Jun 11, 2010 -- 10:11PM, PretzelBaker wrote:

How does it work if a woman who has had an abortion decides to convert to Catholicism? Do they even let her? What if a guy who encouraged his wife to get an abortion wants to convert? Is his sin as bad as hers? 

Hullo Pretzl

All are welcome to the Church regardless of his or her past sin. An adult woman who's had an abortion starts her conversion like everybody else through the RCIA program, about a year or so long.

Now if the woman is a non-Christian convert to Catholicism, the abortion is forgiven upon Baptism; if she is a Christian convert to Catholicism, the abortion is forgiven upon her first confession just before she enters the Church.

As for which sin is worse -- that's not something I can determine, but both husband and wife are at fault. I don't have the patience for an abortion debate, per se, but the Catholic Church recognises that not every woman's abortion carries the same guilt. I'm nearly certain that legally, in the Church, people between 16 and 18 aren't excommunicated for abortion -- or their culpibility is not the same as an older individual. This scenario reminds me of an aunt who was pregant and married at 16 (it lasted almost 20 years, actually). When my aunt's daughter was 18, the girl got pregant and my aunt told her to terminate the pregnancy, and unfortunately my cousin did.