Just. Wow.

[Groundhog]

Church to excommunicate abortion girl's mother, doctors | World News | News.com.au

Church to excommunicate abortion girl's mother, doctors

THE mother of the nine-year-old girl who had an abortion this week - and the doctors who performed the procedure to save her life - will be kicked out of the Catholic Church.

The girl had been pregnant with twins after allegedly being raped by her stepfather.

An archbishop for the northern region of Brazil where the termination was conducted, Father Jose Cardoso Sobrinho, said the church was excommunicating all adults responsible for the abortion.

The operation - carried out because of doctors' fears the slender girl might die if she carried the fetuses to term - was a crime in the eyes of the chuch, he said.

"God's law is above any human law. So when a human law ... is contrary to God's law, this human law has no value,'' Archbishop Cardoso told the news television network Globo.

"The adults who approved, who carried out this abortion, will be excommunicated,'' said the archbishop for the Recife region.

The country's Health Minister Jose Gomes Temporao rejected the archbishop's position. "I'm shocked by two facts: by what happened to the girl and by the position of the archbishop, who in saying he defends life puts another at risk," he was quoted as saying by the Associated Press.

The case has sparked off fierce debate in Brazil, where abortion is illegal except in cases of rape or if the woman's health is in danger.

The girl, who was not identified because she is a child, was last week found to be four months' pregnant after being taken to hospital suffering stomach pains.

Officials said she told them she had suffered sexual abuse by her stepfather since the age of six.

Police said the 23-year-old stepfather also allegedly sexually abused the girl's physically handicapped 14-year-old sister.

He was arrested a week ago and is being kept in protective custody. If convicted, he faces up to 15 years in prison.

The website of Globo reported that another girl, aged 11, was being looked after in a hospital in southern Brazil after being found to be seven months' pregnant following alleged sexual abuse at the hands of her adoptive father.
That suspect, 51, turned himself into police in February.

He told officers he had had sexual relations once with his adopted daughter, at her initiative, according to the police chief for the town of Irai.

Not surprising, but shocking all the same.

[M GO BLUE!!!]

Hell yeah!

[JediKooter]

Well, the catholic church hasn't let common sense interfere with its dogmatic approach to things in years, so, not very surprising.

[panerd]

No reason to kick out priests for having sex with little boys though right? Instead kick out the mom who tried to stop her young raped daughter from having a sick mother fucker's children.

[Raiders Army]

I don't see what the problem is. The stepfather did something morally reprehensible and is facing the consequences. The girl got an abortion. The church, in its beliefs, excommunicated all adults responsible for the abortion.

What's the outrage all about?

[Raiders Army]

Y'all are acting like leaving a church like this is a bad thing.

[SFL Cat]

Meanwhile, I hope the stepfather's gonads were snipped.

[Buccaneer]

God still loves, even if Man doesn't.

[panerd]

Originally Posted by Raiders Army

I don't see what the problem is. The stepfather did something morally reprehensible and is facing the consequences. The girl got an abortion. The church, in its beliefs, excommunicated all adults responsible for the abortion.

What's the outrage all about?

I know people think this is a tired argument, but it is so absolutely true that it has to be said and I have never seen it refuted. A lot of the clergy responsible (either participants, involved in covering it up or at least looking the other way, or involved in the investigation/punishment) for the sex scandal are still in their same positions, including some very high ranking officials. How can you claim to be the moral authority on anything?

[SFL Cat]

Answer: You can't. At least not the people directly involved.

[Raiders Army]

Originally Posted by panerd

I know people think this is a tired argument, but it is so absolutely true that it has to be said and I have never seen it refuted. A lot of the clergy responsible (either participants, involved in covering it up or at least looking the other way, or involved in the investigation/punishment) for the sex scandal are still in their same positions, including some very high ranking officials. How can you claim to be the moral authority on anything?

*shrug* I agree with you for what it's worth...however, I can also respect the beliefs of others (not saying you necessarily don't). Without throwing words in their mouths, I'm sure the priests repented for their sins and were forgiven. Perhaps from their point of view, the "death" of a defenseless human being is unforgivable.

I'm not even close to being knowledgeable about Catholic beliefs, but I could understand where they're coming from even though I don't agree with it.

All this being said, other than being slightly embarassed as to being excommunicated, I don't see a rational person saying "I want to belong to something that gave me the silent treatment when I was protecting the life of my kid/patient/etc."

[Groundhog]

If you're devout, being excommunicated is a pretty big deal. Hopefully, in this situation, it might be enough to make all involved not care so much about it.

[Telle]

Don't suppose they also thought to excommunicate the step-father who raped and impregnated his 9 year old daughter? Or is that the kind if thing that's just forgiven with a few Hail Mary's?

[Groundhog]

[obvious joke]They probably offered him a position.[/obvious joke]

[MJ4H]

My immediate reaction to this is not caring what the church does to the people but wondering what was done to the a-hole that abused the kids.

[Greyroofoo]

I guess the line that the church draws for excommunication is somewhere between murder(in the Catholic view) and incestuous rape.

Not saying it's right or wrong but they had to put the line somewhere.

[SirFozzie]

Guys, let's not confuse where the Church in South America and Africa is compared to "mainstream" theological Catholic Church teaching in Europe or here in America.

I refuse to believe that any just, loving, God would consign a soul to hell (which is what supposedly this is about, denying them the chance to "come right with God" through Communion and forgival), considering what the poor nine year old has been put through in her life.

[Groundhog]

Can only wonder at what happens next time sometime like this goes down in Italy.

[Autumn]

I think the outrage here is that this was apparently a life-saving operation on a nine year old, basically. While I wouldn't agree wtih them, if they had done this in a situation where the girl could physically bear the children, that at least makes sense from the Catholic dogma standpoint to me. But if they think it's more important to save these twins than to save the 9 year old girl they're crazy.