On Fri, 24 Apr 1998, Niklaus M. Schatzmann wrote:
> St. Thomas was not only concerned with the exact moment of animation but
> also reflected the *exact* moment of the soul leaving the dying body.
> We see him thus not only anticipating the discussion about
> abortion but also the one about euthanasia.
>
The central point, I think, and one missed by those who claim that Aquinas
would support the legitimacy of abortion, is that Thomas was drawing on
the best empirical knowledge of his day regarding ensoulment--associating
it with quickening, the point at which the fetus makes its presence felt
in a macroscopic way.
With advances in empirical observation, we know that the point of
fertilization is the only reasonable empirical marker for ensoulment (both
believing and agnostic experts agree on this; for a summary of the
evidence see Jerome Lejeune, _The Concentration Can_). Using Thomas's own
principles, he would certainly agree with the Catholic Church's position
today. Those who favor legalized abortion, if they have studied the
embryiological evidence (Naomi Wolfe, _____ McDonogh in a new book out
from Oxford U. Press), recognize the humanness of the fetus from
conception onward but argue that it is legitimate under certain
circumstances to end its life. Aquinas would not because he would
certainly ascribe ensoulment to the point of conception, given what we
know about fetal development today. Those who argue for legal abortion
will need to make different argments; but I do not see how they can
legitimately enlist Aquinas in their cause.
The initial employing of Aquinas by Catholic ethicists to argue for
legitimate abortion during the first few days of gestation rested on a
supposed "pre-embryo stage" up to about two weeks. I do not think the
embryological science supports the existence of such a stage. But my
point is that Aquinas would certainly have examined the genetic,
embryological evidence and modified his conviction that ensoulment takes
place at the point of quickening.
Dennis Martin
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