Dear Alexandra,

It is interesting how when a couple desires so very much to have a child and experience difficulty in conceiving, but then become pregnant - well then they boast about "being pregnant", "expecting a baby".  I have yet to hear, "well the baby is hardly a child" or "the embryo is not fully formed". No, they simply say, "we are expecting a baby". It is only when someone is pregnant and is considering destroying the child, that we hear, "the embryo is not fully formed" or "it is hardly a child". When someone is pregnant, it is always a baby - it is always a life that has been conceived. We have to be honest - say the truth. We cannot have it both ways - it is a clump of cells when we do not want the baby and it is a baby when we want the baby. We are deceiving only ourselves. I have a lot of respect for women who have regretted their abortions, humbly repented and received Jesus' abundant forgiveness, mercy and graces in the Sacrament of Confession. It is a Catholic paper!