A 27 year old woman, mother of four, arrives at a Catholic hospital critically ill. She is eleven weeks pregnant. Doctors determine that, if she continues with the pregnancy, there is a nealy one hundred percent chance she and her unborn baby will die. Her only chance of survival is to terminate the pregnancy. A tragic situation, but it seems a clear cut choice. Terminate the pregnancy and she has a good chance to live and continue to raise her four children. Continue the pregnancy and she dies, her unborn baby dies and her four children are left motherless.
You have probably read about Sister Margaret McBride, an administrator and member of the Ethics Committee at the Catholic hospital where this young woman was treated. She has been excommuncated from the Church for approving this abortion. It appears the Catholic Church...or at least its hierarchy...would have preferred to prohibit the abortion and watch the mother of four die along with her unborn baby. This case exemplifies some of my issues with the Catholic Church today.
I grew up Catholic. Twelve years of Catholic schools gave me great academics as well as plenty of religious education. One of the things my classmates and I were fond of doing in Religion Class was coming up with "what-if's" - challenging the nuns to address extreme cases of whatever issue was under discussion. And each time, on the issue of abortion, the answer was the same. While wrong in most cases, it is permissable when the life of the mother is at stake. I was taught to believe in a compassionate God. One who would not require sacificing a mother's life and leaving four children motherless for the sake of principle.
Truly, the issue in this case was not the fate of the unborn baby. The eleven week fetus was not going to survive to birth. The issue was the mother's survival. Would she die along with the unborn or be given a chance to survive on her own? In a Catholic hospital, a case like this called for wisdom and compassion, qualities Sister Margaret McBride and the Ethics Committee exhibited. Instead of being praised for making a courageous, compasionate choice within the spirit of the rules of her faith, the Sister is being humiliated and punished for not adhering to the letter of the rules. Perhaps the Bishop of Phoenix needs a refresher religion class. I will be happy to refer him to my former teachers.
