Choosing Life: A Natural Law Perspective on Abortion by Leslie Griffin based on Evangelium Vitae

Choosing Life is a collection of essays written by theologians, scholars, and the likeminded about abortion, the death penalty, and euthanasia discussed at Georgetown in 1995 near the same time as when Pope John Paul II proclaimed Evangelium Vitae, The Gospel of Life. The introduction is by Kevin Wildes, S.J., an editor of the book, whom says the backdrop of the times is “an era of polarization and divisiveness of moral questions” (xiii). In The Gospel of Life, he describes the Pope’s moral visionfor all. He urges Catholic men and women of moral stature to embrace a culture of life. He says, Evangelium Vitae “doesn’t just raise questions…[about abortion, euthanasia, and the death penalty]” but “raises these urgent matters of the day” “that bear on private choices and public policy” (xiv). It is divided into three parts: 1) Foundational Discussions, 2) Thematic Considerations, and 3) Moral Controversies. It has 9 essays and numerous responses. The 1stpart of the encyclical deals with the framework of the document, theology, methodology, and rhetoric. It also talks about ecclesiology and papal authority. The 2ndpart talks about the themes of technology in light of euthanasia, abortion, and capital punishment.The 3rdessay portion addresses abortion, experimentation, the death penalty, and euthanasia. These are morally controversial at the time and help to enlighten the difficult issues of the teachings of Evangelium Vitae(Wildes xiv-xv). None of the authors suggest blanket statements of all-out truthfulness or rejection of thought about EV but offer insightful dialogue and discussion at the symposium, by which these issues are still politically and civically debated today. Various fields of scholarly interpretation are included.

A skim of the readings of the entire book is confusing without understanding the backdrop of the Vatican document itself, the era of “signs and times” changing, and it’s relation to Veritatis Splendor, written before it. Some essays are too long and some are too short to my eye. The responses go as far as seriously agreeing on Thomistically, attacking or counter arguing the Pope’s message from some theologians to responses seeming to be afterthoughts written down later. Also, the length of the essays leaves each reader, including me, wanting to read more, thus there included edited afterthoughts according to O’Donovan in the Foreword. One wants to know more insight from other like-minded colleagues and contributors from that era.

The essay I found most interesting to learn about in my young Catholic faith was where theologian and author Leslie Griffin challenges and affirms the Catholic stance on Abortion and natural law in Evangelium Vitae. At first, I thought she was pro-life because of her nonchalant dismissal of the facts she pointed out from EV whereby she says, “On the subject of abortion, the “good news” is the old news” (Wildes 159). However, she reaffirms in her introductory paragraphs the problems about the pro-abortion challenges she, other women, and Catholicism as well as the Pope addressed in her essay saying, “The embryo or fetus is by definition always an innocent human being” (Wildes 159). This is a factual opinion, rationally and emotionally based but also scientifically proven. Griffin reiterates the Pope’s plea when he says “I confirm that the direct and voluntary killing of an innocent human being is always gravely immoral” (EV57, Wildes 159). She also addresses the subject matter of principles of theological traditional exceptions like "cancerous uterus and ectopic pregnancy, but not other measures calculated to save the life of the mother" (Wildes 159). Lastly, she recognizes that "within the Church, the criticisms of this teaching [of opposing abortion] are not new" but doesn't state a timeframe or specific historical Church document besides EV. She generalizes PJP II's theology of self-defense again in this polemic, much like Veritatis Splendor before it. Therefore, we must go into the theological basis of the natural law argument she debates and concludes is irrelevant in Evangelium Vitae as brief as possible.