Pelosi's spokesman responds

Fr. Zuhlsdorf, at What Does the Prayer Really Say?, noticed at Amy's Charlotte was Both that Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi's spokesman has issued a statement regarding her recent comments made on Meet the Press with Tom Brokaw.

The statement reads:

The Speaker is the mother of five children and seven grandchildren and fully appreciates the sanctity of family. She was raised in a devout Catholic family who often disagreed with her pro-choice views.

After she was elected to Congress, and the choice issue became more public as she would have to vote on it, she studied the matter more closely. Her views on when life begins were informed by the views of Saint Augustine, who said: "…the law does not provide that the act [abortion] pertains to homicide, for there cannot yet be said to be a live soul in a body that lacks sensation…" (Saint Augustine, On Exodus 21.22)

While Catholic teaching is clear that life begins at conception, many Catholics do not ascribe to that view. The Speaker agrees with the Church that we should reduce the number of abortions. She believes that can be done by making family planning more available, as well as by increasing the number of comprehensive age-appropriate sex education and caring adoption programs.

The Speaker has a long, proud record of working with the Catholic Church on many issues, including alleviating poverty and promoting social justice and peace.

Let's use a little logic here, shall we?

First, we cannot possibly suggest that someone "fully appreciates the sanctity of family life" when one knowingly allows the killing of innocent children, which are part of that sacred familial life.

Second, were we to use the Doctor of Grace's explanation, given what we now know about the pain a fetus experiences I daresay Saint Augustine would vehemently disagree with Speaker Pelosi's use of his writings. At the same time, even if we do not call abortion "homicide," it is still evil; there is nothing in Augustine's words that even weakly imply the contrary.

Third, just because some Catholics disagree with the Church's teaching does not make the teaching of the Church wrong. As then Cardinal Ratzinger famously said, "Truth is not decided by a majority vote." As Supreme Pontiff, he recently phrased it thus: "What was true yesterday is true also today."

Fourth, Speaker Pelosi might well consider that there can be no greater way to promote social justice and peace than by defending the unborn child. There can be no true justice in a land where abortion remains legal for it denies the most basic, inherent right of every human being: life.

Fr. Z. offers his own comments and even offers Speaker Pelosi Saint Augustine's own understanding of abortion, since she claims to follow his thinking though she does not seem to grasp it.

Naturally, Thomas, the American Papist, has his own excellent comments on the statement.