Former Irish President Calls Infant Baptism "Abuse": A Catholic Theologian Responds

Mary McAleese Claims Infant Baptism Is Abuse: Christian Scholar Carl Trueman Responds

Mary McAleese, former president of Ireland and canon lawyer, argued in the Irish Times that infant baptism constitutes "a long standing, systemic and overlooked severe restriction on children's rights," creating a new category of victimhood: those subjected to the sacrament as infants. Carl R. Trueman, professor of biblical and religious studies at Grove City College, dismantled the claim in the Christian Post.

He argued McAleese's position reveals the "moral disorientation" of the therapeutic age, where people seek victim status without genuine harm. Trueman noted the logical inconsistency:

McAleese accepts baptism's spiritual significance while rejecting its obligations, a position that only works if Church teaching has authority, which she simultaneously denies. He pointed out that McAleese has spent decades publicly opposing Church teaching on ordination, abortion, and sexuality while remaining Catholic, undermining any claim of coercive control.

The sharpest critique: McAleese views infant baptism as abusive yet supports abortion rights for the same children she claims to protect.

The Absurdity of Calling Infant Baptism Abuse While Defending Abortion Rights

The Crusader's Opinion

When a former head of state calls baptism "abuse" while defending abortion, the moral compass has not just broken, it has been thrown away.

Infant baptism has been practiced for two thousand years.

It is the welcome of a child into the family of God. To compare it to abuse is an insult to every parent who has ever held their baby at the font, and an even greater insult to actual victims of abuse.

The real abuse is a culture that kills the unborn and calls the baptized victims.

Take Action

• Share: Share this response to the claim that infant baptism is abuse. Defend the faith with truth and reason.
• Learn: Read Carl R. Trueman's full response at The Christian Post for a thorough theological rebuttal.
• Pray: Pray for the Church as it faces increasing hostility to the most basic sacraments of the faith.
• Act: Baptize your children. Raise them in the faith. That is not abuse, it is the greatest gift you can give.