment of conception on, has a right to life. From his earliest beginnings an unborn human being is a separate person, and no one can infringe upon his rights, not the State, not the doctor, and not even the mother. The Church’s clarity about this is not a lack of compassion; she means, rather, to point out the irreparable harm that is inflicted on the child who is killed in abortion and on his parents and on society as a whole. Protecting innocent human life is one of the noblest tasks of the State. If a State evades this responsibility, it undermines the foundations of a rule of law.

Can a handicapped child be aborted?

No. Aborting a handicapped child is always a serious crime, even if it is done with the intention of sparing that person suffering later on.  (YOUCAT questions 383-384)



Dig Deeper: Corresponding CCC section (2270-2274) and other references here.The Incredible Conversion Story of an Ex-Abortionist: 
Aborting America: The Story of an Ex-Abortionist and Ex-Atheist
Aborting America

This text comes from the YOUCAT - an accessible expression of the Catechism of the Catholic Church in a simple Q & A format. [Learn more here]


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