When life begins

Somewhat related to yesterday's post is a tidbit I've uncovered from a discussion that's happening on the other end of the world.

Bishops in the state of Victoria, Australia are calling upon Catholics in that state to keep abortion as part of the Crimes Act, even though the state of Victoria already has abortion on demand in practice. This call was issued as part of a pastoral letter signed by six bishops and one apostolic administrator.

The Church's constant call for respect of life in all its stages from the moment of conception to natural death has been a source of much debate especially in the modern-day world. Those who are proponents of individualism (regardless of the terminology that is used) have little or no regard for this tennet which was upheld by the controversial encyclical Humanae Vitae written by Pope Paul VI and published on July 25, 1968.

In 1969, the Canadian government liberalized the then-existing law against abortion, and in 1988 the law was struck down, making Canada one of only a very few countries to not have any abortion law at all, and the famous Roe v. Wade case in the Supreme Court of the United States of America is still cited today as a turning point in the great debate.

Somehow, methinks the jury's still out on a difinitive answer to this question. When all is said and done, the essence of the argument comes down to whether or not you believe that a human zygot, embryo, fetus ... is a human person. This to me is a matter of faith enlightening reason.