Bala Cynwyd, PA—For years, federal funding for abortion in military hospitals was prohibited for any reason except for procedures to save the life of a mother. Following passage of a final version of the defense authorization bill on Tuesday, December 18, 2012, which allows the Department of Defense to pay for abortions in cases of rape or incest as well, the Catholic Medical Association issued the following statement:

Bala Cynwyd, PA—For years, federal funding for abortion in military hospitals was prohibited for any reason except for procedures to save the life of a mother. Following passage of a final version of the defense authorization bill on Tuesday, December 18, 2012, which allows the Department of Defense to pay for abortions in cases of rape or incest as well, the Catholic Medical Association issued the following statement:
The Catholic Medical Association regrets that the defense authorization bill, passed on on December 18, 2012, provides federal funding for abortions following rape or incest. While many view abortion for reasons of rape and incest, and subsidies therefor, as an acceptable option, Catholic Medical Association members know that abortion is never ethically acceptable (although interventions to save the life of a mother that result in the forseen, but unintended death of an unborn child can be ethically acceptable if certain conditions are met). Every unborn child, no matter how conceived, is a human being made in the image and likeness of God, possessing human rights and human dignity. Rather than receiving the ultimate punishment (death) for the crime of a perpetrator, the unborn child should be viewed as a victim of a crime, along with the mother, and be treated with compassion and respect. This new policy will lead to more abortions being performed, resulting in the deaths of more innocent children and significant harms to the physical, emotional, and spiritual well being of women.