No survival for mother or child

I WOULD like to make a comment on Séan Coyle’s letter which had the heading: “Is there any such thing as ‘safe’ abortion?” (Opinion, 4/11/16).

I agree with Coyle: There is no such thing as “safe” abortion. But I would like to qualify this statement. I remember from my moral theology classes that there is such a thing as an ectopic pregnancy [a pregnancy that occurs outside the uterine cavity and usually in the fallopian tube—Ectopic Pregnancy Foundation].

In that case, the mother has the right to ask a doctor to terminate the pregnancy because neither the “child” nor the mother can survive if the abscess is not removed. I think this will clarify the issue for Rina Jimenez David on the matter of the prevalence of unsafe abortions in India (“Religion and rights,” Opinion, 3/29/16).

—ARNOLD VAN VUGT,
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