St. Antoninus and abortion

The book to consult on this issue is John Connery S. J.'s book "Abortion: The Development of the Roman Catholic Perspective" (Loyola University Press 1977). Father Connery explains that Antoninus relied on the distinction between the animated and unanimated fetus that was prevalent before the process of fetal development was understood. Antoninus condemned abortion of the animated fetus in all cases. For the unanimated fetus, Antoninus allowed abortion to save the life of the mother. According to Father Connery, this was completely dependent on the distinction between the animated and unanimated fetus and so I don't think it is fair to cite Antoninus as supporting a pro-choice position. Later commentators who defend "abortion" to save the life of the mother (removal of a cancerous uterus) do so not because they defend the direct, intentional killing of a human life but because they regard the death of the fetus in such circumstances as incidental.

It is true that there have been individual Catholics who defend a "pro-choice" position (I suppose Daniel MaGuire, who has used the example of St. Antoninus, is one example). I don't think this supports the view that the Magisterium has taken conflicting views on the moral permissibility of abortion. And, I don't think it fair to use St. Antoninus's views on abortion to support the view that the Church has taken different views on this question. From Father Connery's account, St. Antoninus sounds more like Pope John Paul in Evangelium Vitae than Daniel MaGuire.

Richard M.