Tragisk feilvurdering i Irland

Nylig døde en kvinne i Irland fordi «legene ikke ville hjelpe henne så lenge fosterets hjerte slo», slik er det i alle fall framstilt i media, og det har vært demonstrasjonstog mot Kirkens abortsynn pga dette. Vi vet vel fortsatt ikke hvorfor og hvordan legene feilvurderte situasjonen, men de irske katolske biskopene har kommet med følgende erklæring:

· The Catholic Church has never taught that the life of a child in the womb should be preferred to that of a mother. By virtue of their common humanity a mother and her unborn baby are both sacred with an equal right to life.

· Where a seriously ill pregnant woman needs medical treatment which may put the life of her baby at risk, such treatments are ethically permissible provided every effort has been made to save the life of both the mother and her baby.

· Whereas abortion is the direct and intentional destruction of an unborn baby and is gravely immoral in all circumstances, this is different from medical treatments which do not directly and intentionally seek to end the life of the unborn baby. Current law and medical guidelines in Ireland allow nurses and doctors in Irish hospitals to apply this vital distinction in practice while upholding the equal right to life of both a mother and her unborn baby.

· Some would claim that the unborn baby is less human or less deserving of life. Advances in genetics and technology make it clear that at fertilisation a new, unique and genetically complete human being comes into existence. From that moment onwards each of us did not grow and develop into a human being, but grew and developed as a human being.

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