© Copyright 2002 Grace D. MacKinnon
Grace MacKinnon is a syndicated columnist and public speaker on Catholic doctrine. Readers are welcome to submit questions about the Catholic faith to: Grace MacKinnon, 1234 Russell Drive #103, Brownsville, Texas 78520. Questions also may be sent by e-mail to: grace@deargrace.com. You may visit Grace online at www.DearGrace.com.
What I felt, however, was that they were ashamed of me and would not love me if I had the baby. The pressure was so great that I gave in to their wishes. I have since been to Confession and feel that God has forgiven me, but I often wonder about those who influenced me to do such a horrible thing. Why is it that the woman who has the abortion is often the only one who is judged and thought to have committed a grave sin? Those who condone abortion call themselves “pro-choice” but in my case, I feel that I had no real choice at all. My question is, am I the only one who should be held accountable or are others in need of Confession also? Seems to me I'm not the only one who made the choice.
Grace: You are indeed a wise young woman to bring to the forefront this issue of the meaning of “pro-choice” and accountability for the sin of abortion. Interestingly, the term “pro-choice” is supposed to mean that someone is “freely” choosing something. But who is it that is really choosing freely in the case of abortion? “Pro-choice” seems to mean that a woman is freely making her own decision in having an abortion. But what about the child? Certainly the child is not being allowed any freedom in that decision. Those who advocate the “pro-choice” philosophy concerning ending a pregnancy want us to believe that they stand for a woman's freedom to make up her own mind in the matter. But in reality this is very often not the case at all. In many cases, women who have abortions are not alone in their decision and do not feel at all “free” in making the choice to kill their child.
According to Dr. David C. Reardon, Director of the Elliot Institute, a leader in providing research and education on post-abortion issues, “Polls have shown that as many as 70 percent of women choosing abortion say they believe abortion is immoral. In most cases, women who abort are violating their consciences because of pressure from other people or from their own circumstances. More than 80 percent of women who report post-abortion problems say they would have completed their pregnancies under better circumstances or with more support from the people they love” (Reardon, David C., Aborted Women: Silent No More [Chicago: Loyola University Press, 1987]).
He goes on to point out that the sad truth is that hundreds of thousands of women undergo unwanted abortions every year to please someone else or because of pressure or coercion by their sexual partners, parents, social workers, counselors, employers or school administrators. In a recent survey of 252 post-abortive women, more than half said they felt “forced” into the abortion by others (Reardon, 10-11).
In addition, experts in crisis counseling have found that people are more vulnerable to outside influences whenever they are faced with a crisis situation. The more overwhelming the crisis appears to be, the less they trust their own opinions and abilities to make the right decision. As a result, a person in crisis is more likely to feel dependent on the opinions and direction of others. People in crisis “are often less in touch with reality and more vulnerable to change than they are in non-crisis situations.” (Stone, Howard W., Crisis Counseling [Fortress Press, 1976])
So, what is the accountability of those “others” who take part in abortion? It is the teaching of the Catholic Church that “formal cooperation in an abortion constitutes a grave offense. [For Catholics], the Church attaches the canonical penalty of excommunication to this crime against human life” (CCC# 2272). In other words, according to canon law, not only is the person who had an abortion guilty of grave sin, but also anyone who directly participated in some way, such as helping someone obtain one or directly influencing someone to have one. And all Catholics involved bring an excommunication from the Catholic Church upon themselves, as a result of their action. This includes the doctor, nurses, counselors at the abortion clinic, as well as the boyfriend, parents or anyone who encourages it or helps bring it about in any way.
Thus, you are right; they are all in need of confessing to God and begging forgiveness for the grave offense they have committed. For Catholics, this would most certainly mean the Sacrament of Reconciliation — Confession.
Jesus Himself warned, “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened round his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea. Woe to the world because of things that cause sin! Such things must come, but woe to the one through whom they come!” (Matthew 18: 6-7).
To learn more about post-abortion issues, visit the Elliot Institute online.
