-Submitted by David Drumm (Nal), Guest Blogger
We have previously discussed the case of Mrs. Savita Halappanavar, a pregnant woman in Ireland who died in agony when doctors refused to perform an abortion that could have saved her life. The Irish Catholic Bishops’ Office has issued a statement regarding Savita’s death. The statement provides no guidance that would help prevent a similar episode from occurring again.
Savita’s death has been a huge PR problem for the Catholic church and should lead a rational person to question those who claim to have the authority to determine morality for us all. A morality that cannot be sustained via rational thought should be discarded. This statement makes no attempt to rationally defend Catholic moral teaching.
The Bishops state that:
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.
Note the use of the term “baby” to refer to a fetus. Conflating baby and fetus is a common psychological ploy to appeal to our emotional self rather than our rational self. Who do we want determining the best medical treatment, a medical professional, or a member of the Clan of the Red Beanie™?
In the real world, the choice often comes down to saving one life or the other. If an abortion is best medical treatment to save the woman’s life, the Bishops have an answer:
… abortion is the direct and intentional destruction of an unborn baby and is gravely immoral in all circumstances …
Apparently, it is not immoral to let the woman suffer an agonizing death that is easily preventable.
The Bishop’s statement also contradicts itself. On the one hand, the Bishops say that “such treatments are ethically permissible,” and on the other hand, abortions are “immoral in all circumstances.” An abortion, in Savita’s case, would have been a medical treatment that put the life of her fetus at extreme risk. Such a medical treatment cannot be both “ethically permissible” and “gravely immoral.”
The irrationality of Catholic morality is evidenced when a woman’s life is saved by an abortion. Often, she is then able to have other children that would never have existed without that abortion. A zero-tolerance of abortion alleviates the condition having to think.
H/T: PZ Myers, Dr. Jen Gunter.
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That piece of legislation received 251 votes in the good old USA, Blouise. There were 235 republican votes and 15 democratic ones.
Love one another as I have loved you, said Jesus.
Except for women, said the bishops.
SwM,
Every man who votes in favor of this kind of legislation should be required to have his prostrate removed within 6 hours of his vote … hey, if they can pass senseless legislation affecting our bodies, we can pass senseless legislation affecting their’s.
US: House Bill Would Permit Hospitals to Let Women in Need of Care, Die
(Washington, DC) – The United States House of Representatives approved a bill on October 13, 2011, that would put women’s lives at risk, Human Rights Watch said today. The bill, if it becomes law, would reverse longstanding federal policy requiring hospitals to provide life-saving care regardless of expense, Human Rights Watch said.
The Protect Life Act, HR 358, would amend the healthcare reform law to grant hospitals far-reaching powers to deny patients abortion care, without any exception for emergency situations. US law currently requires hospitals receiving federal funds to provide emergency care to anyone in need up to the point at which they can be stabilized or transferred, if the original hospital is incapable of providing the care they need.
“The misnamed Protect Life Act is about allowing women to die if they need an emergency abortion,” said Meghan Rhoad, women’s rights researcher at Human Rights Watch. “It is a vicious attack on women’s rights and on the most basic right to life.” This bill passed our republican led House of Representatives.
http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/savita-case-may-prompt-new-irish-probe-into-pregnancy-care/article4153414.ece
idealist, The women in Ireland were talking about Akin and republicans and worrying what would happen if these men that said absurd things about rape took over. Ireland like the rest of Europe breathed a sight of relief when the republicans were defeated and Obama won.
The first abortion clinic opened in Ireland in 2012. The church, largely because of the abuse scandal, is losing its grip on the people. Irish culture and identity are so entwined with the catholic church that it is hard for the people to separate. The horrific abuse seems to be accomplishing that. I wonder what will replace it.
SwM,
Thanks for bringing the truth home, figuratively (pun?).
AY,
Well put by turning it around.
Life had expended ca 25 years investment in producing
a viable, reproductible, skilled user of life. She was sacrificed to religious beliefs. Is there more to say about the insanity of religion?
Selective statements serves no one….. The issue is should the mother have been allowed to die just because she was carrying a fetus…. A rational person would say no…..
Ireland with its national health insurance has a maternal death rate of 4 out of 100,000 pregnancies which is one of the lowest in Europe. The US has a maternal death rate of 12 out of 100,000. Among African American women the rate is 35 deaths per 100,000 It appears to be more dangerous to be a pregnant woman in the US.
These miserable old pedophiles have no right to judge anyone other than themselves and they have obviously failed to address or even discuss the plague of child sex abuse which runs rampant amongst their perverted priests.
Yet another vile reason to sue the RCC out of existence.
Can anybody quote the Bible where abortion is forbidden, or is it just an outgrowth of thou shalt not kill???
Especially killing of the seed of the man which he has implanted in you to grow (old understanding of men’s resp women’s roles in procreation). You, woman, are but a chattel. Produce my children and care for them and me. From the beginnning the right of primogeniture was assured man.
Those aren’t red beanies, they are PINK. Wonder why they have a problem with homosexual pedophile priests?
It ain’t easy to read old writin’ and then intelligently use it to manage the universe.
It has to be tough on the poor old guys. They have a myriad of issues they need to be dealing with, a couple of which are not their fault. But the big ones like this case and the child rape issues were brought on themselves by not thinking things through. Had they actually given some silent contemplation (I assume they would call it ‘prayerful’) to what they were doing and what they were demanding of others they could easily identified the end point. Instead they did the easy thing and gave it no actual thought. The result is humiliations galore.
I dont know who this Bedlar guyis. Beldar is a Labrador.
Beldar is my brother.
Its Beldar, not Bedlar so thats a miss.
When we came from Remulak a thousand years ago we gave the Cardinals the red beanies and made sure that they wore them. This is our way of communicating to and from those who think they control planet Earth with their unthinking commands. We need the commands. So right now I am down here trying to figure out some things and perhaps needs some help. The red beanies dont know nuthin bout birthin babies and I am in more need of help on the sole issue of the procreation thing. The two bathtubs in the back yard with man in one and woman in the other has us perplexed. It is right after they take the sex pill but we see no touching other than with the hands across the tub space. Please advise. I am under stressful deadline as you folks might put it. Quite frankly I am interested in when and where you put it and what the function of the bathtubs has in the equation. The red beanies guys have been no help at all and our observation of them seems to indicate that they have quite a fondness for children.