in one place, as I recall, he
>stated that the child is informed with a soul at
>conception, in another, at birth. Perhaps someone who
>is up on this subject could say whether this change
>represented a development or refinement in TA's views,
>and which of the two views was the later. Was there a
>"standard Catholic medieval position" on this question?
>
As I understand it, he believed that animation took place
neither at conception nor at birth, but at an intermediate
point while the child was in the womb. The usual view,
I believe, was that animation took place in the third
month, but he does not mention an exact time in his
discussion of the Sanctification of the Virgin - which is
where you must look to find his views on the Immaculate
Conception. At what point in her life was the Virgin
sanctified - that is, freed from the effects of Original
Sin? The Catholic Church has since 1854 taught that she
was protected from Original Sin from the very moment
of her Conception - hence 'Immaculate Conception'.
Aquinas argued that sin - whether original or actual -
was a function of a rational soul, and therefore Sanctification
could not be imputed before the infusion of a soul, i.e.
animation. Had Aquinas' view -or rather, the common opinion
that animation took place at some stage after conception -
prevailed, it would have suggested the permissibility of
abortion before animation. The Catholic Church is nowadays
committed to the understanding that human life exists from
the moment of conception. This was by no means the
prevailing medieval view.
Oriens.
suggested the permissibility of abortion before animation
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