ABORTION: QUESTIONS & ANSWERS By John Cardinal O'Connor

ABORTION: QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

By the Former
JOHN CARDINAL O'CONNOR
ARCHBISHOP OF NEW YORK

(Source: Priests for Life Website)

Introduction by Cardinal O'Connor 1. What is abortion? 2. Don't the majority of Americans support abortion? 3. Why do people in the pro-life movement want to change the law? 4. If abortion were again declared illegal, wouldn't many women risk their lives in back alley abortions? 5. Why did the bishops hire a communications firm? Don't we read and hear enough about abortion in the media? 6. But do Catholics have the right to impose their beliefs on others? 7. Isn't it un-American to deny people the right to choose? 8. Hasn't Church teaching changed on the subject of abortion? 9. What is the Church's current penalty for abortion? 10. Don't some Catholics claim that they "personally oppose" abortion but that they can not "impose" that belief on others? 11. The Church forbids the use of birth control. What does the Church offer as an alternative? 12. Isn't the Church's position on abortion anti-woman? 13. What about abortion in cases of rape or incest? 14. Can aborted babies be baptized or given Christian funerals? 15. Don't the bishops neglect the needs of women and children and the poor because of a preoccupation with abortion? 16. Church and State are separate in America. Aren't the bishops interfering in politics? 17. Shouldn't the Church lose its tax-exempt status for involving itself in the politics of abortion? 18. Why does the Church seem more critical of Catholics than of others? 19. But what of non-Catholics who support "abortion rights"? 20. Suppose all candidates support "abortion rights"? 21. Isn't the Church concerned that its opposition to candidates who support abortion will prevent people from voting Catholics into office? 22. What about pro-life people who demonstrate in front of abortion clinics, show pictures of aborted babies or use similar means to protest the killing of the unborn? 23. Why don't we have prayers at every Mass to proclaim life and discourage abortion?