Today, on the 45 anniversary of the promulgation of Humanae Vitae, LifeSitenews has broadcast the news that Catholic Relief Service personnel are distributing contraceptives and abortifacient drugs/devices in Madagascar. Their report can be read here; please note that they in turn link to a report by Population Research Institute.
It is this latter group (a branch of Human Life International) that has conducted a month-long investigation on site in Madagascar and has interviewed NGO workers and officials - including CRS personnel. Their report states that CRS employs over 250 community health workers there who distribute contraceptives and abortifacients under the name of "Catholic Relief Services". A CRS zone supervisor confirmed this information. Steven Mosher, president of PRI, asks "how many children have been aborted or contracepted out of existence by CRS?" I urge the readers of this blog to read both the LifeSiteNews posts. For now I'll focus on Mosher's question.
First, let's understand that an abortifacient is a drug or device that prevents the newly-conceived baby from implanting in his/her mother's womb. That child is subsequently expelled from the mother's body during her next period. This is abortion - that is the deliberate taking of an innocent life. We've just described a murder. Of course all abortions are acts of murder. I find it difficult to believe that these CRS personnel who are engaged in the distribution of these poisons are unaware of the nature of these things - particularly those CRS personnel in positions of authority and responsibility.
That said, I'm going to dispense with the silly verbal tap-dance and tippy-toeing with "delicate and diplomatic" language. I'll paraphrase Mosher's question a bit with "how many children have been murdered with assistance by and intention of CRS"? Let's cut to the chase, shall we? For that is exactly what the Catholic Relief Services is doing!
If the Catholic Relief Services is serious about following the moral precepts of Christ and His Church, they'll recognize that one cannot do evil in the vain hopes that good will come of it. At the very least, those who have participated in these mortal sins of murder must cease and desist immediately. They must go to Confession for they have placed their immortal souls in danger of damnation. The board of directors of CRS might do well to suspend all operations until they can root out the rot. Of course "rooting out the rot" may very well mean that the CRS should be abolished in its entirety. If such is the case, so be it.
With each passing year, the words of Humanae Vitae ring ever more true. Pope Paul VI foresaw the spread of abortion and disregard for human life if contraception were ever to gain a foothold. I wonder if he had any inkling that agencies within the Catholic Church would be participating in these grave sins?
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While I agree with your outrage at what CRS is doing,and apparently with the approval of the collective Bishops I would ask you to re-consider the use of the word "murder." During all the years that I have given talks to students on the subject of abortion the subject has been better received and accepted when a distinction between the use of the word murder and the word killing has been given. Murder is a legal definition of the intent of one person to deliberately take a life by whatever means. Killing is the loss of life as the result of an action not necessarily intended. One can kill their plans for the day, kill a houseplant, etc, but not murder it. OF course, one way or the other, I acknowledge, the result is the same, yet there is a distinction. Human lives are lost to the world due to the actions of individuals providing the means to prevent life. They cheapen life, they coarsen the understanding of love and family and use human beings as mere tools of their misguided sense of justice.
ReplyDeleteCamille, I stand by the use of the word "murder" for that is what is occurring. I can appreciate your usage of more couched language when broaching abortion with students who are young, mal-formed by modern education and who have hopefully only had minimum encounters with abortion. At CRS, those participating in this crime are adults who are supposed to be trained in Catholic moral theology. The CRS folks are simply more accountable.
DeleteCatholic moral theology has defined murder to be "the deliberate taking of innocent human life". I don't know where "killing plans (since when are plans living beings?)" or "killing plants" fits in, since neither are human beings with a God-given right to their own life.
The administration of abortifacients is the taking of innocent human life that is clearly deliberated. They are not merely preventing life; they are taking a human life at his/her earliest stage of development. And yes, they know what abortifacients do. If there is any doubt, the internet is replete with authentic Catholic teaching and scientific facts regarding the same.
CRS is materially and formally cooperating in the mortal sin of abortion - that is, murder. Yes, the word "murder" could be considered inflammatory in some cases. In this case the word "murder" is accurate as it describes the depth of the sin and depravity in which CRS personnel are currently engaged.
The moral rot of the CRS needs to be cleansed. Catholics in the pews must cease donating their money towards the distribution of instruments of murder. In order for that to happen, we've got to call a spade a spade without trying to "cushion the blow".