Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.34075/cs.56.4.6
The role of the father in the matter of abortion. Theological evaluation of biological-psychological and legal aspects of abortion
Damir Šehić
; Department of Theology and Catechetics, University of Zadar, Zadar, Croatia
Abstract
From the position of Christian doctrine and moral theology, this paper seeks to overview the problems most often omitted in the discourse on abortion, concerning the role of man as father, the father's rights to decide on his own child's life, and the father who is not mentioned by the Law, despite the constitutionally guaranteed right to parenthood. The starting point is the perspective of moral theology which strives to include psychological, sociological and legal results and reflections in the mentioned field. The first part of the paper reflects on the notion of fatherhood from a Christian perspective based on the revelation of God’s fatherhood. Understanding the concept and paradigm of fatherhood is not possible without insight into the psychological dimension of fatherhood with certain inevitable consequences, which is the topic of the second part of the paper. The third part attempts to understand the role of the father in the phenomenology of abortion, bringing novelty because it theologically evaluates three models of male behaviour known in the psychological and legal fields. It also reaches the socio-legal regulation of father's rights in Croatian legislation, which is still in finding a solution. The paper attempts to reflect theologically on the role of the father, on his human and Christian vocation, and on models that have strayed and distorted the authentic role of the father, seeing a solution by following the Gospel and the authentic Christian life.
Keywords
fatherhood; father's rights; abortion; father's role; man – defender of life; father outside the law
Hrčak ID:
267256
URI
Publication date:
22.12.2021.
Visits: 1.714 *