The 60-Second Aquinas
Lesson
Abortion as Murder
October 22, 1998
Having determined that it is immoral to kill the innocent, we should now consider the most innocent – the unborn child.
We should examine this topic in Thomistic terms – with respect to actions and their intended ends.
A woman determines that she is pregnant. By this, she acknowledges that she will have a child unless some other action is taken. Pregnancy is not a static condition, a process of life that is begun by the act of sexual intercourse and ends not at birth but at the eventual death of the individual created.
In considering abortion, an individual views the elimination of life as a good. Both Aristotle and Aquinas admit that human actions are taken toward some end that is judged to be good (in a metaphysical sense, though not always in a moral sense).
The true depravity of this mindset can be seen here. An individual considering abortion determines that the termination of a life is good. This runs counter to natural law with regard to life. Such a person does not "love the nature which God has made," nor does this person recognize that "God is Lord of death and life" (ST II-II, Q. 64, Art. 6).
Explanation of The 60-Second Aquinas Lesson
