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Catholic Church Names Woman Who Refused Abortion a Saint

by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
May 17, 2004

Rome, Italy (LifeNews.com) -- Gianna Beretta Molla died in 1962 at the age of thirty-nine -- just days after giving birth to her first child. She refused to listen to doctors who said the pregnancy could end her life unless she opted for an abortion. Now, she has been canonized by the Catholic Church.

Molla, an Italian pediatrician, had developed a tumor in her uterus, but she refused to have an abortion. Reports quote Molla telling doctors, "If a decision must be made between my life and the child's, don't hesitate. I insist you choose the child's. Save it."

On Sunday, Pope John Paul II declared her a saint, saying she made an "extreme sacrifice."

"May our era rediscover, by the example of Gianna Beretta Molla, the pure, chaste and fertile beauty of conjugal love, lived as a response to the divine calling," the Pope said, according to an AP report.

"The extreme sacrifice that took away her life is evidence that only those who have the courage to give themselves totally to God and his brethren can fulfill themselves," the Pope added.

Just over 40 years since her death, her husband and her four children watched the canonization process, which made her the first married woman to become a Catholic saint. A giant color photo of a woman holding a child was unveiled at the event.

Gianna Emanuela, Molla's youngest daughter, is now a daughter specializing in geriatric medicine.

"Following the example of Christ, who 'having loved his own ... he loved them to the end,' this holy mother of a family was heroically faithful to the commitment she took on the day of her marriage," the Pope said.

Father Brian Johnstone, a bioethics experts at Rome's Alphonsian Academy, said that removing the child from the mother would not be considered an abortion in Molla's circumstance. However, Johnstone said the church applauded the actions of mothers willing to lay down their lives for their unborn children.


Enter your email address to receive news from LifeNews.com via email. Do you prefer to receive news daily or weekly? Daily Weekly Do you favor or oppose abortion? Favor Oppose Click here to make a PayPal donation to LifeNews.com!	Catholic Church Names Woman Who Refused Abortion a Saint by Steven Ertelt LifeNews.com Editor May 17, 2004 Rome, Italy (LifeNews.com) -- Gianna Beretta Molla died in 1962 at the age of thirty-nine -- just days after giving birth to her first child. She refused to listen to doctors who said the pregnancy could end her life unless she opted for an abortion. Now, she has been canonized by the Catholic Church. Molla, an Italian pediatrician, had developed a tumor in her uterus, but she refused to have an abortion. Reports quote Molla telling doctors, "If a decision must be made between my life and the child's, don't hesitate. I insist you choose the child's. Save it." On Sunday, Pope John Paul II declared her a saint, saying she made an "extreme sacrifice." "May our era rediscover, by the example of Gianna Beretta Molla, the pure, chaste and fertile beauty of conjugal love, lived as a response to the divine calling," the Pope said, according to an AP report. "The extreme sacrifice that took away her life is evidence that only those who have the courage to give themselves totally to God and his brethren can fulfill themselves," the Pope added. Just over 40 years since her death, her husband and her four children watched the canonization process, which made her the first married woman to become a Catholic saint. A giant color photo of a woman holding a child was unveiled at the event. Gianna Emanuela, Molla's youngest daughter, is now a daughter specializing in geriatric medicine. "Following the example of Christ, who 'having loved his own ... he loved them to the end,' this holy mother of a family was heroically faithful to the commitment she took on the day of her marriage," the Pope said. Father Brian Johnstone, a bioethics experts at Rome's Alphonsian Academy, said that removing the child from the mother would not be considered an abortion in Molla's circumstance. However, Johnstone said the church applauded the actions of mothers willing to lay down their lives for their unborn children.