120 



THE MEANS OF GRACE 



other limb protrudes, the child should be baptized 

 conditionally and rebaptized sub conditione after 

 birth. 6 



Apparently still-born infants, and such as are 

 incompletely developed (foetus abortivus) or 

 abnormally shaped (monstra), should be condi- 

 tionally baptized if there is doubt whether they 

 are dead or alive. 7 



In case a mother dies during pregnancy, the 

 fetus should be carefully extracted from the 

 womb and baptized, — absolutely if it is certainly 

 alive, conditionally if there be doubt. 8 



Infants should be baptized privately immedi- 

 ately after birth if there is reason to fear that 

 they will die before the Sacrament can be admin- 

 istered in the ordinary way. This precept im- 

 plies the duty, on the part of physicians and 

 midwives, of calling attention to such danger, 

 where it exists, and on the part of all concerned 

 of seeing to it that the Sacrament is administered 

 in time. 9 



6 Codex Iuris C-\n., can. 746, § 1 : 

 "Nemo in utero matris clausus bap- 

 tisetur, donee probabilis spes sit ut 

 rite edit us baptizari possit." — § 2: 

 "Si in fans caput emiserit et pericu- 

 turn mortis immineat, baptisetur in 

 capite; nee postea, si virus evaserit, 

 est iterum sub conditione baptican- 

 dus." — § 3: "Si aliud membrum 

 emiserit, in illo, si periculum immi- 

 neat, baptisetur sub conditione; et 

 tunc, si natus rixcrit, est rursus sub 

 conditione baptisandus." — Cfr. Rit. 



Rom., De Sacr. Bapt., tit. 2, c. 1, 

 n. 16. — Cfr. St. Thomas, Sumtna 

 Theol., 3a, qu. 68, art. 11. 



7 Codex Iuris Can., can. 747, 7 , i. 



8 Rit. Rom., De Sacr. Bapt., tit. 

 2, c. 1, n. 17. — Cfr. Stohr-Kanna- 

 muller, Handbuch der Pastoralmt- 

 dicin, 5th ed., Freiburg 1909, pp. 

 479 sqq.; Pruner, Lehrb. d. Pasto- 

 raltheol., Vol. I, 2nd ed., pp. 157 

 sqq. — Codex Iuris Can., can. 746, 

 § 4- 



8 Codex Iuris Can., can. 759. § ' ; 



