Tuesday, January 11, 2011

An Embrace Of Abortion

Fr. Robert Fredrick Drinan, S.J.
"The broader public evaluation of Robert Drinan's career might fall into three groups," Father Schroth writes. There were his severe critics, his devoted followers and a third group of "admirers, who respected him as a champion of human rights but had serious reservations on his abortion position." 
Among "those who strongly disliked him, most did so because of his abortion position," Father Schroth explains. However, for "his devoted supporters," Father Drinan's "lifelong commitment to human rights around the world is the unifying, idealistic glue of his public life." 
Surely, Father Drinan viewed his apparently evolving abortion position differently than did his critics. He has spoken of the "horror" of abortion and insisted that "an unborn child must be respected as a precious gift from God." But he long opposed making abortion a crime in America's pluralistic culture and even seems to have thought laws limiting abortion to certain hard cases had a left-handed way of legitimizing those abortions. Whatever the case, many thought it appeared that Father Drinan supported abortion. And Father Schroth says that many admirers, who would follow Father Drinan "on the other justice issues and even accept the general principle that not all immoral activity can be controlled by law," remained "puzzled by what they consider(ed) his inconsistency on abortion."
Link (here) to the full book review in the Catholic Setinal of "Bob Drinan" is Jesuit Father Raymond Schroth

5 comments:

Teresa said...

He's definitely a bad Jesuit. There can be no common good without the "Right to life" for the unborn. He is dissenting from the Church, is causing scandal, and should be ashamed and reprimanded in some way by the Church.

Anonymous said...

Sounds like he opposed the re-criminalization of abortion--not a bad position really.

Jack in Park Slope said...

Hey my Jesuit priest said it was "ok" to vote in support of abortion and fund Planned Parenthood.

Sincerely
Ted Kennedy
John Kerry
Nancy Pelosi

TonyD said...

Jack in Park Slope,

If a Jesuit tells someone that it is "OK" to vote in support of abortion and fund planned parenthood, the question I would be asking myself is: "Why would he say that?"

Obviously, any Jesuit is familiar with the Magesterium. So what is it that a Jesuit might know that you don't?

Anonymous said...

I wonder why the Pope (both JP II & Benedict) has given communion to politicians around the world who oppose the recriminalization of abortion?