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“You shall not kill the child by obtaining an abortion. Nor, again, shall you destroy him after he is born.” St. Barnabas, “Epistle of St. Barnabas,” c. 70-100 A.D.
“You shall not murder a child by abortion nor kill one who has been born.” The Didache [The Teaching Of The Twelve Apostles] c. 80-140 A.D.
“Women who were reputed believers began to resort to drugs for producing sterility. They also girded themselves around, so as to expel what was being conceived. For they did not wish to have a child by either slave or by any common fellow – out of concern for their family and their excessive wealth. See what a great impiety the lawless one has advanced! He teaches adultery and murder at the same time!” St. Hipploytus, “Refutation Of All Heresies,” c. 225 A.D.
“He [the schismatic Novatian] struck the womb of his wife with his heel and hurried an abortion, thereby causing parricide.” St. Cyprian of Carthage, “Epistle 52 To Cornelius,” c. 251 A.D.
“A woman who deliberately destroys a fetus is answerable for murder. And any fine distinction as to its being completely formed or unformed is not admissible amongst us.” St. Basil the Great, “Epistle 138,” c. 375 A.D.
“Others drink for sterility and commit murder on the human not yet sown. Some when they sense that they have conceived by sin, consider the poisons for abortion, and frequently die themselves along with it, and go to Hell guilty of three crimes: murdering themselves, committing adultery against Christ, and murder against their unborn child.” St. Jerome, “Epistle 22,” c. 380 A.D.
“The rich women, to avoid dividing the inheritance among many, kill their own fetus in the womb and with murderous juices extinguish in the genital chamber their children.” St. Ambrose “On the Hexaemeron,” c. 386 A.D.
“To destroy the fetus ‘is something worse than murder.’ The one who does this ‘does not take away life that has already been born, but prevents it from being born.’” St. John Chrysostom “Homilies on Romans,” c. 391 A.D.
March 31, 2009 at 7:25 am
The reason that there is so much violence in society is because of contraception and abortion.
May 22, 2009 at 2:03 am
Mary Ann’s comments are absurd. While I have mixed feelings about abortion, contraception is necessary. Without contraception, the world may be so overpopulated that people would die of poverty and famine! It is time that the RCC modify its teaching on contraceptive usage.
Very few people follow it, even very few practicing Catholics.
May 22, 2009 at 3:47 am
Thanks Jim for your comment:
Have to disagree with the overpopulation myth and starvation argument– Did you know if all the world’s population were gathered up and placed inside the state of Texas that each person would live in the space of 1200 square feet?
A lot of space for one person.
And as for starvation–the rest of the world would be available to sustain needs and services etc… See here for the math, numbers and further conversation.
The current problems and sufferings Jim, (which I don’t minimize in the least), are they not do in large part to man’s selfishness?
Which brings us to the reality of contraception… (which we have already eliminated as an needed tool to guard against “overpopulation and starvation”).
“The Catholic Church is not against controlling the number of births by natural means, such as Natural Family Planning or abstinence. What the Church is against is artificial means of controlling births, such as drugs or devices that prevent conception. The use of such things to deliberately frustrate the normal effects of sexual intercourse is a very grave sin against the law of God because its ultimate implication is the destruction of the human race.”
See here (Catholic Truth) for more information on what the Church actually teaches about contraception and the sacred act of procreation…
Note: Just because “everybody” (including Catholics) is using contraception does not make it morally right…
peace to you and yours Jim–
jme
May 22, 2009 at 4:05 am
The less people, the more greedy, the greater the divide between richer and poorer. But if people are generous to follow the natural law, which excludes contraception, then a generous table is also set for all.
But there is always war and famine on this earth because some people choose to be selfish.
June 18, 2009 at 7:08 pm
Wow, love this blog (in general) and specifically your quotes from the early church fathers showing that the church from the very beginning (like the quote from the Didache) opposed abortion. Thank you sooooo much for doing this research. I have bookmarked your blog and will return – looks like a lot of good reading here! God bless you!
hugs,
SueW, Catholic, prolife and proud of it
PS: to the person who said abortion was necessary because of over population… we are at BELOW zero population growth now and are officially a dying society. Folks who advocate abortion will have their reward because in about 20 years the Muslims who do NOT believe in abortion and also believe in large families and are at RECORD population growth, will outnumber the rest of us and not only will they prohibit abortion but guess what, they have no use for gays, agnostics, atheists and the like. (as well as little use for Christians or Jews) So if our society doesn’t get WISE fast, we will be in deep doo doo…
June 20, 2009 at 7:49 am
Thanks Sue–
It is written: “When the son of man returns will he still find faith on earth?”
It’s our job to see he does.
Keep up the good work.
jme
August 20, 2009 at 8:57 pm
If someone is a catholic then they should consider the Virgin Mary and her beliefs to be perfect. She has repeatedly said in visitations that mankind is running off into the abyss. Also she has condemned abortion, homosexuality, and contraception in medjugore on multiple occasions. There is only the word that is greater than hers and that is her Son. If you don’t believe in her than neither do you believe in God. Then Satan can just hold you by his shackles and direct your emotions and thoughts to perverseness any way he wants until he does his ultimate wicked goal, which is the destruction of man.
October 1, 2009 at 12:42 am
Abortion is murder whether a politician believes it or not, just as my Confirmation name is Catherine, whether a person believes it or not. Being an abortionist is not a great doctoring job. Many abortionists are there because it is a good money making venture. Fortunately they are not beyond help. Father Pavone has helped many of them in their conversion process and the converted abortionists now help to fight against the ugly business that they were once involved in. There was a case here in (Sydney) Australia, where a man kicked a pregnant woman in the stomach, causing her to lose the baby, (which is also his child). He went to jail for 10 years for killing the baby and I think that he is still there. This is a correct decision and I applaud it, but it is in an Australian state where abortion is practiced, as it is practiced just about everywhere else. What a contradiction. I am glad that I am not an unborn baby today. It is a dangerous time for them. Cases like that of the Sydney woman which highlight the contradictions in law regarding the unborn, at least give a faint glimmer of hope, that there will one day be some sanity and proper protection of the unborn. I have been told a forum of similar contradictions in U.S. law. It also makes me wonder if some politicians actually know that the unborn are real people, but chose in the case of abortion to ignore what they clearly understood when it came to the case which is mentioned in this posting of the Sydney woman who was kicked in the stomach. I also wonder what those who favour and push for abortion think about the Sydney woman’s case. It must be a thorn in their side.
Unrelated matter:
Prayer campaign and monthly novenas for those who have cancer. More information at:
http://missionbell.homestead.com/PrayerForThoseWithCancer.html