Interview with Speaker Pelosi on Meet th Press.
REP. PELOSI: I would say that as an ardent, practicing Catholic, this is an issue that I have studied for a long time. And what I know is, over the centuries, the doctors of the church have not been able to make that definition. And Senator–St. Augustine said at three months. We don’t know. The point is, is that it shouldn’t have an impact on the woman’s right to choose. Roe v. Wade talks about very clear definitions of when the child–first trimester, certain considerations; second trimester; not so third trimester. There’s very clear distinctions. This isn’t about abortion on demand, it’s about a careful, careful consideration of all factors and–to–that a woman has to make with her doctor and her god. And so I don’t think anybody can tell you when life begins, human life begins. As I say, the Catholic Church for centuries has been discussing this, and there are those who’ve decided…
MR. BROKAW: The Catholic Church at the moment feels very strongly that it…
REP. PELOSI: I understand that.
MR. BROKAW: …begins at the point of conception.
REP. PELOSI: I understand. And this is like maybe 50 years or something like that. So again, over the history of the church, this is an issue of controversy. But it is, it is also true that God has given us, each of us, a free will and a responsibility to answer for our actions. And we want abortions to be safe, rare, and reduce the number of abortions. That’s why we have this fight in Congress over contraception. My Republican colleagues do not support contraception. If you want to reduce the number of abortions, and we all do, we must–it would behoove you to support family planning and, and contraception, you would think. But that is not the case. So we have to take–you know, we have to handle this as respectfully–this is sacred ground. We have to handle it very respectfully and not politicize it, as it has been–and I’m not saying Rick Warren did, because I don’t think he did, but others will try to.
MR. BROKAW: Madame Speaker, thanks very much for being with us.
REP. PELOSI: It’s my pleasure. Thank you.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26377338/page/3/
Congresswoman Pelosi couldn’t be more wrong. Science tells us exactly when human life begins – its at conception. The zygote is created from the combination of male spern with a female’s egg (ovum). Both the sperm and ovum have 23 chromosomes each. This zygote is different geneticly from either parent and is unique. It has a capacity to grow, respond to stumulo, reproduce and adapt to their environment. Hence a zygote is alive. Humans have 46 chromosomes.
Therefore the zygote is alive, its unique, its human. As I said at conception. There is no mystery about it anymore.
What I think the speaker of the house meant to say is we don’t know when this human life becomes a person. Science can measure when the fetus has brain waves and heart beats and when its essential organs are formed. But does that constitute a person?
The church says a person is make of body and soul. The church does not know when God gives the body a soul, but it is prior to natural birth. Until the mystery of when a fetus becomes a person can be demonstrated, society has to assume that its a conception.
Speaker Pelosi’s position is not in line with the church. Even Tom Brokaw was able to express the churches view without refering to notes. Redemptionis Sacramentum
numbers 81 & 83 [81.] The Church’s custom shows that it is necessary for each person to examine himself at depth, and that anyone who is conscious of grave sin should not celebrate or receive the Body of the Lord without prior sacramental confession, except for grave reason when the possibility of confession is lacking; in this case he will remember that he is bound by the obligation of making an act of perfect contrition, which includes the intention to confess as soon as possible”.
[83.] It is certainly best that all who are participating in the celebration of Holy Mass with the necessary dispositions should receive Communion. Nevertheless, it sometimes happens that Christ’s faithful approach the altar as a group indiscriminately. It pertains to the Pastors prudently and firmly to correct such an abuse.
The first obligation is Speaker Pelosi. The second is Archbishop Niederauer. He claims he has not had the opportunity to speak with her about her position on abortion. It is impossible for me to believe that the archbishop can be engaged in anything other then dissembling, but I’m forced to give him the benefit of the doubt. Ever Catholic in the San Francisco area should request that he speak with the Speaker of the house and provide her with her churches teaching in the matter. By this I mean the universal churches teaching, not her local priest or even her bishop, but what the collective body of Christ says.
In the case of an intrinsically unjust law, such as a law permitting abortion or euthanasia, it is therefore never licit to obey it, or to “take part in a propaganda campaign in favour of such a law, or vote for it”.
In order to shed light on this difficult question, it is necessary to recall the general principles concerning cooperation in evil actions. Christians, like all people of good will, are called upon under grave obligation of conscience not to cooperate formally in practices which, even if permitted by civil legislation, are contrary to God’s law. Indeed, from the moral standpoint, it is never licit to cooperate formally in evil. Such cooperation occurs when an action, either by its very nature or by the form it takes in a concrete situation, can be defined as a direct participation in an act against innocent human life or a sharing in the immoral intention of the person committing it. This cooperation can never be justified either by invoking respect for the freedom of others or by appealing to the fact that civil law permits it or requires it. Each individual in fact has moral responsibility for the acts which he personally performs; no one can be exempted from this responsibility, and on the basis of it everyone will be judged by God himself (cf. Rom 2:6; 14:12).
The Cardinal Newman Society (CNS) had urged the University of San Francisco (USF), a Jesuit, Catholic university, to cancel its invitation to Speaker Pelosi to deliver the university’s commencement address.
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