someone asked earlier why no responses from women. I am a woman. Here is my take on this. I am Orthodox but my anti abortion position predates that. Now, the excellent point was raised as to exactly what kind of health problem we are talking about. allegedly the mother's death was pretty certain, and that would take the baby out with her. Two deaths instead of one is not good. Let's look at abortion in two ways. Triage and euthanasia.
Triage nowdays is who gets seen first. Originally, it was three categories in a primitive (1800s) military field hospital. category one, the person will survive without treatment. Such gets no treatment. category two, the person will die even with treatment. Such gets no treatment. category three, the person will survive if treated. Such gets treated. (the others might get pain remediation if enough is available.) the point is, limited resources, meds, personnel, etc. etc. A clear cut case of the mother's life at stake would fit this. The kid won't survive if she dies, and is too young to be treated. she will die, taking the kid with her, if not "treated." so abort.
euthanasia is another stickler, as an issue it began on the battlefield and should have stayed there. "death with dignity" is prideful nonsense. Plato I think it was phrased it well, something like, "my friend is horribly wounded and suffering and begging me to kill him, if I do not kill him I am a bad friend, but if I kill him I am a murderer." no answer was offered for the dilemma.
means of abortion that cause pain to the infant should never be done - salting out is a nonstarter. use of some drug to cause contractions and expulsion and perhaps quick squash after expulsion if very small would be kinder. RC allegedly okays removal of a fallopian tube in which is an ectopic pregnancy, but not removal of the embryo because in the former case the purpose is removal of the fallopian tube and the child's death is incidental, while in the latter case the child's death is intended. This is hypocritical nonsense. No fallopian tube removal would be done in an ectopic pregnancy except to stop the problem of a growing wrongly placed embryo aka fetus so it IS an abortion.
The infant should be baptized at some point during the procedure, at that size the difference between sprinking, pouring and immersion is negligible.
The issue is not, "when does human life start?" The issue is, "when is it okay to kill a human being?"
I would recommend in the case of such a woman as described, first prayer, Holy Unction, and see if things change. Try IV injection of Holy Water while you're at it. If they don't within the time needed, then maybe go ahead with the abortion. The use of dilation and suction though more risky to the womb lining, is probably a quicker death for the infant hence kinder, than dilation and curettage, which cuts it up alive in bits.
any woman who has an abortion for any reason should be sterilized. End of problem.
