Doctrinal Error in the USCCB Statement on Religious Liberty

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops issued a statement on religious liberty Our First, Most Cherished Liberty. The statement correctly objects to recent attacks on religious liberty in the United States, from a number of different sources. These attacks include … Continue reading →

Is a Catholic who procures IVF automatically excommunicated? Yes.

Is a Catholic who procures in vitro fertilization (IVF) automatically excommunicated? Yes, if he or she knows that the Church issues a sentence of automatic excommunication for the procurement of a direct abortion, and realizes that IVF, as it is … Continue reading →

Moral analysis: the Maltese conjoined twins

This case occurred in 2001. A discussion of the case arose in my discussion group as we were considered the distinction between direct and indirect abortion. The medical situation was this: conjoined twins shared a heart, lungs, and abdomen. If … Continue reading →

The Abortion Vaccine (What fresh Hell is this?)

Pope John Paul II: “The close connection which exists, in mentality, between the practice of contraception and that of abortion is becoming increasingly obvious. It is being demonstrated in an alarming way by the development of chemical products, intrauterine devices … Continue reading →

Do 98% of U.S. Catholic women use contraception?

Many sources in the mass media and in politics (including a Whitehouse official) have recently cited a Guttmacher Institute study (Religion and Contraceptive Use [PDF file], Jones and Dreweke, April 2011) to the conclusion, phrased in divergent ways by various … Continue reading →

Is Contraception a Form of Health Care?

According to Roman Catholic teaching, the use of contraception is intrinsically evil (CCC 2370). Every intrinsically evil act is always immoral because it is inherently contrary to “the true good of the person in view of his ultimate end” — … Continue reading →

Moral Relativism: legal does not define ethical

In ethics — not just Catholic ethics, but any sound philosophical system of morality — the point is often made that legal and ethical, illegal and unethical, are two different concepts. An act can be legal and ethical, or legal … Continue reading →

Hypocrisy in the Bishops’ Objection to the HHS Mandate

Many Bishops in the U.S., over 100, are speaking out against the Health and Human Services Mandate that all companies and organizations, other than churches, pay for contraception, abortifacient contraception, and direct sterilization in their employee health plans. They are … Continue reading →