Catholic position on abortion
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The Catholic position on abortion is that it is a grave sin resulting in automatic excommunication of all involved.
In September 2015, Pope Francis wrote that “I am well aware of the pressure that has led them to this decision,” in a letter released by the Vatican. Often women "believe that they have no other option," he added.
Accordingly, for Jubilee Year that runs from Dec. 8, 2015, to Nov. 20, 2016, those who supported abortion or had one may be absolved from the sin by a priest during confession, without the permission of the bishop to lift the ban of excommunication. This expires at the end of the Jubilee Year.
“I have decided, notwithstanding anything to the contrary, to concede to all priests for the Jubilee Year the discretion to absolve of the sin of abortion those who have procured it and who, with contrite heart, seek forgiveness for it,” Pope Francis declared.
Roe v. Wade[edit]
The U.S. Supreme Court in Roe v. Wade (1973), where only one Justice was a (nominal) Catholic, sought to downplay and marginalize the Catholic position as follows:
| “ | The Aristotelian theory of "mediate animation," that held sway throughout the Middle Ages and the Renaissance in Europe, continued to be official Roman Catholic dogma until the 19th century, despite opposition to this "ensoulment" theory from those in the Church who would recognize the existence of life from the moment of conception. The latter is now, of course, the official belief of the Catholic Church. As one brief amicus discloses, this is a view strongly held by many non-Catholics as well, and by many physicians. Substantial problems for precise definition of this view are posed, however, by new embryological data that purport to indicate that conception is a "process" over time, rather than an event, and by new medical techniques such as menstrual extraction, the "morning-after" pill, implantation of embryos, artificial insemination, and even artificial wombs. | ” |
Roe v. Wade, 410 U.S. 113, 160-61 (1973) (footnotes omitted).
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