Category Archives: pro-life

The Problem with Pro-life Politics

Posted on 24 October 2015 by Ron Conte

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could somehow elect a pro-life president, and then obtain enough votes on the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade? What would happen if we could elect enough pro-life congressmen to outlaw abortion? I … Continue reading →

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Weaknesses in the Supreme Court HHS mandate decision

Posted on 30 June 2014 by Ron Conte

Pro-life advocates and many conservative Christians are hailing today’s SCOTUS decision in the Hobby Lobby case as a great win for the pro-life cause. But it’s a very qualified limited victory, for several reasons. 1. The scope of the decision … Continue reading →

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A Pro-life Medical Issue: age at viability

Posted on 3 July 2013 by Ron Conte

The gestational age of an unborn child is its age since conception. The life of a prenatal human person begins at conception. Viability is reached when the prenatal has developed to a sufficient extent, in the womb, in order to … Continue reading →

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Formal Cooperation with Intrinsically Unjust Laws

Posted on 5 February 2013 by Ron Conte

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Pope John Paul II: “The passing of unjust laws often raises difficult problems of conscience for morally upright people with regard to the issue of cooperation, since they have a right to demand not to be forced to take part … Continue reading →

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A Moment of Silence for the Victims

Posted on 25 July 2012 by Ron Conte

Suppose that we were to observe a moment of silence for each person killed in a tragic event. To be specific, one second of silence for each victim. How long would the silence be, for various tragedies that have occurred … Continue reading →

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Doctrinal Error in the USCCB Statement on Religious Liberty

Posted on 13 April 2012 by Ron Conte

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 →

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Is a Catholic who procures IVF automatically excommunicated? Yes.

Posted on 10 April 2012 by Ron Conte

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 →

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Moral analysis: the Maltese conjoined twins

Posted on 10 April 2012 by Ron Conte

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 →

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The Abortion Vaccine (What fresh Hell is this?)

Posted on 4 April 2012 by Ron Conte

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 →

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

Posted on 15 March 2012 by Ron Conte

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 →

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Is Contraception a Form of Health Care?

Posted on 5 March 2012 by Ron Conte

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 →

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Moral Relativism: legal does not define ethical

Posted on 26 February 2012 by Ron Conte

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 →

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