Abortion, discuss.

Contraception and birth control may be used for a variety of reasons, when pregnancy or childbirth might harm the mental or physical condition of the Mother.

They are also used to limit the number of children in order not to damage living standards.

The various Christian churches have different views on contraception. The Roman Catholic Church says that the use of contraception is against natural law. It is natural that conception may happen with sexual intercourse and therefore this should not be prevented.

Abortion is an operation carried out to remove the growing foetus from its Mothers womb so that it can be destroyed. In the UK abortion has been legal since 1967, when the law about abortion was passed in parliament. The abortion act said that a person should not be guilty of the unlawful ending of a pregnancy if: The operation is carried out by a registered doctor and in a registered hospital. There must be two registered doctors who both agree that by carrying on with the pregnancy there would be a risk to the physical or mental health of the Mother. Or that the foetus may be born with a serious physical or mental handicap. Doctors are able to take into account her reasonable foreseeable environment so social factors can be involved in the medical decision. In 1990 another law was passed called the Human Fertilization and embryology act. The act says abortion is acceptable if the pregnancy is no longer than 24 weeks. The pregnancy involves the risks to the mental or physical health of the pregnant women or any existing children of the family.

There are many points against abortion, these are: The unborn child is a separate human being. It is never just part of a Mothers body. By letting women have abortions, society is taking the easy way out. We should create a society were no child is unwanted. A foetus has a right not to be killed. People with the most serious handicaps can still lead a happy life. A foetus is a potential human being; one day it could be a person.

The Roman Catholic teaching on abortion is that abortion should not be allowed under any circumstances, because even while still very tiny and still hardly developed the baby growing in the womb is the beginning of a human life,

And another human being should not end any life created by God at any stage of its development. All life is precious as the psalmist says 'you created every part of me; you put me together in my Mothers womb... When I was growing there in secret, you knew that I was there, you saw me before I was born'.

Mother Teresa also sums up the Catholic attitude we read in an interview with the Tablet 'God had created us to love and be loved, she said, in his own image, as evidence of his love. For this reason I say abortion is the greatest evil. If anyone of you does not want his own child, do not kill it, give it to me'

Also connected to issues involved in abortion and the sacredness of life is euthanasia. Our beliefs in the value of life influenced by the church also affect the way we see euthanasia.

What is abortion if it's not just involuntary euthanasia?

Teenage pregnancies often end in abortion. Sex education programmes in Britain leave a lot to be desired. Children should be taught about different contraceptives from a younger age, so to avoid the morning after pill and abortions.

Abortions can cost a lot of money, but then not nearly as much as raising a child, the price range can be a couple of pounds for the morning after pill to a couple of thousand pounds to get an abortion in a private clinic.

We live in a society where most British universities will give female student money to fund an abortion, but will not make free childcare available if the student wants to keep her baby. Personally I think women should not have to choose between their education and the life of their children.