Caution: A beautiful unfolding of love in an unusual way:Why Rape And Incest Are NOT Good Reasons To Abort

Many times the Catholic Church, and individual pro-lifers, are accused of being unkind in not having "exceptions" for abortions in hard circumstances, especially for rape and incest.

But, before we answer directly, we need to be clear on a few things:

• The Church does not teach that a rape victim is at fault in any way, shape, or form.
• The Church does not teach that the babies are any less valuable than their mother.
• The Church does not teach that the father should not be punished - in fact, the Church teaches that it is an act of justice to punish him in jail.
• The Church's teaching is not a "no" to abortion as much as it is a "yes" to the foundational right to life for each individual.

What the Church does teach is that regardless of the situation surrounding conception, we all have the inalienable right to live our lives without others killing us. None of us gets to choose the time or situation of our creation. Neither does a child who is conceived in rape or incest. Will a woman have deep wounds that will need a lifetime to heal from? Yes. Is the rape a terrible thing? Absolutely. While many believe the most "compassionate" thing to do for the woman is the "fix" the problem by an abortion, this doesn't help anyone. It kills the child and wounds the woman more.

No person deserves to be killed no matter the circumstances surrounding how a life came to be. Think of Mary, who was young and unmarried, when pregnant with Jesus. In today's society she would be told that keeping the baby would ruin her life.

God loves all children much more than any of us ever could. They have a purpose to their lives, just like you and I do, and it is possible to support both baby and mother. Both lives are worthy of our help.

"All human beings, from their mother’s womb, belong to God who searches them and knows them, who forms them and knits them together with his own hands, who gazes on them when they are tiny shapeless embryos and already sees in them the adults of tomorrow..." -(Pope John Paul II - The Gospel of Life, 61).

The situation in life, the pain that others feel, the evil that is perpetrated on someone, the situation surrounding conception, and any other reason does not negate our inviolable dignity.

We cannot kill the innocent. We must love them and support them. Regardless of how their lives were started:




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Prayers, please:

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Today is Tuesday, September 18: Please say a prayer for my youngest sister, Margaret, who was in an accident today.




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Early afternoon bike ride:

Rode bike from Atlantic Beach to Neptune Beach to Jax Beach and back:

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Lunch in Jax:

This is dark but I'm including it anyway:

Atlantic Beach, FL

My last parish, as Pastor, in the Diocese of St. Augustine:

Ellen's Kitchen in Jax Bch for breakfast with family:

One Ocean, Atlantic Beach

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Wall art work:

Entrance to our hotel dining room (ok, just kidding, I was trespassing)

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I very often enjoy listening to this priest:

Father John Hollowell from the Archdiocese of Inianapolis:

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Beach after Isaac

Red Flag warning: stay out of the Gulf

sand-clogged roadways

Help arrives: