The Problem of Abortion

 In his World Peace Day 2013 message, entitled “Blessed are the Peacemakers,” Pope Benedict XVI states: -The path to the attainment of the common good and to peace is above all that of respect for human life in all its many aspects, beginning with its conception, through its development and up to its natural end.” In this moving document the pope adds that: - “Every offence against life, especially at its beginning, inevitably causes irreparable damage to development, peace and the environment.”

Such sentiments are shared by the legendary Mother Theresa who said: - “The greatest destroyer of peace in the world today is abortion.”

Sadly, Malta is the only nation in the EU that still outlaws this practice. What was once Christian Europe has now succumbed to the wave of pragmatic secularism. Thankfully, as yet, in Malta public opinion is still opposed to the ‘culture of death’. However, there is no room for complacency. There is a subtle onslaught over this core value being played out.

The usual strategy refers to pregnant mothers at risk in carrying a child full term. This is a red herring. In those very rare cases where mother and child are at risk, the utmost is done to save both. The mother is always given a choice. Some mothers refuse treatment. Yet, should the mother choose lifesaving treatment, say for cancer, treatment would not be denied, even if the child dies as an unavoidable consequence of the mother’s treatment. The dilemma of having to lose the foetus in the attempt to save the mother’s life is not an abortion. Even in the sad reality of victims of rape, to eliminate the weak and defenseless foetus is not justified.

The introduction of abortion as a ‘so called solution’ has opened the flood gates that have dehumanized society. It is an undisputed scientific fact that life begins at conception. This explains why the Catholic Church unequivocally upholds the value of life from conception and that is why it is an embarrassing voice to the culture that legalises abortion.

Whilst we are shocked at the unbelievable brutality unleashed in the violent conflicts in Syria and Iraq, we are almost totally indifferent to the fate of the least of our brethren. These millions of embryos and foetuses are being used, abused, destroyed and experimented on remorselessly. The statistics are shocking. In China alone, 14 million abortions were carried out in one year alone. In UK, circa 600 abortions are carried out daily.

Meanwhile, prenatal testing has given rise to a veritable mass killing of unwanted foetuses on a staggering scale. Most babies diagnosed with Down syndrome are aborted. Babies with club feet are being aborted late into pregnancy. Even babies with corrective conditions such as hare lip and cleft palate are being aborted thanks to these tech­nologies which identify them in the womb. The chilling procedure of prenatal testing for sex selection has led to the elimination of millions of female children creating enormous population imbalances, most notably in China where communities are being depopulated as many men cannot find women to marry. Due to gendercide, in 2010, it was recorded that there is a surplus of 35 million males in China.

 The disregard for the sanctity of life has also spawned IVF techniques that squander embryos on a huge scale. Discarded embryos are not only used in stem cell research, but also in food, cosmetics and vaccines. The media seem reluctant in bringing these facts to the general public. The ethical vacuum in which these life and death issues are being manipulated needs addressing seriously as never before.  Fortunately, the revulsion against abortion and the disregard for embryos is rising, especially in the USA.

 In October 2018, Pope Francis speaking in St. Peter’s square condemned how one can justify the suppression of human life in the maternal womb in the name of safeguarding other rights.

 He asked: - “ Is it right to do away with human life to solve a problem? Is it right to hire a hit man to solve a problem? We have a grave responsibility to raise public awareness of what is really at stake.