Catholics and Abortion
In response to the interview with Cardinal Roger Mahony, Feb. 27:
The cardinal has on several occasions shown an inclination toward redefining a Catholic as someone who fits certain criteria and who generally agrees with his position on a variety of issues. He is, of course, free to define a Catholic as he pleases. He should, however, adhere to his definition of a Catholic when speaking to the public. If he specifies, for example, that he speaks for the 13% of the general Catholic population who agree with his position on abortion (Gallup poll in 1992), then no one will contest his statements. If he is not clear, and pretends to speak for all Catholics, then we, the remaining 87% of Catholics who do not agree with his position on abortion, are sure to speak up as well.
Redefining Catholicism is a convenient way of dismissing the fertile life and history of dissent within the Catholic Church. It is also a certain way of further alienating the millions of Catholics who find the church’s position on various reproductive and sexual issues, unresponsive, patriarchal, sexist and homophobic.
While it is true, as Cardinal Mahony says, that the church has dealt with the issue of abortion from its early origins, it must be remembered that the position the church currently holds with respect to abortion is a very recent one indeed, dating only to 1869. In 1869, Pius IX published the Apostolicae sedis in which he presented the view that all abortion is homicide and implicitly endorsed the controversial idea of immediate hominization (ensoulment at conception). For the entire history of the Catholic Church, this had been very much a minority view and one sporadically held at that. Until 1869 the majority view held that abortion in early pregnancy (up to the first 80 days, until hominization took place), although a sin if it concealed a sexual transgression, could not be considered murder.
MARINA MOEVS
FRANCESCA TAYLOR MD
CECILE CALLAN
California Catholics for Free Choice
Southern Division, Santa Monica