Possible,Permissible,and Praiseworthy: Attempting to Baptize a Cesarean Scar Ectopic Embryo During a Laparoscopic Wedge Resection

Abstract

With incidences of cesarean scar ectopic pregnancies on the rise, physicians are increasingly encountering situations where medical or surgical intervention is necessary to save the life of the mother. In some cases, a laparoscopic wedge resection of the cesarean scar ectopic pregnancy is an appropriate treatment option, but tragically this surgical intervention results in the unintended, yet foreseen consequence that the embryo will die. While there is no possible way to save the life of the embryo, it may be possible for the surgeon to penetrate the gestational sac during the surgery in a manner that allows for the possibility of baptizing the embryo. This paper examines the Roman Catholic Church's teaching on baptism in the context of cesarean scar ectopic pregnancies and argues that it is possible, permissible, and praiseworthy for the surgeon to baptize the embryo while performing a wedge resection.