[Question:]{.underline} Can an infant be baptized in his mother’s womb?
[Answer:]{.underline} It is possible to baptize an infant in his mother’s womb, but it is difficult to have certitude as to its validity. In order for the baptism to be valid, the physician must inject sterile water through a syringe in such a way that it washes a part of the body of the infant, preferably the head. However, this is only possible after the mother’s water has broken, since the amniotic sac is a part of the mother, and must be removed if the infant is to be baptized. Then the words are said at the same time as the water washes the head. Intra-uterine baptisms are really a thing of the past, and were administered when an infant, about to be born, was in danger of death. Modern medical practice makes it possible to perform an emergency caesarean section in such cases, so that the infant can be born alive.
The Church’s traditional (1917) Code of Canon Law has some interesting rules for such cases (canon 746). It establishes first of all that no infant is to be baptized in its mother’s womb for as long as there is a probable hope that it can be born normally and baptized in the usual manner. The reason for this is that a baptism in the womb is doubtful. It is difficult to be certain as to what part of the infant was washed by the water, or even whether it was washed at all by the water. However, an attempt is obligatory if truly there is little hope for the baby to be born alive. It is because the baptism is doubtful that the Code of Canon Law requires that whenever an infant is baptized entirely within his mother’s womb, this baptism must be repeated again under condition if in fact he is born alive.
The other case that can arrive in difficult births is that a portion of the infant comes forth and is visible, but that it is feared that the infant die before being entirely born. The Code of Canon Law also foresees this case of an infant being baptized partially within his mother’s womb. If the part that comes out is the head, then the infant is to be baptized absolutely on the head, and the baptism is not to be repeated conditionally if the infant is in fact born alive. However, if the part that emerges is another member, such as an arm or a leg, then the baptism is to be done conditionally, and to be repeated again conditionally on the head if the baby is born alive. It can be seen how in all these cases the Church takes great care to ensure the validity of baptism, nor does it allow any doubt to persist, so absolutely necessary is this sacrament for the salvation of the souls of those who do not have the use of reason.
Answered by Father Peter Scott, SSPX.