Watch the video to find out more about Pope Francis’ view of abortion.
Video credit: EWTN
In an anti-abortion conference sponsored by the Vatican, Pope Francis said abortion was like ‘hiring a hitman.’
According to the Pope, abortion can’t be condoned even if the unborn is malformed or gravely sick in the womb of the mother.
The Pope urged people to carry all pregnancies to completion even if they know the fetus will die after birth, he said during the conference.
The conference was organized by ‘Heart in a Drop’ – a pro-life organization which works to welcome ‘children born in conditions of extreme fragility’ – and the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life.
Francis said that his anti-abortion stance was not based on a religious foundation, but on a human one.
‘Is it licit to throw away a life to resolve a problem?’ Pope Francis said at the Vatican. ‘Is it licit to hire a hitman to resolve a problem?’
Condemning the abortions carried out when prenatal testing reveals problems with the unborn, the Pope said human beings are ‘never incompatible with life.’
Francis called for parents to look after a fetus for as long as possible, even after knowing that it won’t survive.
He said: ‘Taking care of these children helps parents to grieve and not only think of it as a loss, but as a step on a path taken together.’
The Pope said every child is ‘a gift that changes the history of a family…and this child needs to be welcomed, loved and cared for.’
He remarked how the ‘mere suspicion of disease can change the experience of pregnancy,’ and how it causes despair in ‘women and couples.’
But ‘the evolution of every disease is always subjective and often not even doctors know how it will manifest itself in the individual,’ he added.
The Pope has been an outspoken critic of abortion. In June last year, he compared the procedure to Nazi eugenics, exclaiming people should accept what is given to them by God.
He said at an Italian family association meeting that he was horrified in his childhood when he used to hear stories from his teacher about children ‘thrown from the mountain’ if they’re born with deformities.
‘Today we do the same thing,’ Francis said.
‘Last century, the whole world was scandalized by what the Nazis did to purify the race. Today, we do the same thing but with white gloves.’
Despite his strong opposition to abortion, the Pope, however, has expressed sympathy for women who’ve had undertaken the procedure.
In 2015, Francis called on priests to forgive such women if they wanted absolution.
Joe O’Brien, who writes for Catholics for Choice, said at the time: ‘The very narrowness of Francis’ idea of a particular “year of mercy” suggests that he still has a blind spot when it comes to women and what they need or want.
‘In all the talk about abortion and women, Francis also fails to mention men—a sin of omission I have no doubt—considering that men are just as involved in the baby-making process, as well as often part of family planning decisions.’
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