Pure Common Sense

A Brazilian Archbishop recently sparked controversial headlines with an excommunication decision within his jurisdiction. A nine-year old girl was raped by her stepfather and became pregnant with twins. The girl’s mother forced her to undergo an abortion procedure and Archbishop Don Jose Cardoso Sobrinho made a statement by excommunicating the mother and the doctors who were involved in the procedure. Sobrinho has become very unpopular due to his conviction in this situation but his stance has remained firm and consistent throughout the ordeal. His side of the story has gone for the most part underreported and truth be told most people have decided they find it much easier not to take into consideration his side of the story.

According to reports, the girl was four months into her pregnancy, which is one month into the second trimester. At this point the twin babies in the womb could hear, breathe, squint and frown. Their heartbeats could also be heard without a stethoscope.

It is also important to take into account the motivations of the doctors who were excommunicated by the archbishop. These doctors certainly did not do the medical procedure out of any sort of feeling of benevolence toward the young girl or her family. Abortions are one of the most expensive procedures of its caliber and being an abortionist is thus a very lucrative career. The doctors wanted the money for the procedure – and they got it. The doctors were undoubtedly thrilled at the opportunity to abort the twins the young mother was carrying at the time and when they were excommunicated by the archbishop, they tried to use the publicity to their advantage (where they might be able to make more money by performing more abortions.) A highly-biased CNN report idolizing the doctors was released that gave them an opportunity to advertise to the public. With the help of their media friends, they cited high quantities of abortions and deaths from abortions in Brazil. What is important to note, however, is that any problems with deaths from medical procedures has very little to do with the laws in Brazil that prevent the doctors from doing abortions more often, but is the result of a lower GDP per capita and less concise medical technology than most first-world nations.

The girl who is the subject of this whole mess has been remarkably difficult to reach since the ordeal began. Some think that her family is hiding her from the publicity. The abortionists claimed that her life was in danger if she did not have the abortion, but the legitimacy of that claim is questionable. It is highly probably that her abortion was secretly botched and that she is suffering in horrible pain. The abortionists who were excommunicated certainly would not want her to be exposed to the public if that were the case – that would make them look bad and expose the folly of their words and actions to the public. No, they want that girl kept tightly under wraps. The excommunicated doctors are supposed to represent “safe” abortions and nothing can be allowed to tarnish that image.

I must admit that I do not know the full story behind Sobrinho’s decision, but I cannot help but think of the mother of the poor girl. Was her excommunication right? She did sin, but she might not have been in the right state of mind – being in an emotional fury over her daughter’s life while tainted by the rhetoric of the abortionists. If someone under the influence of alcohol attacks someone, they are still responsible but it is easier to forgive them if when they are sobered, calmed down and feel guilty. Was the mother given the opportunity to repent in this case? If the archbishop heard her confess her sin things might have turned out differently.

Sobrinho discussed the differences between the acts of rape and abortion involved in this issue. Since the abortion was worse, Sobrinho says, he will not excommunicate the stepfather on top of the mother and the abortionist. I don’t see that as grounds NOT to excommunicate the stepfather just because he was not the worst of all the people in the situation. Sobrinho, while his intentions are noble, would have made a stronger moral statement in excommunicating the stepfather as well. He also would not have had as much bad publicity as he got, making his position more attractive.

Excommunication in the Catholic Church carries a lot of misconceptions. It is not always permanent, and thus can be undone. It is not inherently meant to be a punishment, but is more like a meditative or medicinal penalty. It is not meant to anoint damnation upon the recipient. I was having a conversation with my priest the other day about that. While the Roman Catholic Church has a list of Saints – those who are known to be in heaven, there is no equivalent for those who are supposedly in hell. The Church always gives people the benefit of the doubt – even if they committed suicide (they might have regretted it in the seconds before) and does not say that people are in hell. Even Adolph Hitler is not stated to be in hell – not out of any kind of twisted respect for him, but out of principle and remaining faithful to doctrine.

Archbishop Sobrinho has been portrayed in a negative light for what some believe is the ostracism of a mother trying to save her daughter’s life. That does not make sense to me. There is something else going on here. There is a lot about this incident that has not been revealed and Sobrinho’s action is almost surely more sound than CNN and the abortionist are making it out to be.