Bioethics of Abortion

Bishop Thomas Olmsted stripped all Catholic affiliation from St. Joseph’s Hospital due to an abortion performed at the hospital in November of 2009. The abortion was performed 11 weeks into the pregnancy because doctors believed that if the pregnancy were to continue, the mother would die. Bishop Olmsted said that he made his decision based on his interpretation of a directive by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops that prohibited the “direct” taking of a human life by an abortion. He said the life of the fetus had been “directly” taken in this instance. Bishop Olmsted also said, "No one has the right to directly kill an innocent life, no matter what stage of their existence. It is not better that the mother live the rest of her existence having had her child killed." Bishop Olmsted was correct with his decision because abortion is against the teachings of the Catholic Church. A hospital should not be able to say that it is Catholic if it does not follow and endorse Catholic teachings. The Catholic Church is correct by opposing abortion for many reasons. Abortion is the intentional removal of a fetus from the uterus. There are many types of abortions. Many of the types are very violent. For instance, in one type of abortion, the abortionist cuts the baby into small pieces and sucks them out of the womb. This can be very painful for both the baby and the mother. Often, a lot of bleeding occurs. Another reason abortion is wrong is that it can have long term effects on the mother. Studies have shown that 10% of women who underwent an induced abortion have suffered from immediate complications, and one-fifth of the 10% were major complications. There are many complications that could occur after an induced abortion. Some of these are minor infections, bleeding, fevers, chronic abdominal pain, gastro-intestinal disturbances, vomiting, and Rh sensitization. These are considered “minor” effects. The “major” effects include infection, excessive bleeding, embolism, ripping or perforation of the uterus, anesthesia complications, convulsions, hemorrhage, cervical injury, and endotoxic shock. None of these effects include physiological problems a woman could have after her abortion. 55% of women experience guilt within the first 8 weeks after the abortion, 44% have had nervous disorders, 38% have had to deal with sleep disturbances, 31% regret the decision that they made, and 11% have been prescribed psychotropic medication. After the abortion, as many as 50% of women have reported sexual dysfunctions. This shows that an abortion does not only end an innocent baby’s life, but it can also have severe mental and physical effects on the mother. The main reason that abortion is unethical is because God created us in His image and likeness. Abortions take away the wonderful gift of life given to us from God. When somebody has an abortion, they are showing that they don’t care what God has made, and they don’t think they need to respect it. Many women who are pro-choice say that it is their body, so it is their choice. However, this is not true. Even though the baby is inside of their body, the abortion removes and destroys the baby’s body, not a piece of the mother’s. Therefore, it is the baby’s body that is being harmed, not the mother’s. Other people who are pro-choice say that abortion should be legal because of rape or incest. This is usually just an excuse to keep abortion legal though, because only 1% of abortions occur for this reason. Anybody who says that abortion should be legal because of medical purposes is also probably making excuses because only 6% of abortions occur because of medical problems. The real reasons abortions occur are social reasons, such as an unwanted baby, which account for 93% of abortions. In the end, the question comes down to were the doctors correct by performing this abortion, or should they have waited and seen how things would play out. The Catholic Church says that it is wrong to intentionally take a human life by an abortion. This is exactly what occurred at the hospital, and therefore Bishop Olmsted was correct with his actions.
Works Cited
"Abortion Statistics." AbortionNO.org / The Center for Bio-Ethical Reform. Center For Bio-ethical Remorm. Web. 27 Dec. 2010. .
Bioethics.net | The American Journal of Bioethics. 27 Dec. 2010. Web. 27 Dec. 2010. .
Landsberg, By Mitchell. "Abortion Prompts Catholic Diocese to Split with Hospital - Latimes.com." Los Angeles Times - California, National and World News - Latimes.com. LA Times, 21 Dec. 2010. Web. 27 Dec. 2010. .
Reardon, David C. "The Afteraffects of Abortion." Abortion Facts - Information on Abortion You Can Use. Web. 02 Jan. 2011. .

Cited: "Abortion Statistics." AbortionNO.org / The Center for Bio-Ethical Reform. Center For Bio-ethical Remorm. Web. 27 Dec. 2010. . Bioethics.net | The American Journal of Bioethics. 27 Dec. 2010. Web. 27 Dec. 2010. . Landsberg, By Mitchell. "Abortion Prompts Catholic Diocese to Split with Hospital - Latimes.com." Los Angeles Times - California, National and World News - Latimes.com. LA Times, 21 Dec. 2010. Web. 27 Dec. 2010. . Reardon, David C. "The Afteraffects of Abortion." Abortion Facts - Information on Abortion You Can Use. Web. 02 Jan. 2011. .