THE
P RTAL
October 2011
Page 10
Abortion
by Dr Clare Walker of the Catholic Medical Association
It’s really important not to make accidental eye-contact with anyone in the pews – whether male
or female, young or old - when challenging congregations about the reality of abortion and that if they are
not supportive to those with crisis pregnancies they are complicit in abortion. You never know their past, the
burdens they’re carrying or their mental state. They might wonder if I know something about them. At least
in those days I was not a doctor!
‘Post Abortion Syndrome’
wisely or abused and confusion reigns when those
I remember, when, over 20 years ago, I would be who wish to defend vulnerable life before birth fail to
asked to speak at the occasional pro-life Sunday, whilst recognise some new challenges which those with crisis
still a pregnancy and post-abortion counsellor for pregnancies face.
‘Life’ and how acutely aware I was that many people
If public statements do not explicitly recognise
lived in complex, secret hells, plagued by features of
‘Post Abortion Syndrome’ and isolated by the public these, hostile media figures can use such statements to
ridicule the fundamental teaching as fundamentalist
face they presented to the world.
and out of touch with modern day realities.
Some became active parishioners, pillars of the
It can be equally tempting to remain silent. Those
community to split off their current lives from the
who are celibate can be over-deferential in matters of
past, bargaining with God.
sexuality and reproduction, embarrassed – if not by the
clergy had a busy week
topic – by the horrific accounts of uncompassionate
I knew that there would be parishioners who would and secretive activities of Church bodies decades
not have read their previous weeks parish newsletter, ago in some mother and baby homes in Ireland and
had no warning of my invitation to speak at the end of elsewhere.
Mass, and would feel trapped and be praying to keep
early and accurate pregnancy tests
their composure before they could leave the church.
The advent of very early and accurate pregnancy tests
Often, in encouraging parishioners to reflect on before a woman has any symptoms of pregnancy places
abortions, I would be told that clergy had a busy week pressure on her to make a rapid decision when panic
following pro-life Sundays with those seeking pastoral and disbelief predominate, even in a fair proportion of
help, sacramental reconciliation and healing.
planned pregnancies.
balk at the scale of death
Job pressures, the fear of redundancy, the realities of
rising bills in every direction as well as the number of
years of further education and re-payment of student
loans, the mismatch between the need for rental
property suitable for families wishing to stay in an area
long-term for school and employment stability and the
miniaturisation of properties for sale for those who
When the abortion ends the life of between a fifth can hope to afford a mortgage are all serious obstacles
and a third of all established pregnancies (depending to those trying to continue a pregnancy against the
on the part of Britain you happen to live in), the mind advice of others.
and spirit balk at the scale of death and it is tempting
to minimise the reality as well as the pervasiveness and fellow-feminists
depth of the impact down the generations and across
After over 40 years of access to legal abortion in
society.
Britain, many people who had never given the issue
much thought are surprised and un-nerved at the
human life is sacred from conception strength of their own feelings of protectiveness towards
The Catholic Church has consistently taught that their baby once they consider abortion. Some of the
human life is sacred from conception. But times most isolated clients I ever met in the counselling
change, medical science adds further tools to be used room in ‘Life’ were fellow-feminists who had attended
When a law is enacted which allows exemption from
prosecution for doctors and nurses actively killing
a human life before birth, we must not be surprised
when the disposable attitude to life scars individuals,
families and communities.