Dear CE,
For decades I thought my abortion was an unforgiveable sin, and that I could never come back to the Church. Within months of my reversion (another long story) I found Rachel's Hope Post-Abortion Counseling and Reconciliation.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church says that a woman who successfully procures an abortion is excommunicated latae sententiae as well as all those who assisted her. In my opinion it's past due time for Catholic legislators who promote abortion to be considered a party to the crime of abortion and share in the abortive woman's penalty. Although the decision to choose death lies with the woman, the perpetuation of the lies, and the societal pressures to abort to the point where a woman feels she has “no choice” but to kill her unborn child, lie with our chosen leaders and lawmakers.
I don't see this latae sententiae excommunication as a punishment imposed by the Church. I see it as a simple statement of fact: It is the Truth — which I know firsthand. Once I killed the child in my womb my soul separated itself from God. I felt that separation. I lived that separation. I think that all those who assist, promote, and believe in the lie that killing an unborn child is and should remain a constitutionally protected right, are already separated from Truth and from God. Hence, declaring this to be the case by saying that they are excommunicated latae sententiae is simply stating the obvious.
It is not obvious to those who don't believe in the Truth. It is very muddy to those with lukewarm hearts. Yet it is very clear to someone like me, who's lived most of her adult life in denial and separation from the only One who's ever loved me unconditionally. The One who called out to me while I was still a sinner. The One who forgave with unfathomable mercy what I held to be unforgiveable.
All I can do is to pray for John Kerry and other baptised Catholics who don't even realize how far they've strayed in promoting abortion while still claiming full communion with the Catholic Church. They are running away from God, hopelessly in pursuit of substitutes for His love. Substitutes like power, conditional human acceptance, ego, pride, vanity, monetary self-reliance and relativism. I know from my personal experience I had to hit rock bottom, be stripped of all the above, before I could even hear God calling my name. I think there must be a reason beyond my understanding why a person has to come to God on their knees in the midst of painful awareness of their total helplessness, abject poverty, and absolute reliance on God.
Janet Ackerman
San Diego, CA
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