Limbo may be crowded

A recent medical study found that about 15 percent of pregnancies ended in miscarriages during the first 20 weeks. But the study further said, "The actual percent is probably much higher because most miscarriages occur early in pregnancy, by the 12th week, before they are detected." Might this scientific finding be a significant indication that such embryos/fetuses are less than human beings? Such was the teaching of renowned theologian Thomas Aquinas. He thought that before "the quickening" or perceived movement of the fetus at around 16 to 20 weeks, it was not yet human and aborting it was a moral option.

If embryos/fetuses are "persons" as some claim, does that mean that nature, or God, is a rampant abortionist? If such organisms have "souls" as some claim, are those millions or billions of souls deprived of heaven because they are not baptized? That surely could make limbo highly populated, perhaps rivaling heaven and hell in numbers.

CLARKE MILLER

Bloomington; Ind.

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