On Saturday Catholic protesters marched in Dublin against abortion rights, while pro-choice activists lined the street and chanted ‘Shame On You’ at them.
The Catholic protesters were opposing legislation that would allow a doctor to perform an abortion to save the life of a woman whose life is in danger.
The Pro-choice activists also chanted at the marchers: ‘Pro-choice? That’s a lie – you don’t care if women die’.
This anti-choice march mixed fundamentalist Catholic theology and iconography with lack of empathy and compassion for pregnant women. Here are some extracts.
Catholic protesters in Dublin oppose abortion rights
Michael, What was the ‘fundamentalist Catholic theology’ on display?
Well, for starters… the idea that a zygote must be treated from conception as a person, the idea that a zygote must be recognized as having the rights of a person, and the idea that it is an unchangeable teaching that every procured abortion is a moral evil.
So you wouldn’t agree that its also Catholic Social Teaching also? Zygote interesting never heard that be said before. I have heard it more said that “an unborn child seems to me to be a real concept. It’s not a growth or an appendix, You can’t say the rights question doesn’t come up. I don’t think a woman should be forced to choose, or even can be.”
It is fundamentalist Catholic theology, as articulated in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
From what Catholic theology did you get the quote that you have cited?
Michael,
Catholic Theology draws from many sources. The Catechism lays church teaching out as clear as possible for the lay folk.
In the ‘Compendium of The Social Doctrine of The Church’ the Church calls Catholics to action like marching contact law markers no more then what the opposition do. The ‘Compendium of The Social Doctrine of The Church’ is laid out similar to The Catechism but with more sources cited.
The cited quote is from Christopher Hitchens. Newsweek ‘No God And No Abortions’ by Lisa Miller dated Nov 28th 2008.
Emmanuel,
Quoting Christopher Hitchens has no bearing on Catholic theology. And quoting Hitchens to an atheist does not have the authoritative power that quoting religious doctrine to a religious person has.
Different elements of the Catechism may have different doctrinal weight in Catholic theology, but as Cardinal Ratzinger said in 2004: “There may be a legitimate diversity of opinion even among Catholics about waging war and applying the death penalty, but not however with regard to abortion and euthanasia.”
So, in that context…
Do you agree with the Catholic Catechism that a zygote/embryo must be treated as a person from the moment of conception, and must be recognized as having the rights (note the word “the” and the plural “rights”) of a person?
Do you agree with the Catholic Catechism that it is an unchangeable teaching that every procured abortion is a moral evil?
Michael,
Sorry I assumed that you would of known the quote was from Christopher Hitchens. It does go to show that being Pro-life is not a Catholic thing. I do know that there where others at the march for life who where not Catholic.
Catholic theology that has the doctrinal weight. Out of Catholic Theology comes the Catechism.
I do think you maybe taken Cardinal Ratzinger words out of context. So I will only answer your questions within my own limit knowledge of Catholic Moral Theology.
I accept what the Catechism says with regard to embryo. The first right of the human person is his life. He has other goods and some are more precious, but this one is fundamental the condition of all the others. So I believe ‘the rights’ can happen when the first right, that to life is fulfilled.
Yes I would agree that abortion is morally evil.
Morally evil? Is there a religious person on here? (the use of the word “evil”, not just wrong or bad, evil hints so. Like using the word sin to describe a wrongdoing) I have just never seen a religious person on this blog.