Changed and Changeable: History of Catholic Teaching on Abortion

For decades, the Catholic hierarchy has poured both its financial weight and lobbying might to enforce the idea that church teaching on abortion is “unchanged and remains unchangeable.” But any historian worth their salt will tell you otherwise.

A bird’s eye view at the multi-millennial history of Catholic thought shows that even among the all-male hierarchy, church teaching on abortion has fluctuated, over time moving from a state of ambivalence to the recent complete ban on abortion in all cases.

In Changed and Changeable, we’ll talk about canon law, pivotal popes, audacious saints, the Pontifical Commission on Birth Control, and what Scripture really says.

This 30-minute, lecture-style seminar is most popular among academic audiences and advocates interested in church history.