Most religions are against abortions, but perhaps none more than the Catholic Church. I am of the belief that there is never an excuse for an abortion. Never. Abortion, in my opinion, is a form of murder and it cannot be tolerated. That is why I’m applauding a Georgia hospital for refusing to terminate the pregnancy of a woman who has been declared brain-dead.
Adriana Smith, 30, is now legally dead and has been since February. However, Emory Hospital is not allowing an abortion to go forward. Instead, they are forcing Smith to stay on various machines that will most certainly kill the fetus.
At 21 weeks, Smith is in bed, pretty much dead. As for the fetus, it is still alive and there must be a major chance of saving its life by doing what they’re doing. As for the hospital, state law forbids an abortion once a heartbeat is detected and that is what’s going on there.
However, the fetus is not out of the woods. There is fluid on his brain and of course that’s extremely serious. This complication may lead to lifelong disabilities and difficulties if in fact he emerges alive.
One lawyer told the Associated Press that removing life support equipment would not qualify as an abortion. That same attorney feels that life support is not mandated under current laws.
This case does have certain legal and ethical implications. There are no easy answer here, but I humbly disagree with the attorney whom the AP interviewed. Ending the fetus’ life now would, I say, be considered an abortion and as such, decent society cannot allow that to happen.
Though I am a Catholic, I absolutely cannot speak for the Church, nor can I answer the question of abortion as pertains to a mortal sin. This is a question for a priest or a bishop. But regardless of its position in this particular case, I strongly agree with those who feel that ending life support that would kill the fetus would meet the definition of abortion.
As for abortion itself, I do not support it no matter the reason. There can be no valid reason to have an abortion. Ever. It will be interesting to see how this case progresses and I believe that this may escalate to going through the court system and ultimately the appeals process.