ed through
dying without Baptism.

Obj. 4: Further, it happens at times that some part of the child
comes forth first, as we read in Gen. 38:27: "In the very delivery of
the infants, one put forth a hand, whereon the midwife tied a scarlet
thread, saying: This shall come forth the first. But he drawing back
his hand, the other came forth." Now sometimes in such cases there is
danger of death. Therefore it seems that that part should be
baptized, while the child is yet in its mother's womb.

_On the contrary,_ Augustine says (Ep. ad Dardan.): "No one can be
born a second time unless he be born first." But Baptism is a
spiritual regeneration. Therefore no one should be baptized before he
is born from the womb.

_I answer that,_ It is essential to Baptism that some part of the
body of the person baptized be in some way washed with water, since
Baptism is a kind of washing, as stated above (Q. 66, A. 1). But an
infant's body, before being born from the womb, can nowise be washed
with water; unless perchance it be said that the baptismal water,
with which the mother's body is washed, reaches the child while yet
in its mother's womb. But this is impossible: both because the
child's soul, to the sanctification of which Baptism is ordained, is
distinct from the soul of the mother; and because the body of the
animated infant is already formed, and consequently distinct from the
body of the mother. Therefore the Baptism which the mother receives
does not overflow on to the child which is in her womb. Hence
Augustine says (Cont. Julian. vi): "If what is conceived within a
mother belonged to her body, so as to be considered a part thereof,
we should not baptize an infant whose mother, through danger of
death, was baptized while she bore it in her womb. Since, then, it,"
i.e. the infant, "is baptized, it certainly did not belong to the
mother's body while it was in the womb." It follows, therefore, that
a child can nowise be baptized while in its mother's womb.

Reply Obj. 1: Children while in the mother's womb have not yet come
forth into the world to live among other men. Consequently they
cannot be subject to the action of man, so as to receive the
sacrament, at the hands of man, unto salvation. They can, however, be
subject to the action of God, in Whose sight they live, so as, by a
kind of privilege, to receive the grace of sanctification; as was the
case with those who were sanctified in the womb.

Reply Obj. 2: An inte