Abortion is a mortal sin under any circumstances. The well-intentioned relativists sincerely believe that exceptions can be made for rape, incest, and protection of the life of the mother. I understand this view point, but I cannot agree and still claim to be in communion with the Catholic Church. I welcome laws that protect the unborn including the eventual overturning of Roe v. Wade, but are these laws the best way to eliminate abortion while also saving souls?
The new Texas law that bans abortion at approximately six weeks, when a fetal heartbeat can be detected, allows vigilantes to file a civil suit against anyone suspected of assisting a woman in her quest to get an abortion. This includes ride share drivers that bring the woman to the abortion clinic. Anti-abortion laws do not typically survive Supreme Court challenges, but the new makeup of the court may change that. While laws banning abortion are indeed a protection for the most vulnerable, when justice is meted out without compassion it only serves to inflame passions and harden the battle lines.
In order to save both unborn lives and the souls of the women who would have an abortion, it is necessary to focus on the conversion of hearts. There are many politically pro-choice individuals that are morally pro-life. The pro-life movement including the Catholic Church is missing a wonderful opportunity to build a bridge across the moral divide. In the current political divide the morally pro-life that advocate for a woman’s right to chose are alienated by the pro-life movement. If all people that are morally pro-life could come together, putting politics aside, they could work together for the common purpose of reducing the demand for abortion.
What weapons do we have to fight the evil of abortion? The most powerful weapon in the arsenal of any Catholic is prayer, especially the Holy Rosary. All Catholics should pray for an end to abortion, fast and do penance for the reparation of sin. Witnessing the Gospel by our lives is the single most effective way to convert souls. Approaching this issue with both truth and compassion, having faith in God to change hearts, will reduce abortion in a way most pleasing to God. Reducing the supply of abortion is good, but reducing demand is better. If laws are to be passed to eliminate abortion, let these laws not seek the punishment of women for they are most in need of God’s love and mercy.