text: Pope Francis and every other pope before him can say what they want about abortion.  I am free to look at Just War theory which has been applied by bishops with..shall we say a certain unlimited latitude..knowing that latitude is NOW not given abortion....even when the child is the result of a military strategy that uses rape as a weapon. I am also free to look at self defense theory.
  
  How can religious men allow other men to kill humans with seeming impunity by Just War theory or self defense, and still expect women to die from a birth they could have easily avoided and saved their own lives for their existing children and husband.  So yes, I think Margaret Lester is right on with her 'rabid and relatively thoughtless condemnation of abortion'.  Anytime some form of life is considered sacrosanct from other forms of life, it's got to be questioned.  The only other life form in Catholicism given the same status as a fetus is the Pope himself.  Other already born humans are not so lucky.