Dr. Ben Carson speaks about abortion
By Tom Quiner
If the issue of human abortion is a big issue to you, you should read what Dr. Ben Carson has said on the subject.
Dr. Carson polls strongly with pro life conservatives. I post his remarks on the subject without comment:
From the Baltimore Sun, 1992:
“As a physician who does not believe in abortion, when faced with a patient who has severe medical problems, I would refer someone for an abortion.”
“I would never advocate it’s illegal for a person to get an abortion. I think in the long run we do a lot of harm when we bludgeon people.”
Regarding the use of fetal tissue for medical research (from an interview this week):
“But just because they get the fetal tissue [by abortion], does it mean they should throw it out? Of course they don’t. That’s how science is advanced.
“To not use the tissue that is in a tissue bank, regardless of where it comes from, would be foolish. Why would anybody not do that?”
When asked if human life begins at conception (from an August 12th interview):
“Certainly once the heart starts beating – certainly at that point.”
Later that week:
“I think when conception occurs, life occurs. I believe that life begins at conception.”
Should there be abortion exceptions:
“In cases of rape and incest, I would hope that [mothers] would very quickly avail themselves of emergency room and in the emergency room, they have the ability to administer, you know, RU-486, other possibilities, before you have a developing fetus.”
Asked about his thoughts on the RU-486 ‘abortion pill:’
“I think when conception occurs, life occurs. But I do believe in contraception.”
“The egg is only fertilizable at certain times – and there are certain types of drugs, progestins, that can prevent ovulation…if ovulation doesn’t occur, you’re not going to have conception.”
[His campaign later clarified he was speaking of emergency contraception, not the RU-486.]
Thanks for posting. I also had been somewhat confused by those recent remarks.
So it’s down to Fiorina, Rubio, Santorum or Jindal for me (in no order).
This is not a deal-killer for me regarding Carson, because I do believe his heart is largely in the right place. I don’t pretend that I’m not disappointed in some of his comments. He’s tried to back pedal and clean up some of his recent remarks, kind of like Pope Francis has to do. I could vote for him easily and enthusiastically, but he will not be my first choice. Thanks for your input, Lee. Your 4 choices are each excellent. I love them all. I believe Rubio is a complete package and a winner. I’m leaning that way.
Even those who try to be faithful Catholics sometimes get it wrong, Tom. I get so frustrated with Christians who forget to consult our Lord and Savior about what is right and wrong. Doesn’t being a faithful Christian assume that one consults the Bible when he wants to know the truth? If one does not avail himself of the richness of the one true faith, Catholicism, then the intricacies of a crime will often run afoul of morality. The Church teaches that a person can err grievously when He does not know the whole law. The Apostle James articulates in James 2:10: “For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all.” James is painting a picture of a person who is trying to do the right thing and yet, perhaps unintentionally, commits a sin. Dr. Carson fits the description of that type of sinner. What is the consequence of not knowing the whole law? God states (through St. James) that when a person commits even unintentional sin, he is guilty of breaking the entire law.
Tom, we must be patient with those who truly mean well about being pro-life. We must try to lead them, through a spiritual work of mercy, to the full truth. I want to repeat that there is the very real danger of consulting ourselves instead of God, when it comes to morality. I want to see a good witness from us Catholics, that the moral law was created by God and that we must not impute our own “wisdom” apart from what He reveals to us. Prudential judgment cases should be rarer than they are, since many of us do not inform our consciences fully as in the example of Dr. Carson.
Everything we need to know about our lives is revealed to us by God. At the very least we should know that the intricacies of the Ten Commandments are not delivered in the pithy commands that we can recite, but are fully elaborated in the Bible (Leviticus gives the literal terms), in Sacred Tradition and through the Magisterium of the Church, the Catechism among other documents).
How could Dr. Carson know that the example of the Holy Spirit overshadowing the Blessed Virgin and creating the Messiah in her womb would be an example of the Church teaching that life is sacred from procreation? We are taught that the moment the incarnation occurred was the moment He was conceived in the womb. Only through the riches of God’s Church can we know His complete will for us.
Wonderful insights, Barbie.
A lot of us have evolved on this issue. I was pro-choice myself, many many years ago. People do change (thank God).
Good point. I guess I have, too. I’ve always been pro life but acknowledged the need for rare exceptions. Now I’ve reached the point that the exceptions allow immorality. Always good to hear from you.
Well, you’re way ahead of me. Back in my misspent youth, I was a feminist, a socialist, and an environmental wacko. It’s embarrassing to admit, but at least it keeps me aware of the ability of human beings to evolve and mature in their attitudes and beliefs.
So true. I’ve evolved on a number of issues, too, but I just start from the far left!