Indirect abortion is the name given by

Catholic theologian Catholic theology is the understanding of Catholic doctrine or teachings, and results from the studies of theologians. It is based on canonical scripture, and sacred tradition, as interpreted authoritatively by the magisterium of the Catholi ...

s to a medical procedure which has a beneficial medical effect and also results in an

abortion Abortion is the early termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. Abortions that occur without intervention are known as miscarriages or "spontaneous abortions", and occur in roughly 30–40% of all pregnan ...

as a secondary effect. Edwin F. Healy makes a distinction between "direct abortions" that is, abortion which is either an end or a means, and "indirect abortions", where the loss of the fetus is then considered to be a "secondary effect". The relevant distinction may be between cases where the woman's life may be "in jeopardy", and cases where the woman would almost certainly die without the procedure that would also destroy the fetus. However, this does not mean the Catholic Church teaches that a direct abortion, even when intended to save the life of a woman, is not sinful.

''Humanae vitae''

This view is also held in

Pope Paul VI Pope Paul VI (born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini; 26 September 18976 August 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 until his death on 6 August 1978. Succeeding John XXII ...

's 1968 encyclical ''

Humanae vitae (Latin, meaning 'Of Human Life') is an encyclical written by Pope Paul VI and dated 25 July 1968. The text was issued at a Vatican press conference on 29 July. Subtitled ''On the Regulation of Birth'', it re-affirmed the teaching of the Catho ...

'', which says that "the Church does not consider at all illicit the use of those therapeutic means necessary to cure bodily diseases, even if a foreseeable impediment to procreation should result there from—provided such impediment is not directly intended for any motive whatsoever". Paul VI quotes

Pius XII Pope Pius XII (; born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli; 2 March 18769 October 1958) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 2 March 1939 until his death on 9 October 1958. He is the most recent p ...

in a 1953 address to the Italian Association of Urology. For example, the removal of a cancerous uterus is allowed if life at conception and beyond is not present in uterus, so removal of

uterus The uterus (from Latin ''uterus'', : uteri or uteruses) or womb () is the hollow organ, organ in the reproductive system of most female mammals, including humans, that accommodates the embryonic development, embryonic and prenatal development, f ...

is allowed but procreation is not possible when uterus is removed.

As distinct from therapeutic abortion

According to Archbishop Jose Antonio Eguren in Peru, indirect abortion is not the same as a therapeutic abortion. Eguren asserts that indirect abortion is an extraordinary moral case which has nothing to do ‘therapeutic abortion’; in Catholic doctrine, therapeutic abortion simply does not exist, since abortion is never a cure for anything.

Possible confusion with direct abortion

According to Elio Sgreccia, President of the

Pontifical Academy for Life The Pontifical Academy for Life or Pontificia Accademia per la Vita is a Pontifical Academy of the Catholic Church dedicated to promoting the Church's consistent life ethic. It also does related research on bioethics and Catholic moral theology. ...

, a great number of indications for such abortions have lost their ''raison d'être''. He further asserts that the progressive extension of these indications beyond the scope of medicine has often been driven by political reasons, part of which are related to the eugenics movement. Tuberculosis, cardiopathies, vascular diseases, diseases of the hematopoietic system (some forms of anemia), kidney diseases, hepatic and pancreatic diseases, gastro-intestinal diseases, pregnancy-related chorea, myasthenia gravis, and tumors are all diseases claimed to be motives for indications. However, a thorough study of each one of them shows that the medical basis of these motives is very limited, and that in the cases where, in the absence of a therapeutic alternative, there remains a real risk for the life or health of the woman, these cases are in a strong and progressive downward trend.

Pope Benedict XVI speech in Angola

Pope Benedict XVI Pope BenedictXVI (born Joseph Alois Ratzinger; 16 April 1927 – 31 December 2022) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 19 April 2005 until his resignation on 28 February 2013. Benedict's election as p ...

later gave a

speech Speech is the use of the human voice as a medium for language. Spoken language combines vowel and consonant sounds to form units of meaning like words, which belong to a language's lexicon. There are many different intentional speech acts, suc ...

Angola Angola, officially the Republic of Angola, is a country on the west-Central Africa, central coast of Southern Africa. It is the second-largest Portuguese-speaking world, Portuguese-speaking (Lusophone) country in both total area and List of c ...

where he appeared to blur the distinction between indirect abortion and direct abortion. He condemned all forms of abortion, even those considered to be therapeutic. The

Holy See Press Office The Holy See Press Office (; ) is the press office of the Holy See. It publishes the official news of the activities of the Pope and of the various departments of the Roman Curia. All speeches, messages and documents, as well as the statements ...

subsequently reiterated the distinction between direct and indirect abortion, and commented that the allocution merely re-stated the Church's opposition to some sections of the gender-oriented

Maputo Protocol The Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa, better known as the Maputo Protocol, is an international human rights instrument established by the African Union that went into effect in 2005. ...

Indirect treatments

There are licit and illicit approaches in dealing with

ectopic pregnancies Ectopic pregnancy is a Complications of pregnancy, complication of pregnancy in which the embryo attaches outside the uterus. Signs and symptoms classically include abdominal pain and vaginal bleeding, but fewer than 50 percent of affected women ...

. The most commonly addressed by Catholic bioethicists is extrauterine tubal pregnancies in which salpingectomy is seen with consensus to be indirect while some claim salpingostomy and methotrexate to be indirect. Of the other 7-10% of ectopic pregnancies, there are interstitial pregnancy and cesarean scar pregnancy. Hysterectomy is the common treatment of choice for interstitial pregnancy with a loss of fertility. {, class="wikitable" , + The licitness of techniques{{cite journal , last=Buskmiller , first=Cara , title=The Ethics of Interstitial and Cesarean Scar Ectopic Pregnancies: Four Case Studies and a Review of the Literature , journal=The Linacre Quarterly , volume=85 , issue=3 , date=2017-05-06 , pages=252–269 , pmid=30275610 , doi=10.1177/0024363918788858 , pmc=6161235 ! Technique !! Description !! Summary , - , Expectant management , , Awaiting embryonic or fetal death, or development of viable pregnancy , , Questionable, licit in some cases , - , Systemic methotrexate , ,

Antimetabolite An antimetabolite is a chemical that inhibits the use of a metabolite, which is another chemical that is part of normal metabolism. Such substances are often similar in structure to the metabolite that they interfere with, such as the antifolat ...

interferes with DNA synthesis, prohibiting placental growth and also fetal growth , , Questionable, likely illicit , - , Intragestational methotrexate , , Antimetabolite administered directly into the amniotic cavity , , Questionable, likely illicit , - , Intragestational KCl , , Cardiotoxin injected into fetus or amniotic cavity leading to fetal death , , Illicit , - , Double-balloon catheter , , Compression of fetal body and placenta leading to cessation of blood flow and fetal death , , Illicit , - , Uterine artery embolization , , Occlusion of one or both uterine arteries to cut off blood supply to fetus or to decrease hemorrhage , , Illicit when used to cause fetal death; licit when used to prevent hemorrhage , - , Dilation and curettage , , Removal of products of conception in pieces through the cervix , , Illicit , - , Cornuostomy , , Perforation of the uterine cornu and removal of products of conception whole or in pieces , , Questionable , - , Salpingostomy , , Incision of the fallopian tube and removal of products of conception whole or in pieces , , Questionable , - , Cornual wedge resection , , Resection of an interstitial pregnancy and the part of the uterus enclosing it , , Licit , - , Gestational excision , , Removal of products of conception from a cesarean scar, whole or in pieces , , Questionable , - , Scar excision , , Resection of a cesarean scar pregnancy and the part of the uterus enclosing it , , Licit , - , Scar revision (pregnancy salvage) , , Reinforcement of the cesarean scar in order to promote viable pregnancy , , Questionable , - , Hysterectomy , , Resection of the entire uterus including the ectopic pregnancy , , Licit, but generally to be avoided in order to preserve fertility, unless no other licit option is available

References

Catholic Church and abortion