On Mondays, I answer questions frequently asked by those considering a return to the Catholic Church. How do I know this stuff? I was away for more than 30 years myself, and am the co-author of When They Come Home: Ways to Welcome Returning Catholics, a book for pastors and parish leaders interested in this ministry.
Why do Catholics oppose abortion even in cases of rape and incest? Can I come back to the Church if I had an abortion?
Rape and incest are heinous crimes. When a woman is violated in these ways, the person responsible should be brought to justice. But a child who is a product of this violence is not a criminal. Aborting the child only creates another tragedy. Some evidence indicates women who 
take this action feel even more victimized and angry thereafter. The Church values all life—the woman’s and the child’s and even the rapist’s. Many parishes and Catholic charitable organizations offer housing, medical, and financial support to women during their pregnancies and beyond. Project Rachel (www.hopeafterabortion.com) is the Church’s ministry to those who have been involved with abortions.
The Church sees every life as precious from its very beginning to its natural end. It follows, then that having an abortion or assisting with one would be regarded as a very serious act that is in conflict with that belief. Women who have abortions often do so because they see no alternative. At some level, we’ve all let them down. The Church aches for these women, and desires them to seek assistance and, when they are ready, absolution.
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