McBride was an administrator and member of the ethics committee at St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center. On 27 November 2009, the committee was consulted on the case of a woman who was eleven weeks pregnant and suffering from pulmonary hypertension. Her doctors stated that the woman would almost certainly die very soon if the pregnancy was allowed to continue.
McBride joined the ethics committee in approving the decision to terminate the pregnancy through an induced abortion. The abortion took place and the mother survived.
Afterwards, the abortion came to the attention of Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted, the bishop of the Diocese of Phoenix. Olmsted spoke to McBride privately and informed her that she had incurred excommunication automatically as a result of her actions.
Olmsted, and others, said that abortion was never permitted and, indeed, as pregnancy was not an illness, an abortion to save the mother's life was never proper. As Pius XII held with specific reference to abortion:
"Any direct attempt on an innocent life as a means to an end - even to the end of saving another life - is unlawful. Innocent human life, in whatsoever condition it is found, is withdrawn, from the very first moment of its existence, from any direct deliberate attack. "
Proper care was to be given to the mother but such care could not include an abortion.
As set out below, the Church does sanction acts which have the indirect effect of causing an abortion if those acts are otherwise medically necessary. However, Church law never allows an abortion to be directly induced. Only where some other operation has the unintended side effect of causing an abortion does Catholic teaching allow for the other operation - and so indirectly an abortion.
An interesting contrast to this view is presented by Jewish religious law which would have required the abortion in these circumstances.
Under Jewish law where the mother's life is in jeopardy because of the unborn child, abortion is mandatory.
An unborn child has the status of "potential human life" until the majority of the body has emerged from the mother. The Talmud says quite bluntly that if the foetus threatens the life of the mother, you cut it up within her body and remove it limb by limb if necessary, because its life is not as valuable as hers. Note, what is required is a mere threat to the life of the mother -- a standard far lower than that facing Sister McBride. Further, abortion, in such a case, is not only permitted -- it is required.
In a similar (but less graphic) approach Islam generally permits abortion up to 120 days following conception where a woman's life is endangered. Note, however, the abortion is not required but merely permitted.
Christian groups vary in their views towards abortion where the mother's life is a stake. It is fair to say many allow abortion for the mother's health.
The Dalai Lama has said that abortion is "negative," but there are exceptions. He said, "I think abortion should be approved or disapproved according to each circumstance." Many Buddhists acknowledge the mother's health as a valid justification for an abortion but still hold it has a negative spiritual effect.
The Catholic Teaching on Abortion, Allocution to Large Families, Nov. 26, 1951, Pope Pius XII
...
III What if, in order to save the life of the mother, independently of her pregnant condition, a surgical intervention or a therapeutic treatment is necessary which would have as an accidental consequence, in no way desired nor intended, the death of the foetus?
"Deliberately We have always used the expression 'direct attempt on the life of an innocent person,' 'direct killing.' Because if, for example, the saving of the life of the future mother, independently of her pregnant condition, should urgently require a surgical act or other therapeutic treatment which would have as an accessory consequence, in no way desired nor intended, but inevitable, the death of the foetus, such an act could no longer be called a direct attempt on an innocent life. Under these conditions the operation can be lawful, like other similar medical interventions - granted always that a good of high worth is concerned, such as life, and that it is not possible to postpone the operation until after the birth of the child, nor to have recourse to other efficacious remedies."
2 comments:
It's way overdue - that women in the Catholic church stood up for themselves instead of being treated like 2nd class citizens.
I think the nuns should form their own church.
The priests should be in jail.
I'm disgusted.
Lyn
"I think the nuns should form their own church."
Absolutely, just like the rest of the protestants it is perfectly legitimate to form ones' own church but it is a very different thing to tell the Catholic church it must change to fit your view of the universe. Religion is there for a lot of reasons but one is to teach a moral code. If the moral code isn't to your liking then please feel free to find one that does. I certainly did, and I never felt the church should change to suit me.
In fact, if abortion were the only thing I was interested in, I'd probably be a Muslim. I wish Canada had restriction on abortion similar to their views. I find it morally reprehensible that abortion is allowed right up to the moment of full birth. As much as I support Jews in Israel and in their right to live free from persecution I vehemently disagree with their view (as James stated) on abortion.
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