Canadian Archbishop: Early Induction on Babies with Lethal Fetal Anomaly is DIRECT ABORTION

The other day, I read a story online dated April 9th about a young woman who has lovingly chosen to have her baby and is doing an excellent job of caring for her, and the final paragraph of that story really bothered me.

I went back to it several times, wanting to email the author, but unable to immediately find a way to do so. Then, I went to the link of Life Site News, and had to do a search for Hillary White and the story. I finally found it, and realized that nearly the first site was nearly word for word, with the exception of a very small part of the first paragraph.

What bothered me about that article?

Mostly the last paragraph!

Even some Catholic ethicists believe that such children should be "allowed to die" prematurely. In London, Ontario, a Catholic hospital maintains a policy offering "early inducement" for children with "fatal anomalies," including anencephaly, claiming that early termination of pregnancy is not contrary to Catholic teaching.

Not one word in that article to clarify what Catholic Teaching really IS! As I was reading it, I thought... this is outrageous! An early induction for ANY child that could not survive outside the womb is abortion...

To the credit of Life Site News, right under the article, they have linked THIS article (but not on the Christian Telegraph website! So those who read ONLY there will think that this is acceptable! NOT SO!

SADLY, this article was published BEFORE Hilary White's was, and before the Christian Telegraph copied her article!!

Read the good Archbishop's article below:

Canadian Archbishop:
'Early Induction' on Babies with Lethal Fetal Anomaly is
"Direct Abortion"

By John-Henry Westen

TORONTO, April 3, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The scandal of Catholic priests advising expectant mothers, whose babies are diagnosed with lethal fetal anomalies, that having an early induction in such cases is not opposed to Catholic teaching, is not new. The problem was already apparent in 2002, and denounced then by Archbishop Terrence Prendergast in a column in The Catholic Register.

The full text of the story is available at:
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/apr/09040612.html


Ok, so I read that article, and I get to the priest's JUSTIFICATION for his advising... for 20 years...

Read on:

Conflicting testimony on the matter from Church authorities can in these cases cause the death of unborn children. While the teaching of the Church on the matter is clear, when described by Fr. Prieur, the procedure was made to sound more than acceptable.

Describing his thoughts In an interview with LifeSiteNews.com in December, Fr. Prieur said: "[The babies with a lethal fetal anomaly] are dying and basically here's what happens, and I've been doing, we've been doing these for, like I said, for almost twenty years. People who are pro-life to their fingertips want the baby, get the diagnosis, find out that the baby is dying, will say, 'Is there any way we can hold that child while the child dies?' And I've often felt in my heart of hearts that's a signal from God, that what we're doing is the right thing. And there's a factor, and this is a technical term in theology - the instinct of the faith - and it's like, you know, in your heart of hearts you say, you know that makes sense. This is not your normal abortion, where we want to get rid of the baby. Not at all. See what I mean. And here's where we've got Catholic obstetricians here in town that say, 'Yes, this is the right thing to do.'"

The National Catholic Bioethics Center, which is reviewing the procedures at St. Joseph’s hospital now, states in their position paper on early induction of labour: “induction of labor before term performed simply for the reason that the child has a lethal anomaly is direct abortion.” (see the full statement here: http://www.ncbcenter.org/04-03-11-EarlyInduction.asp )

See related coverage:

Exclusive: Twenty Years of Eugenic Abortion at Ontario Catholic Hospital
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/dec/08121111.html

Mother "Pressured" to Terminate Pregnancy of Trisomy 18 Child at Catholic Hospital
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/feb/09022507.html

Mother Rejected Advice to Terminate Pregnancy Given by Priest at Centre of 'Early Induction' Scandal
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/mar/09031810.html

MY COMMENT TO FR PRIEUR:

Fr, You can sugar coat it anyway you want to, but what you have been telling those people for all these years is WRONG.

Remember:

"Right is right, even if no one is right.

Wrong is wrong, even if everyone is wrong."

~~Bishop Fulton J. Sheen