One of the Church’s best known—and most criticized—doctrines is its complete ban on abortion. In fact, a completed abortion is one of only nine sins that result in automatic excommunication, putting it on the level of apostasy or physically attacking the Pope.
Why is this? Why does the Catholic Church consider abortion such a grave sin?
First, imagine the theological consequences of abortion. How could John the Baptist leap for joy in the womb if he is not even alive? Worse yet, Our Lady had the ultimate unplanned pregnancy. Could she have simply aborted Jesus if she changed her mind?
God enters the world at the Annunciation, not on Christmas morning.
Second, Church teaching against abortion goes all the way back to the first century. The Didache, the oldest manual of Christian religion, explicitly condemns abortion. Afterwards, Church Fathers like Justin Martyr, Tertullian, and Augustine all condemned it as well. Prior to Christ, Jewish Rabbis also condemned it.
Their reasoning was simple: the taking of innocent life is inherently wrong, and they determined that human personhood is present in the womb. To destroy an innocent image bearer of God has always been, and will always be, a grave sin.
Some have argued that many of the Church Fathers shared differing opinions on abortion. This does not change the Catholic stance.
Not only did they all condemn modern doctrines like abortion on demand, but they also shared a literal blind spot: they could not see into the womb. The Fathers agreed that the fetus became ensouled sometime during pregnancy, but without knowing the processes, none could be sure exactly when.
Third, modern science has clarified the dispute and solidified the Catholic Church’s stance. In 1869, in the wake of the discovery of the human zygote, the Catholic Church found compelling evidence that the fetus is a living human being from the moment of conception.
The zygote is not merely a lump of matter being shaped by the mother. Rather, the fetus’s growth is independent and self-directed from the moment of conception. These are the characteristic traits of a distinct life separate from the mother’s.
While the Catholic Church has no official doctrine on when the soul is joined with the body, it has always held that abortion is wrong and destroys the potential for a fully developed human to form.
In light of discoveries about the zygote, Pope Pius IX issued “Apostolicae Sedis”, a decree banning abortion at any stage of the pregnancy. It continues to be the doctrine the Catholic Church cherishes to this day.
Despite enormous political pressure, the Church stands strong in its convictions. In his Apostolic exhortation “Evangelii Gaudium,” Pope Francis wrote:
“[Abortion] involves the internal consistency of our message about the value of the human person, the church cannot be expected to change her position on this question… It is not ‘progressive’ to try to resolve problems by eliminating a human life.”
The Catholic Church faces a tremendous challenge in the face of over 600,000 abortions a year in the U.S. alone. Each one is the death of an innocent life, as well as a woman put in an unspeakable position where many feel like they are left with no choice.
As Catholics, we are called not just to defend the unborn, but also to show extraordinary love and compassion for women.
Catholic teaching shows that where sin and death abound, only a greater love and sacrifice can bring a culture of life.
Nick Letts is a former “radical atheist” who converted to Protestantism as a senior in High School, and then converted to Catholicism as a Junior in college. He studies philosophy in the Morrissey College, and loves nothing more than to curl up with a good book. He is engaged to his lovely fiancée Katherine Brown.
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