In Brazil, a nine-year-old girl has been allowed an abotion after being raped. The girl was expecting twins after being raped by her stepfather, who had been abusing her since she was six.
Despite this, the Roman Catholic church has threatened to charge the mother of the girl with murder for agreeing to the medical procedure. (asiapacificnews.net)
How on Earth do the men at the Vatican fail to see that:
1. The girl is 9 years old, if she were to have the baby her physical health could prove fatal and her emotional health severely interrupted.
2. She was raped, if she were to have the baby how would the baby feel upon finding out she/he was brought into the world in such a way
I am disgusted at some of the Catholic Church’s decisions, it is living in the past instead of keeping pace with the times. I do not believe abortion should be a common medical practice for women who have put themselves in sticky situations however in the case of rape, bringing a baby into the world on such grounds is insane!
You are so right! This is the reason why I will never have anything to do with the Catholic Church.
On a more personal note, and not as horrific, I know… the local Catholic priest used to knock on my grandmothers’ door (back in the late 1940′s) and abuse her because her husband had left her for another woman.
I mean, what planet do these people live on?
Hi Jane,
Thanks for stopping by!
Not only restricted to the Catholic Church, I think the truth is that religion is very idealistic. I am not an atheist and I do believe in a God however the Church and its self-proclaimed authority goes far beyond my reason and rationality.
I actually feel the same way about organised religion. It scares the pants off me.
But I think it all goes back to hearing about how that priest treated my sweet Nanna.
And I could never ‘get’ how all the different churches are the ‘one’ way to God, when I was growing up.
Still can’t really…
You are absolutely correct, ladymelbourne. I worked in a women’s clinic for years and found that women who were forced to go through with a pregnancy against their will were all in a terrible situation.
Of course you are correct about the 9 year old pregnant with twins as a result of constant familial rape. It is a nightmare scenario. But it is no less tragic for a recently arrived mother from Sudan with a handful of babies already, trying to make a new life for herself and her family. And equally tragic is the case where a married couple has finally launched their adult children, only to find a totally unexpected pregnancy at 46.
My point is that the church and the politicians need to stay out of fertility decisions. It needs to be a thoughtful decision between the woman, her husband or parents and a doctor.
well the Catholic church has distorted even the Bible (example – The Ten Commandments) to suite its own needs so except nothing much to change on these issues. A theocratic state must be their ultimate motive, we will never know. But even Jesus Christ when he was on this earth gave the freedom of choice to everyone.
Thank you all for your posts, your insight is truly refreshing. ‘Hels’ you are absolutely right, if basic rights are to be granted then religion and politics should stay out of such important decisions. ‘J Paul’ you too are right, Jesus gave choice to everyone on Earth so why do the heads of the Church believe they have the right to determine the fate of others. Thanks again.