Pius XII returned to the sophism that the Church prefers the life of the child
over that of the mother. That is not true. “Never and in no case has the Church
taught that the life of the child must be preferred to that of the mother. It
is erroneous to put the question with this alternative: either the life of the
child or that of the mother. No, neither the life of the mother nor that of
the child can be subjected to an act of direct suppression. In the one case
as in the other, there can be but one obligation: to make every effort to save
the lives of both, of the mother and the child.” [16]
John XXIII carried forward the same principles, with special insistence on
the evil effects of legalized abortion on the whole of society, once its leaders
approve the slaying of the unborn. “Human life,” he wrote, “is sacred; from
its very inception the creative action of God is directly operative. By violating
his laws, the divine majesty is offended, the individuals themselves and humanity
are degraded, and the bonds by which members of society are united are enervated.” [17]
When the Second Vatican Council, in its Constitution regarding today’s world,
declared that “Life from its very conception must be guarded with the greatest
care,” and that “Abortion and infanticide are abominable crimes,” it rested
its case on almost two millennia of Catholic faith and doctrine. Paul VI confirmed
this teaching with a special declaration in the clearest possible terms. “Respect
for human life,” he wrote, “is called for from the time that the process of
generation begins. From the time that the ovum is fertilized, a life is begun
which is neither that of the father nor of the mother; it is rather the life
of a new human being with his own growth. It would never be made human if it
were not human already.” Consequently, “Divine law and natural reason exclude
all right to the direct killing of an innocent human being.” [18]
