What Pope Francis’ Abortion Announcement Really Means

YANG LIN
Staff Writer

Pope Francis announced in the beginning of September that starting in December, all priests are allowed to forgive women who had terminated pregnancies. At first glance, one may think that this is a brilliant decision because women are being accepted for their “sins” of abortion. Despite this, Pope Francis’ announcement was basically a way of portraying women as sinners who needed to be forgiven because they chose abortion over child labor. The pope’s acceptance for abortion is progressive, but still reveals the Roman Catholic Church’s persistence in opposing abortion.

The pope seemed to be understanding and considerate when he stated that choosing abortion was an “agonizing and painful” decision. Because of this, women can be forgiven since they endured affliction and guilt after abortion.
According the Huffington Post, a study conducted by the University of California, San Francisco, 95% of women who have gotten abortions believed it was the right decision for them. Although some of the women might have been underage, many of them were rape victims. According to the pope’s announcement, these victims should have chosen to keep the child after they became pregnant so that they could remain devoted to her religion. If one needed to keep a child and be responsible for him or her until the age of eighteen, then that person is paying too much in order for others to consider them as a faithful follower of God and the Church.

Despite the Pope’s message of forgiving women after abortion, this announcement should not be seen as a generous act because it is depicting those who choose to have abortion as sinners by default. Instead of treating them as sinners who need forgiveness, they should be treated as individuals who can make and be responsible for their own decisions.