The Doctor Insists on Terminating a Pregnancy--A Penitent's Response

We just received an urgent prayer request duplicated below:


One of my dearest friends from high school (not Catholic, but does believe in God) is pregnant with her 4th baby.  She went in for a routine appointment and she was told that because of too much scar tissue, the baby likely won't make it through the 2nd trimester.  She also has an infection in her uterus which further complicates issues.  She has been told that terminating the pregnancy is "a must."  She has an appointment on Monday for a D&C.  Please storm heaven.  It sounds like her Doctor is being very pushy about it and not giving her any other options to explore. 

Those who have no faith in God would put their faith in the doctor and figure whatever doctor says must be right. Of course, none of us have ever heard of a doctor being wrong, have we? Or have we?

Let's examine this note.

1. The woman is pregnant with baby number 4. Some people believe that two kids are plenty. Three are too many. Four are just plain irresponsible. The woman writing this prayer request is young--in her twenties. That means her high school friend must be in her twenties, too, in all probability. Now take a doctor who thinks four is irresponsible, has a twenty something woman in his office who is expecting number four, and who has a uterine infection and scar tissue. It would take a generous character to help this woman have this child for a person who thinks she's over populating and will likely go on to have God knows how many MORE kids before menopause. So tell her she has scar tissue and the baby won't make it. Scar tissue does not go away. So if this baby won't make it, neither will babies 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 and so on. Stop her from having this baby, then tell her she should get her tubes tied, and you've stopped her from reproducing. This is the way human minds work.

2. The woman has a uterine infection. What if the baby does not die but is harmed by the infection and the woman sues the doctor for not treating her properly? If she terminates, that is HER decision and no risk to the doctor because of her free choice.

What can we do in the face of pressures like these? We can pray for our friends. We can try to help them seek alternatives. For any serious surgery, most people will get a second opinion before undergoing surgery. Why not get a second opinion in this case, but don't tell doctor number 2 what doctor number 1 said. In fact, the best place to get a second opinion is through a doctor recommended by prolife pregnancy help agency like Birthright (call 1-800-550-4900). These doctors will do whatever they can to help a woman through a pregnancy and give birth to her baby, and many will give a free consultation.

The bottom line is that penitents need to remember that GOD and not the DOCTOR is in charge of life. We let Him call the shots. We don't second guess or predict what is going to happen with a life. We let what happens in God's hands and we engage the doctor to assist the Lord in saving life until a natural death occurs. One of the Spiritual Works of Mercy is to "Pray for the living and the dead." We are living until we are dead. We preserve life and pray for one another until we are all safely in the arms of God.

Helpful online books:

My Child, My Gift: A Positive Response to Serious Prenatal Diagnosis

Having Your Baby When You (Or Others) Say No!: A Complete Guide to Overcoming Your Fears about Having Your Baby

--Madeline Pecora Nugent

Abundant Life

The joy of the gospel fills the hearts and lives of all who have surrendered their lives and wills to the love and care of God.

Each of us is invited to ponder what God has done for us. Those who accept his offer of salvation are set free from sin, sorrow, inner emptiness and loneliness. This is great news, and we are called to share this News in our lives with all the people we meet.

As Christians, we are invited to take the words of the Gospel to heart and by reflecting on them find the Light of Life. Bathed in this Light, we will be able to face all the afflictions of life with patience and constancy. Bathed in this Light, we shall embrace the trials of life with our hearts set on the heavenly kingdom, where love is made perfect.

Let us keep in mind these words that Saint Paul addressed to the church that gathered in Corinth, “The world as we know it and all it contains will pass away” (1 Cor. 7:31).

When Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ spoke of His mission to the crowds, He said, "I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly" (Jn 10:10).

We are called to live this life in the midst of a culture of death that does not respect the dignity of the human person or value the precious gift of life. When Christ came into the world, He sprang from the heart of the loving Father so as to draw us back into communion with the living God and with one another.

The Giver of Life entered into our world to show all of us that sin and the consequences of sin do not contaminate Him nor do they hinder His power to redeem that which was lost.

The Word became Flesh to seek out people who were so caught up in their self-interests and concerns that they did not even know that they had cut themselves adrift on the sea of life.

The Only-begotten Son came into the world to speak a word of forgiveness and peace to people who had become resentful, angry and listless. We have only to recall these words written by Saint John, “In this is love: not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as expiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also must love one another” (Jn. 4: 10-11).

God seeks out the sinner and calls him back to the abundance of life for which he was created. God allows us to see ourselves for the sinners we are and permits us to abide in our misery so that we, moved by His grace, might cry out for His compassionate mercy.

We have the beautiful story Saint Matthew tells of the leper who approached Jesus. “Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean.” Matthew goes on to recount Jesus’ reply, “I do will it; be made clean” (Cf. Mat. 8: 2, 3).

God desires to give us every grace and blessing. In order to move us to take advantage of these blessings, God places a hunger in our souls, a longing for those things which alone can make us truly human.

God uses the misery we experience as a result of our sins to turn our attention to His mercy and loving kindness. God wants us to be truly human. In order to do this we must acknowledge Him as the Giver of all good gifts. Admitting our inadequacy and neediness, we throw ourselves into His open arms and depend on His providence.

Because we have received mercy, we can look upon our brothers and sisters with mercy and compassion. The Lord calls us to respond with love and respect for all, especially those who are in bondage to sin.
Please ponder these words taken from the Letter to the Corinthians, “Let us celebrate the feast, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth” (1 Cor. 5:8).

Having heard the words of Jesus expressed to His disciples, let us choose the leaven of hope, the leaven of faith, and the leaven of love. Then we will share and feast on much better bread with each other in our worship, our witness, our service, and our community. The Lord does not disappoint those who take this risk; whenever we take a step towards Jesus, we come to realize that he is already there, waiting for us with open arms.


Father Jerome Machar, OSCO