Struggles with Abortion

Unfortunately, abortion is perhaps the gravest and most rampant moral problem of our age. Millions of innocent lives have been lost in the past several decades to abortion, and a significant number of parents have also been affected by their loss, leaving post-abortive moms and dads starving for forgiveness, hope, and healing.

Why is abortion sinful?

Abortion is sinful because it is the killing of an innocent child in the mother’s womb. Science—not simply the Church—says that life begins at conception. The fifth commandment is very clear: Thou shalt not kill, and the sin of abortion goes directly against the fifth commandment. The Catholic Church fervently stands up for the value of all human life, starting at conception, and proclaims that abortion at any stage or in any situation is never justified and is always mortally sinful.

Hope, healing, and forgiveness after an abortion

There is good news. If you’ve had an abortion, you CAN be forgiven. The Lord is waiting for you with open arms.  The Bible reminds us that, no matter how large or small our sins may be, God’s grace is more powerful than our sins. He loves us more than we love ourselves, and He is always ready, willing and able to receive us back into His loving arms, when we are ready and willing to turn to Him with a contrite heart. This is one of the beauties of sacramental Confession—it renews us, heals us, and restores our broken relationship with God. Countless women and men have experienced the healing powers of Reconciliation after their abortions and have discovered a new sense of peace. Consider the beauty of God’s love and forgiveness, demonstrated in Scripture:

“Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool” (Isaiah 1:18).

“The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger for ever. He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor requite us according to our iniquities. For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us” (Psalm 103:8-12).

Resources to help you

*The Catholic Church is a strong defender of the dignity of life, from conception to natural death. To learn about the Church’s teachings on euthanasia, click here.