I received a couple of interesting comments on my blog about the history of abortion. The Catholics are responsible for the debate. My first wife was Catholic. I had agreed to what the church wanted before we got married. The most important thing from the church’s point of view was that our children would be raised as Catholics. My wife was a devout Catholic and regularly went to confession. When she didn’t get pregnant in the first few months, the priest in confession would accuse her of sinning. That hurt her. When she died in childbirth, the priest said to a member of her family that he hadn’t believed her in a confessional. However, he realized she had been telling the truth.
Nothing was ever said to me. I didn’t blame the priest or the church. It was their faith. You might have feelings about what they believe in. However, when it comes to religion, you have no right to question a person’s beliefs. Belief by its nature cannot be subjected to rational arguments. Religions always ask their believers to accept something that is beyond proof.
Going back to my earlier blog, I realize the Catholic Church was behind a major push against abortion. I would hear the priest ask the congregation to put political pressure on their representatives to ban abortion. They were the major reason the issue was kept alive. They honestly believe because of their belief in purgatory they are saving innocent lives. I simply pointed out that the debate from their point of view it’s all about theology, not biology. As my first wife’s example points out, the potential for life is there but it’s not achieved until birth occurs.
