But some centuries later, the Aristotelian concept of delayed ensoulment of the fetus became the accepted principle. Pope Innocent III (?-1216) wrote a letter (9) which explained that an early abortion (e.g. within 80 days of conception) was not murder. It was only after 80 days, when the fetus had become "animated" that its termination was considered murder. This belief was firmly established by St. Thomas Aquinas (1225 -1274), It remained in effect within the Roman Catholic Church into the nineteenth century, with the exception of a brief 3 year suspension by Pope Sixtus V starting in 1588.
Papal decrees in 1884 prohibited craniotomies, which is an operation that dismembered the fetus' skull in order to save the life of the pregnant woman. In 1886, a second decree extended the prohibition to all operations that directly killed the fetus, even if done to save her life.
In the 20th century, a diversity of views has been seen within Christian churches. Liberal and some mainstream churches either promote a woman's right to choose an abortion, or are relatively silent on the matter. Conservative churches are unalterably opposed to all abortions, at all stages of pregnancy, although some would permit it in the event of rape, incest or extreme danger to the woman's life. There appears to be no opposition to and very little mention of IUD's (Intra-uterine devices) which terminate the development of the fertilized ovum after conception, and cause its expulsion from the body.
At no time in the history of the Church were an embryo or pre-viable fetus considered full persons to the extent of being worthy of an individual burial service.