Today is the feast day of St. Gianna Molla; she is the saint I chose for my confirmation so I have a special love for her.She was a Catholic medical doctor, very very pro-life and generous and loving with her medical treatment.
She married relatively late in life (early-30s...which I guess was quite last for a woman in the 1950s) and she had 3 beautiful children.
However, when she was pregnant with her 4th child they found that she had a tumour growing on her womb.
This tumour would kill Gianna, and the only way to prevent it would be to remove her whole uterus....but there is also a baby in the uterus.
By the doctrine of double of effect, Gianna could have opted for her uterus to be removed and that would have been morally okay, even if it resulted in the death of her unborn baby.
The reason this is okay is because the operation is not intending to kill the child, unlike an abortion, which does fully intend to kill the child.
In this case, the aim of the operation is to remove the cancer to save Gianna's life...it is just very unfortunate that it would also result in the death of her baby.
However, Gianna wouldn't agree to it:
“If you must decided between me and the child, do not hesitate: choose the child - I insist on it. Save the child” was what she kept telling her doctors and her husband.
Her baby was born healthily....and Gianna died, aged 39, one week later.
She was canonized for her selfless love and because she was a pro-life martyr, sacrificing her own life, for that of her child.
You can read about her life here from the Vatican website and also from www.stgianna.org
Her own daughter, the one she sacrificed her own life for, was present at her mother's cannonization, she herself is also a medical doctor, continuing her mother's work (as she says).
and Gianna's husband is actually still alive today!!
May St. Gianna pray for all those women who have abortions, and for all those on the contracptive pill or coil, because they are allowing their unborn babies to be killed within their own bodies too.
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3 comments:
St. Gianna is a most wonderful example of womanhood and motherhood.
A very vibrant woman who lived life to the full in that she GAVE her community so much. And one can only imagine the impact this most courageous woman had on her own family.
Thankyou Antonia for reminding me of this most wonderful Saint.
God bless you:).
Marie
as a mom I would naturally assume to do the same. It took forever for us to conceive- I had one plan and God laughed at it- what a great sense of humor! lol! I had to come to a better understanding of my faith before we were blessed...
I have only recently heard of St. Gianna ~ what a beautiful Saint,and a wonderful inspiration she is :)
I have created a meeting place here: http://therosegarden.freeforums.org/index.php
and wondered if you would like to be a part of it?
Blessings, love AutumnRose xx
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