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StGeorge wrote:
One thing I would add to your good post is that even the medical terminology commonly accepted and used (e.g. \"fetus,\" \"fertilized egg,\" etc.) to some degree depersonalizes the reality--the subsistent human being is referred (in keeping with the grammar of the terms) as an \"it\": e.g. \"the egg dies/ it dies.\"
Petros wrote:
Most forms of the pills can result in an aborted fetus. What happens is that the fertilized egg is unable to attach to the uterine wall, and because of this it dies. Some pills are meant to trick you into thinking you are pregnant by keeping you hormones elevated at the state they are when you are pregnant. Abortions can still happen this way as well, and no pill is fool proof. The Church, or at least the Church father's, have always condemned any kind of abortive birth control, and knowing the science behind most pills, I think it falls into this category. It is only recent, as a result of the decay of our society, that the Church has "allowed" contraception.
Abortion, under any circumstances, would never be "blessed" by the Church, nor would (or should I say "should") bless a female to receive an abortion. for some circumstances, such as danger to mothers life, the Church would be a little more lenient toward you, then they would if you just got an abortion for any reason. It would still require a "metania" or repentance, and probably result in no Communion for a time deemed necessary by ones spiritual father.
This is how it should be anyway..
artintel wrote:
A factor that is never mentioned is that as soon as the egg is fertilized the ‘father’s’ genetic/hormones remain in the ‘mother’ and are found in the genes of the mother’s following pregnancies in diminishing quantities – e.g., 25%, 19%, 14%, etc. So if the fathers are different, the first ‘father’s’ influence is found together with the second’s father in the children of the same mother. When inter-racial and incest issues arise then this becomes evident. People involved in animal husbandry and breeding know this biological law very well.
That is not true. The gametes released by the father, are hapolid, carrying only 23 chromsomes (not pairs), and die off if not successful in fertilizing the female gamete. They do not remain and become part of the mother, and then affect the successive offspring. You are talking about gene splicing here, afterall, that would be the only way a males genes would remain in the female.
Also, paternity tests (DNA fingerprinting) would not work as a result because where would the VNTR come from? It would be impossible to be able to tell who the father was because the baby would (could) have VTNR from three different sources, as opposed to two.
IMHO, I would rather use a birth control method like a condom, which would not have the possibility of causing an abortion, like the pill can. Of course I am not saying it is ok to use a condom, only that if you are \\"allowed\\" to use birth control, this would be better. Unfortunatly most Priests don\'t know the harm birth control pills can do.
As with anything said by anyone here, when it is a matter as serious as this, it is good to consult a priest.
That said, the people of God are to encourage one another & hold one another up in the Truth, which is, of course, Christ & His love.
From the World\'s view, there is this horrible crime. It is not a crime of passion, but an attempt to control. It is not an attempt to build (as in a family), but to destroy (as in the soul of the one raped).
As seen as a crime ALONE, the thought of the woman bearing the child of such an act is unthinkable... that she would then be victimized for the next 9 months.
But there is another view. There is the view of God, Who is \\"no respecter of persons\\" (Acts 10:34). He does not differentiate the life of one as being greater than the life of another. Did He even spare His own son?
Proverbs 24:23 says \\"These things also belong to the wise. It is not good to have respect of persons in judgment\\". It is wisdom to see both mother and child as equals. Each life deserving of that life.
That 9 months can serve as a time of great healing for the victimized woman. The woman is able to regain her own self-worth thru maintaining the self-worth of this other person who grows within, who totally relies on her alone (with God) to sustain. Obviously, the woman needs the loving support of others to help her do this. In this way, others grow and also become more fully \\"human\\".
Of course this is difficult to do! Every moment the woman has both the reminder of what happened to her ... and also the reminder of God\'s mercy to her.
This is not just a personal theory I spout here. This is what has been shared with me by women who chose life, and are now raising those children; one was single, and the other a woman who did not know if the child she carried was the result of rape or of her husband. Both have been blessed beyond measure for the trust they placed in their God to care for them. They valued life & gave it over to Him; and He gave it back to them more abundantly than they could have asked or imagined.
May we all so love and support one another.
I would agree with the idea that birth control is a matter between a couple and their priest.
\\". What happens is that the fertilized egg is unable to attach to the uterine wall, and because of this it dies. Some pills are meant to trick you into thinking you are pregnant by keeping you hormones elevated at the state they are when you are pregnant.\\"
Yes, they do that, which is how it prevents pregnancy. However, \\"the pill\\" (i.e., what is commonly described as the \\"birth control pill\\") is not abortifaciant, nor does it trick the body into rejecting the egg and not allowing it to attach to the uterine wall. Indeed, even the \\"morning after pill\\" does not do this; it prevents fertilization from taking place. What you\'re thinking of with regards to the pill that keeps the egg from attaching to the wall is something completely different, at least in my knowledge. This pill, I believe, is usually taken 3-14 days after conception, which is why the Church is opposed to it. But so far as the morning after pill is concerned, if it isn\'t abortifacient, I see no real moral issue with it. But that\'s just a personal opinion.
Yes, I agree, abortion cannot be blessed in any way, shape, or form. The Fathers are pretty clear on that.
funkystuf31 wrote:
I would agree with the idea that birth control is a matter between a couple and their priest.
\". What happens is that the fertilized egg is unable to attach to the uterine wall, and because of this it dies. Some pills are meant to trick you into thinking you are pregnant by keeping you hormones elevated at the state they are when you are pregnant.\"
Yes, they do that, which is how it prevents pregnancy. However, \"the pill\" (i.e., what is commonly described as the \"birth control pill\") is not abortifaciant, nor does it trick the body into rejecting the egg and not allowing it to attach to the uterine wall. Indeed, even the \"morning after pill\" does not do this; it prevents fertilization from taking place. What you're thinking of with regards to the pill that keeps the egg from attaching to the wall is something completely different, at least in my knowledge. This pill, I believe, is usually taken 3-14 days after conception, which is why the Church is opposed to it. But so far as the morning after pill is concerned, if it isn't abortifacient, I see no real moral issue with it. But that's just a personal opinion.
Yes, I agree, abortion cannot be blessed in any way, shape, or form. The Fathers are pretty clear on that.
funkystuf31 wrote:
I would agree with the idea that birth control is a matter between a couple and their priest.
\". What happens is that the fertilized egg is unable to attach to the uterine wall, and because of this it dies. Some pills are meant to trick you into thinking you are pregnant by keeping you hormones elevated at the state they are when you are pregnant.\"
Yes, they do that, which is how it prevents pregnancy. However, \"the pill\" (i.e., what is commonly described as the \"birth control pill\") is not abortifaciant, nor does it trick the body into rejecting the egg and not allowing it to attach to the uterine wall. Indeed, even the \"morning after pill\" does not do this; it prevents fertilization from taking place. What you're thinking of with regards to the pill that keeps the egg from attaching to the wall is something completely different, at least in my knowledge. This pill, I believe, is usually taken 3-14 days after conception, which is why the Church is opposed to it. But so far as the morning after pill is concerned, if it isn't abortifacient, I see no real moral issue with it. But that's just a personal opinion.
Yes, I agree, abortion cannot be blessed in any way, shape, or form. The Fathers are pretty clear on that.
I found this awhile ago on someone else\'s post. It really touched me very much. I know that the topic for the forum is on Birth Control, but I noticed that there was some discussion about abortion too. Just thought I\'d share this, and if you haven\'t seen it, its a must see for all us!
Here is part one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPF1FhCMPuQ
Here is part two: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8B1nKGIAeg&feature=user
I just want to add one other thing to this discussion on birth control. Whenever we start messing around with the God-designed chemistry of the body, bad things will eventually happen to the body. Infertility has been linked to prolonged use of the birth control pill and the IUD. Breast cancer has also been linked to the use of the birth control pill as well. So not only is it bad for babies, it is bad for women. The rate of breast cancer has exploded since the 1970s when The Pill became popular. I will try to find my supporting data, if anyone is interested. I did a study on forms of birth control when I was leading a young women\'s Bible study during my Protestant years. Also, my OB/GYN at the time said that all you have to do is read the small print on any information given with ALL birth control pills and it will tell you that it works two ways as someone else stated on this discussion. Also, beware of the IUD, it prevents implantation, in other words, it is an abortifacient.
I think there is some leeway in terms of pre-conceptive means. Simply stated, though, the best way to avoid pregnancy is to abstain from sex. It\'s really a perfect solution. If you aren\'t ready to bring forth the fruit of your Marriage (children) then simply don\'t \\"fertilize the field\\" so to say. However, if you are ready to bring forth the fruit of your Marriage then you must be also ready to tend to the \\"garden\\", to make sure it is healthy, water it, protect it and help it grow straight and strong every step of the way. Without this very real and Blessed miracle of procreation, bringing forth children into the world, \\"fertilizing\\" the field becomes a mere act, meaningless. (This is not withstanding such cases where couples can\'t bring forth the \\"fruit\\" of their Holy Matrimony.) Having children is intrinsically connected to, as it the result of, the consummation of Holy Marriage. Separating the result from the process renders the latter meaningless not unlike tending to and caring for a field which you do not plan to sow.
NOTE: Re-posted this for clarity...
Marriage is a mystery. A mystery in which the couple receives and experiences the grace of God. Sexual intercourse is the consummation of this marital bond. The potential outcome of sexual intercourse is a new life. It\'s a unit and a process. If we attempt to pick and choose what to enjoy and what not to enjoy, what to experience and what not to experience, according to our own limited knowledge and ability to manipulate our body functions, what we\'re actually doing is taking away from the richness and harmony of this unit, this process. We deprive it of its mystery, from being a mean to the grace which can only come from God. We tend to remove all ascetism from marriage, because we favor its short term pleasures over its long term pleasures which can only be had by bearing its full responsibilities. There are two ways to deal with a beautiful tree: 1) To live under its shade, delight in its beauty, eat from its fruits and take care of it or 2) To cut it down, take it to the lab , understand every detail of its functioning in a futile attempt to explain its beauty. If we seek to benefit to the fullest extent from this mystery of love , this beautiful shadow of the Mystery of Christ and the Church, then we must allow ourselves to experience, enjoy and live all of it without cutting and pasting, with self-control, balance and love. A person can\'t know what he or she is missing unless he or she experiences otherwise. Everyone gets from God what he or she asks for, to one more sexual pleasure is enough, to the other a fulfilling mystery. To each according to his or her faith, and the gift is always in proportion to the faith. God bless you all.