Nancy Pelosi, The Early Church and Abortion

Wow.  The boldness of Nancy Pelosi to basically say that her own Catholicism has struggled to define when life begins and struggled to define abortion as murder until recently.

Some of her quotes:

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.

As I say, the Catholic Church for centuries has been discussing this....

So again, over the history of the church, this is an issue of controversy.

Oh really?  Ed Morrissey, a practicing Catholic himself, disagrees.

The notion that the Catholic Church declared abortion a sin at the same time as the Pill is patently absurd, and shows that Pelosi has either lied about studying the issue in terms of Church history or lied about what she found.  Church writings specifically naming abortion as murder appear as early as 70 AD in the Didache, the first written catechism of the Christian church:

“The second commandment of the teaching: You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not seduce boys. You shall not commit fornication. You shall not steal. You shall not practice magic. You shall not use potions. You shall not procure [an] abortion, nor destroy a newborn child” (Didache 2:1–2 [A.D. 70]).

Ed goes on:

The Catholic catechism is extremely clear on the nature of its position on human life, and has been remarkably consistent on this point for almost 2,000 years, and it finds that position in the Old Testament. Human life begins at conception, not at birth, and not at some point consistent with Roe for convenience.  In Psalm 51, David refers to his sinfulness beginning at the moment of conception, and sinfulness requires physical life and a soul to exist.

A point that the pro-life camp, both Catholics and Protestants, agree on.  That God Himself designed and knew us while yet in the womb: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations."  Or so He said to Jeremiah (1:5).  Setting apart a blob of matter?  If it's just a blob of matter, why did God care about it so?  If cared for by God, who are we to choose the time of it's ending?

Ed Morrissey's points are very well taken.  Pelosi's comments are for those who like talking points.  Those who don't dig deep into history.  Sad, many are going to believe every word she says.

-Colonel Steve