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Catholic Church's heavy hand - put humanity above dogma

Sad news on the FFRF site.

It shows us how harmful religion and dogma can be.

Catholic Church's heavy hand weighs down the Irish
November 19, 2012

By Annie Laurie Gaylor
FFRF Co-President

Last week I wrote a blog about the heavy hand of the Catholic Church upon women in the Philippines. Two days later came news of the horrifying and unnecessary death of a young, professional Indian woman living in Galway. Savita Halappanavar died after an incomplete miscarriage, denied a life-saving abortion because in predominantly Catholic Ireland the hospital was too cowardly to save her life.
Even though Ireland’s constitution bans abortion, a 1992 Supreme Court ruling was issued permitting abortion when the woman’s life is at risk.

Savita’s pregnancy was wanted. She wasn’t seeking an abortion, she was seeking medical intervention to complete a miscarriage. The hospital, afraid of Catholic criticism, held back, waiting for the fetus to die on its own. Thus, in the name of saving an already doomed fetal life, a woman’s life was lost as well. Savita, a married dentist, was pronounced dead Oct. 28, after a week of suffering. Dying of blood septicemia (blood poisoning) is one of the most gruesome and painful of deaths.

Read the rest here.

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Jamile Oenomaus Williamson on December 18, 2012 at 4:04pm

This is an examples of crimes against humanity. The Catholic Church should be ashamed to put themselves in the category of ethical. This form of behavior is disgusting & should be outlawed. No religion should dictate or influence decisions on women reproductive issues or medical circumstances. This is Bronze Age thinking at its worst.

Permalink Reply by Steph S. on December 18, 2012 at 5:58pm

I agree fully Jamile. The form of behavior is disgusting and not ethical.

Permalink Reply by Joan Denoo on December 18, 2012 at 5:52pm

Jamile Oenomaus Williamson, your statement says it all, with power and conviction. It is only simple justice for each person to have control over his/her own life. Crime against humanity is exactly what it is.

Permalink Reply by Richard C Brown on January 3, 2013 at 12:03pm

Steph S.You opened the cellar doors!! You always have things that bring out our Best.Thanks!!

Permalink Reply by Steph S. on January 3, 2013 at 12:40pm

Thank you very much Richard!

Permalink Reply by Kane Augustus on January 3, 2013 at 4:47pm

Catholic oppression never ceases to amaze me. In the most horrible of ways. I wish there was a way to dissolve the Catholic church and exorcise it from the world for the demon it is. The toxic influence it has is so systemic that its poisons even reach into the womb of beautiful productive women and bring about death to them when they could otherwise be saved.

But because the Vatican is its own country, it sets its own laws. Because the Vatican is a self-proclaimed spiritual authority over the journey and destination of people's souls, people follow along feeling guilty if they deviate in any way. Guilt binds people to their teachings, and their teachings bind countries to oppressive and dangerous politics. In the end, people's lives are twisted, damaged, betrayed, endangered and, as in the case above, even lost.

I would have no love lost if the Vatican suddenly collapsed and shut its doors tomorrow. Today would be better, actually.

Permalink Reply by GOD'aye on January 3, 2013 at 6:43pm

So True! Kane. The RCC needs to be publicly condemned in all countries, though practically all leaders are scared of the apparent might of the RCC, though, if leaders do decide to take the church on, they might be surprised at how little effort it would really take to topple it. The membership is definitely fading and less than half of those marking themselves as Catholic in the census are actually fair dinkum practicing Catholics. It's about time leaders took the RCC on!

Permalink Reply by Kane Augustus on January 4, 2013 at 7:01am

I think you're spot-on there, G'Day. They're only 11 acres of two-thousand year-old bluster. And given their lurid history, there really shouldn't be any problem shutting them down, and condemning them for the twisted, psychotic crooks that they are.

Nice to meet you, by the way, G'Day! I've enjoyed reading your posts as I've found them. :)

Permalink Reply by GOD'aye on January 4, 2013 at 8:51am

And I enjoyed reading your couple of posts, though to answer the question of atheism and altruism, altruism is belief system neutral, it is part of evolution and the limbic system function of the brain and exists in other species, not just humans.

All atheism needs to do is maintain an environment where honest altruism is rewarded and fake altruism driven by vanity and false religious pride, such as many honored by the Catholic church is denigrated.

Keep up the gr8 work M8! :D