What is the status of a Catholic who has an abortion?
According to the Code of Canon Law, a Catholic who knowingly procures an abortion automatically (latae sententiae) incurs the penalty of excommunication (cf. #1328). Excommunication means a Catholic may not receive the sacraments or serve in a public church office; it is considered a “medicinal” remedy which is intended to invite the person to change their behavior, repent and return to full communion.
The penalty of excommunication also applies to any Catholic without whose assistance an abortion could not have been procured, such as health care providers who freely and directly cooperate in the procurement of an abortion, or a Catholic who forces an individual to have an abortion (cf. #1329). The penalty of automatic excommunication for procuring or assisting in the procurement of an abortion may be removed by a priest in the Sacrament of Penance (Confession).
A penalty of excommunication may also be imposed by a bishop on a particular individual; in that case, the bishop stipulates when and how it may be remitted.
A penalty of excommunication does not automatically apply to a Catholic who believes abortion should be legal or votes for a candidate who supports legal abortion. However, intentionally voting for a candidate primarily because they are pro-abortion is a grave moral failure, and publicly advocating for legal abortion could give rise to scandal, which is also a matter of moral gravity.
The Catholic bishops of the United States have repeatedly emphasized the obligation of Catholics to support human life and dignity. In their most recent pastoral letter, The Mystery of the Eucharist in the Life of the Church (2021), the bishops wrote:
“As Christians, we bear the responsibility to promote the life and dignity of the human person, and
to love and to protect the most vulnerable in our midst: the unborn, migrants and refugees, victims
of racial injustice, the sick and the elderly.” (#38)
Moreover, the bishops wrote,
“Lay people who exercise some form of public authority have a special responsibility to form their
consciences in accord with the Church’s faith and the moral law, and to serve the human family by
upholding human life and dignity.” (#36)
In reference the penalty of excommunication, the bishops explained that the Eucharist is the sacrament of ecclesial communion; it presupposes that a state of communion already exists between an individual and the Eucharistic community. “This includes communion in its ‘visible dimension, which entails communion in the teaching of the Apostles, in the sacraments and in the Church’s hierarchical order,’” the bishops wrote. (#48) They added this statement by St. John Paul II:
“The judgment of one’s state of grace obviously belongs only to the person involved, since it is a
question of examining one’s conscience. However, in cases of outward conduct which is seriously,
clearly and steadfastly contrary to the moral norm, the Church, in her pastoral concern for the good
order of the community and out of respect for the sacrament, cannot fail to feel directly involved.
The Code of Canon Law refers to this situation of a manifest lack of proper moral disposition when
it states that those who ‘obstinately persist in manifest grave sin’ are not to be admitted to Eucharistic
communion.’” (#49)
• If you have had or are considering having an abortion, and are concerned about your status in the Catholic Church, we invite you to visit with a pastor, confessor, or spiritual director.
• Birthright is an interdenominational and non-political organization which provides free, non-judgmental and confidential services to pregnant women. Learn more at 800-550-4900 or https://birthright.org/
More FAQ
> What if I don’t agree with some of the Church’s teachings?
Related Links
> The Mystery of the Eucharist in the Life of the Church
> Living the Gospel of Life--A Challenge to American Catholics
> Fact Sheet--Abortion Is Not Healthcare
> Resources About the Church’s Teaching on Abortion
> Resources for Catholics Who Have Had An Abortion
> Four Persistent Myths About Catholic Teaching on Abortion
> How to Form a Moral Conscience
[Posted 08.17.22]