Potential Human Beings? O'Reilly Slams Abortion Euphemisms, then Uses One

10/18/2010

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human being, but not O'Reilly. O'Reilly is Catholic, and a high profile one to boot. The responsibility of his faith obliges him to know better and to defend the humanity and right to life of every child in the womb from the moment of conception, period.

In fairness, O'Reilly has on many occasions been a vocal advocate for the preborn and I appreciate his willingness to speak out when no one else in the media would dare. He helped Jill Stanek put the spotlight on Christ Hospital's infanticide over a decade ago. He was willing to call the late Dr. George Tiller exactly what he was - a baby killer. He didn't shy away from pointing out the funding of abortion in Obamacare. In many ways, O'Reilly is an ally in the fight to protect the preborn.

Yet, like so many Catholics, he seems to be either ignorant of authentic Catholic teaching or uncomfortable defending it.

For all our sakes, let's review what the Church teaches about the human person: "Man exists as a unique and unrepeatable being, he exists as an "I" capable of self-understanding, self-possession and self-determination.However, it is not intellect, consciousness and freedom that define the person, rather it is the person who is the basis of the acts of intellect, consciousness and freedom. These acts can even be absent, for even without them man does not cease to be a person." (Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, 131)

As to the cowardly tendency of many to say that abortion is "between a woman and her God," we should remember this:

"Certain sins, moreover, constitute by their very object a direct assault on one's neighbor. Such sins in particular are known as social sins.Social too is every sin against the rights of the human person, starting with the right to life, including that of life in the womb." (CSDC, 118)

Regarding the alleged "right" to abortion, the teaching is crystal clear, there is none. There IS a Right to Life:

"The right to life, from conception to its natural end is the condition for the existence of all other rights and, in particular, implies the illicitness of every form of procured abortion and of euthanasia." (CSDC, 155)

"Concerning the 'methods' for practicing responsible procreation, the first to be rejected as morally illicit are sterilization and abortion. The latter in particular is a horrendous crime and constitutes a particularly serious moral disorder; far from being a right, it is a sad phenomenon that contributes seriously to spreading a mentality against life." (CSDC, 233)

In truth, birth does not elevate the humanity of the child to a new, previously unattained status. The child in the womb is fully human from the moment of conception and as Catholics, we are gladly burdened with the duty to proclaim and defend this truth against the deceptive euphemisms of our time. We're not lacking in this country for public Catholics who don't know and don't live their faith, or worse, flaunt their open disregard for Church teaching. What we need are more Catholics who know their faith thoroughly and profess it unapologetically.

Bill O'Reilly has great potential to become such a Catholic. Each of us has that potential. Here's hoping we all exceed our potential.

(By the way, the Compendium is available on Amazon.com and Catholic bookstores everywhere. Every Catholic should have one.)

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Jennifer Hartline is a grateful Catholic, a proud Army wife and mother of four precious children (one in Heaven). She is a contributing writer for Catholic Online. Visit her at My Chocolate Heart.
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Pope Benedict XVI's Prayer Intentions for January 2013
General Intention: The Faith of Christians. That in this Year of Faith Christians may deepen their knowledge of the mystery of Christ and witness joyfully to the gift of faith in him.
Missionary Intention: Middle Eastern Christians. That the Christian communities of the Middle East, often discriminated against, may receive from the Holy Spirit the strength of fidelity and perseverance.

Keywords: abortion, choice, life, prochoice, prolife, O'Reilly, Factor, BillO'Reilly

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1 - 10 of 36 Comments

Maggie Ann
2 years ago
I agree with the last writer that Mr. O'Reilly might be using the term to engage in discussion.
What we have to do is educate. I am a nursing professor and you would not believe what people do not know. The public assumes the morning after pill can prevent fertilization. Most of your neighbors do not know where and how embryonic stem cells are made. Review a good anatomy and physiology book. They all state that life begins at conception-- well they state growth and development start there and end at death. They state all characteristics are determined at fertilization and cannot be changed. The heart starts beating at 18-21 days or 5 weeks if you count the 2 weeks before conception. Most students get the above questions wrong-- why? Because they have been educated by the liberal media.
Now to the writer above-- Catholics believe in the death penalty! It is not anti Catholic! Innocent life is different than the two evil murderers in Connecticuit. I believe that the death penalty was the law of the land at the vatican until the late 1960's. Somebody else can research that fact.
In summary I think O'Reilly did OK-- you can use his mailbox to get your view across - pleasantly please!
Catholic
2 years ago
LORD, have mercy on us!!!!!
Joseph
2 years ago
Yes O'Reilly is Catholic. I disagree with the article that O'Reilly doesn't support the Sanctity of Life. Several months ago he explained his use of "potential human being" he stated the he use that term because neither pro-lifers nor pro-abortionist can argue that the unborn child is potentially a human being. Although I disagree with the euphemism "potential human being" I can also understand how he could use to engage in the debate that abortion is evil.
Sanchez
2 years ago
I found and interesting article that explains some things about the death penalty that I think people very often get wrong. Check it out: http://dstp.cba.pl/?p=3079
BC
2 years ago
ROBERT: BTW, Bill O'Reilly is NOT for capital punishment. He has stated many times that he does not favor capital punishment, but life in prison doing hard labor.
TJ
2 years ago
Well said Pete Brady, Diane and Andy Holland! Looks like another Lib has been exposed and KO'd as the real hypocrite! War and capital punishment don't compare to the atrocity of abortion! How can you libs have so much so called compassion for criminals and terrorists and none for an innocent child in the womb?! Life begins at conception, PERIOD! Any embryology textbook on any secular college campus will tell you this.
Andy Holland
2 years ago
Kel - Diane is right. Democrats also started that little conflict at Fort Sumter. Add in the 55 million in abortion, and clearly the party of "blood" in this Babylon is the Democratic. The party of "gold" has its butcher bill too; I am personally unaffiliated.
Diane
2 years ago
To Kel, I just can't let your mistake pass. Wilson, a Democrat, got the U.S. into WW1. Roosevelt, a Democrat, got the U.S. into WWII. Truman, a Democrat, got us into the Korean War. Truman, a Democrat, ordered the use of atomic bombs in Japan, the only time there was nuclear war. Kennedy and Johnson, Democrats, got us, troop wise, directly involved in Vietnam. Clinton ordered the high tech bombing of Kosovo. What party are you refering to as the party of war.Abortion rights are a plank in the Democratic party platform since the 1970's. Although being an Independent,as well as peaceful, I know which party I WON'T be voting for this November. And the Tea Partiers are right and they are moving in the direction of Subsidiarity.
cq
2 years ago
I did not see the show, but I feel that O'Reilly, by using "potential", meant the "potential life" that would have developed if not been aborted. Is this not a play on words?? I really think just by listening to O'Reilly all these years that he knows when life begins. He did not mean "potential life" in the womb, he meant potential life for that child, it that child had been given the opportunity to live.
DLL
2 years ago
One lives to develop their potential,but they must be allowed to live a lifetime to accomplish it.

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