What does the Church teach regarding abortion and human embryos?
Human life must be respected and protected absolutely from the very moment of conception. From the first instant of existence, a human being must be recognised as possessing the full rights of a person, including the inviolable right to life.
Direct abortion—that is, abortion willed either as an end or as a means—is gravely contrary to the moral law and constitutes a grave sin. Modern embryology confirms that from fertilisation, a genetically distinct human individual is present, developing through continuous stages.
Human embryos must be defended in their integrity and cared for like any other human patient; experimenting on or destroying human embryos is gravely unethical. The Church offers compassionate pastoral care, healing, and sacramental reconciliation through Confession to women and families who have experienced an abortion.
Sources
- Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 2270
- Jeremiah 1:5
- Psalm 139:13-15
Awaiting review by the chaplaincy. Written in our own words; the Church's own texts are the authority.