Abortion as Heresy
When Sir Thomas More's future son-in-law objected to Thomas' naming Martin Luther a heretic, the latter responded simply, "It's not a likeable thing, it's not a likeable word." In an ecumenical era, that word is doubly ugly. But truth is more important than "likeableness." The abortion issue, I believe, has evolved from a serious moral issue for Catholics to one of dogmatic considerations, that is, to a question of revelation whose denial would constitute heresy. Heresy, as all know, is a conscious denial of some revealed, divine truth which is mystery and which must be adhered to with one's whole heart and mind because God has revealed this (partial) truth to us. And for no other reason. Such truth is meant for our salvation and is not simply a matter of speculation or the conclusions of theologians. This revelation is contained explictly or impliedly in the sources of Revelation (Scripture, Tradition). Revelation is authentically contained in Sacred Scripture and in oral tradition; and it is authentically proposed for our belief by the authentic teachers in the Church who were appointed for this purpose by Christ Himself while He was on Earth (Bishops, as Successors of the Apostles and the Successors of Peter in the See of Rome). This teaching on Revelation as well as its authentic interpretation can be given and held by a universal consensus of the faithful and the bishops in union with the Bishop of Rome, by an ecumenical Council presided over, guided and confirmed by the Bishop of Rome or by the Bishop of Rome alone as successor of Peter who teaches authentically and, at times, infalhbly as representing the whole Church. This small precis on Church authority is necessary to situate the abortion controversy within the Church. But since we must hold that God's truth as revealed is valid for all men and women, the practice of the ugly and widespread vice of abortion in our time will have universal ramifications even on those who do not believe in the divine origin of the human person and its denial through abortion. This latter question, however, will have to await another day for fuller development. It will be the object of this paper to hold that the time has come to confront the spirit of the world, and for the authority in the Church to seriously consider a formal dogmatic declaration concerning the theological origin of the human person. That