The Church of England and most other protestant churches agree with the RC church and Orthodox churches in principle but they agree that each case is special. Therefore while abortion is generally not accepted, especially as a method of birth control, it may be permitted in certain cases. If there is a serious risk to the mother’s life, if conception takes place as a result of rape and if there is a grave risk that the baby will be born handicapped.
The Anglican Church
Although the foetus is to be especially respected and protected none the less the life of the foetus is not absolutely sacrosanct if it endangers the life of the mother. This Church also allows abortion if the pregnancy will severely affect mental health of the mother.
Some Christians like members of the Church of England agree with abortion under certain circumstances like if It stops the child growing up to be unwanted, if a woman was raped and became pregnant and if the mothers life is at risk. Some Christians also believe in situation ethics (most loving thing) Bishop Joseph Fletcher. Others believe that abortion, although still wrong, that under some circumstances abortion is better than allowing the pregnancy to continue if it endangers the life of the mother. It might be better to kill the foetus and save the mother rather then them both dying. This is choosing the lesser of two evils. Also the bible doesn’t teach anything on abortion so then why is it wrong.
Other Christians like Catholics would disagree arguing that an unborn child can’t argue for itself yet, unborn babies have enormous potential (eg. They could become a great scientist that discovers a new cure for diseases like cancer). They are other alternatives to abortion e.g. adoption. They could also talk about the ‘Slippery slope’ theory; when you abort the baby because it doesn’t turn out how you wanted it to. Lots of women experience guilt after they abort an unborn child.
Euthanasia
Euthanasia means ‘easy death’. It’s helping someone to die to ease suffering from a painful, debilitating or incurable illness. It comes in four different forms; Active Euthanasia, passive euthanasia, voluntary euthanasia and involuntary euthanasia.
Active Euthanasia is when someone ends another persons life by either giving them a lethal injection or an overdoes of medication etc. Passive Euthanasia is deliberately withdrawing something like a life support machine which would help the patient live longer. Voluntary euthanasia is when the patient has asked to be killed and is. Involuntary euthanasia is when the patient is killed without giving their consent to it.
It is illegal in the UK for a doctor to deliberately give a patient a dose of medicine that will kill them. They must carefully control the pain without killing the patient. Some countries like Holland and Australia have made euthanasia legal.
‘I sincerely believe that those who come after us will wonder why on earth we kept a human being alive against their will, when all the dignity, beauty and meaning of life had vanished; when any gain to anyone was clearly impossible and when we should have been punished by the state if we had kept an animal in similar conditions’.
Dr. Leslie Weatherhead (leader of the Methodist church)
A lot of people agree with this statement and say why should we have to suffer and animals don’t. But Christians believe suffering strengthens faith. Just like Jesus suffered for us.
The Catholic Church does not approve of any killing:
Exodus 20:13 Thou shall not kill (this is also the sixth of the Ten Commandments).
Matthew 19:19 Love your neighbour as yourself.
Corinthians 3:16-17 Don’t you know that you yourself are God’s temple…
RC Church
The Church teaches that life is sacred and should be protected. God has planned when each life should start and end for us all and it is not up to human to intervene. It is wrong to cause the death of another person in anyway.
Salvation Army
People don’t have the right to choose to die; God is the ruler over life and only he can decide when we die. We must make sure that the weak are protected and use our medical skills to ease suffering, not to end the lives prematurely.
Anglican Church
The Church is against making euthanasia legal even if it will ease someone’s pain and suffering. There are many vulnerable people in society the old and the sick, and we must make sure that they are protected.
A lot of people believe that pallaitive care is a good alternative to euthanasia. Pallaitive care is when you go to a hospice. Where you are looked after and can die with dignity. You spend your last days in an atmosphere that helps you come to terms with death so you can die peacefully.
Some Christians would agree with euthanasia arguing; Jesus showed compassion to the sick and dying, voluntary euthanasia shows compassion. They would talk about ‘situation ethics’ and also the Doctorine of ‘double effect’ (when you prescribe a little more morphine to a patient than is needed. It manages the pain but its side affect is shortened life. But the intension was to manage pain). Euthanasia can been seen as murder but people who are dependent on a life support machine are only artificially alive so its as much altering God’s plan for us as euthanasia is. We have the right to choose if we live or die. With euthanasia we can die with dignity and we won’t be a burden our family.
Other Christians would disagree saying: It goes against the sixth commandment ‘thou shall not kill’. Medical advances mean that cures are being found to stop suffering, it is a Doctor’s duty to save life not destroy it. And they would comment on ‘Natural law’ Thomas Aquinas.
Suffering strengthens faith and brings a person closer to God, just like Jesus suffered for us.