It is ethically justified to take pills that ‘indirectly’ risk life of foetus – Bishop

A seriously ill pregnant woman is ethically justified in taking medication that “indirectly” puts her baby’s life at risk, according to Gozo Bishop Mario Grech. Any such decision was “ethically permitted” if every effort was made to try and save the life of mother and child, he added. But Mgr Grech said it was “never acceptable” to abort a baby to save the life of its mother. “Abortion is killing. Whoever intentionally undergoes an abortion has grave moral responsibility,” he said. Mgr Grech touched on the subject of abortion in a homily during a Mass dedicated to women, organised by the Catholic Action in Victoria. He welcomed the Catholic Action’s decision to uphold the virtues of St Ġanna Berretta Molla, a doctor who died after choosing to save her unborn daughter. Mgr Grech criticised the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ),a human rights group, which has recommended the decriminalisation of abortion. The ICJ, composed of 60 international judges and lawyers, told the UN two months ago that the prohibition of abortion without medical exceptions in Malta failed to ensure that women’s right to life and the highest attainable standard of health were met. Mgr Grech said...