My dear Parishioners,
Peace! There are thirteen (13) “In Brief” articles in the Catechism of the Catholic Church addressing the Fifth Commandment of the Decalogue, ‘You shall not kill.’ The following is a reflection on CCC 2323.
The Fifth Commandment ‘You shall not kill’ is a Pro-Life commandment. The Catechism highlights this in four points.
A first pro-life principle is that we should treat the embryo as a person. Regularity in nature requires this. Fish come from fish, birds come from birds, people come from people. The unborn person would never become a person if she was not one already. The discernable human DNA, distinct from both the father and the mother, reinforces this truth. Psalm 139:13; 15 reminds us of the personality of the unborn “You created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother’s womb… My frame was not hidden from You while I was being crafted in a hidden place.” Exodus 21:22 also insists on the personality of the unborn.
A second pro-life principle is that we should defend the embryo as you would any other human being. Ancient Roman Law recognized the responsibilities of the pater familias in regard to defense of all the members of family. Sacred Scripture teaches us similarly: we are to rescue the weak and needy, delivering them out of the hand of the wicked. We should deliver those who are drawn toward death and hold back those stumbling to the slaughter. The watchman is likewise to be vigilant (cf. Psalm 82:4; Proverbs 24:11; Ezekiel 33). Who is more weak and need than the unborn? How many have been wickedly slaughtered through abortion over the years? We are to keep a vigilant eye not only to defend ourselves but also our neighbors, the needy, born and unborn.
A third pro-life principle is that we should care for the embryo as we would any other human being. The human heart of the unborn child begins to beat 18 days from conception, and is pumping blood through the closed circulatory system by the 21st day from conception. Eyes, ears and respiratory systems begin to form by the fourth week from conception. Brain waves can be detected in the unborn as early as six weeks from conception. Fingerprints form by the fourteenth week from conception. Pre-natal care for both mother and child are ways of keeping the Fifth Commandment.
A fourth pro-life principle is that we should heal the embryo as we would any other human being. The wonders of photography have captured just such therapeutic concern for the unborn. The photojournalist Michael Clancy in 1999 captured an unborn child, Samuel Armas, grabbing the finger of the doctor who was working to correct spina bifida. Max Aguilera-Hellweg of Life magazine also captured a similar picture in 1999 of little Sarah Marie Switzer. Doctors J. Bruner and N. Tulipan at Vanderbilt University Medical Center developed a surgical practice to treat the unborn child, allowing for full gestation.
God bless you!
Father John Arthur Orr