Abortion is a case of two sides and in this section of my coursework I am going to go through the reasons why women go for an abortion in the first place.One of

"Human life begins from the moment of conception and should be respected under any circumstance" (Geneva Medical Oath 1967)

However some churches, such as the Church of England, describe abortion as being the "lesser of two" evils i.e. is less serious than the actual rape itself. The Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams had this to say

"Abortion is wrong, there is no doubt about that, however in the case of rape I agree that abortion is the lesser of two evils as it is wiping out the women's memory of her torrid ordeal and that she can get on with her life with no worries" (annual speech 2002)

In conclusion there are many arguments in favour of abortion I have highlighted two main ones here and tried to back them up with as much evidence as possible. These arguments will increase as life goes on and we will never be able to get a perfect balance between arguments for and against abortion.

B) Many Christians are opposed to abortion however some have different views on it than others. These views vary from each individual and their church denomination plays an important role in this. I am going to take 2 churches and look at their perspectives individually.

The Presbyterian Church- The Presbyterian Church is PRO LIFE under all circumstances. However the church does recognise the existence of hard cases such as pregnancy as a result of rape and abnormality of a foetus and is sympathetic to people in such situations and would understand why a woman would consider an abortion in these circumstances. Nevertheless, the Presbyterian Church would discourage the taking of innocent life, even in such traumatic cases, and would try their best to discourage the mother from abortion by such methods as counselling and meetings with PRO LIFE organisations.

" The scriptures leave us I no doubt that from his earliest days in the womb, the unborn Child is fully human, a person made in the image of God" (leaflet on abortion)

This shows us that Presbyterians have similar views to Catholics and believe strongly in the sanctity of human life.

The Catholic Church- The Catholic church's viewpoint towards abortion is very much set in stone. It condemns it under all circumstances and believes that it is morally wrong

"The deliberate decision to deprive an innocent human being of its life is always morally wrong" (Pope Paul II)

Catholics have strong views on abortion and some believe that these views can be rather harsh, for example the rape case as they don't believe it's worthy of the mother terminating her child's life. The Catholic Church goes as far as excommunicating a woman from their church if she has had an abortion. Catholic's do allow some leeway regarding abortion, Although Catholics refuse to accept abortion as an acceptable solution to 'unwanted' pregnancies they do accept that there might be time when an abortion occurs as a result of trying to deal with another medical issue. For example, if the mother needed a life-saving operation which could potentially end the pregnancy the Catholic Church would allow this under the doctrine of double effect. This is because your first intention is the save the life of the mother rather than terminate the pregnancy.

In conclusion, many Protestant denominations such as Anglicans, Methodists and Quakers have been reluctant to take such a hard line as Catholics do in the abortion debate. Often they accept that there are certain situations when abortion is an unavoidable consequence of deciding between the

"Lesser of two evils"

Personally speaking I believe abortion is wrong but I believe some cases for abortion should be listened to more carefully rather than just discarded without reading between the lines.

c) "A 14 year old girl became pregnant as a result of rape by a friend's father. She was in a suicidal psychological state and wanted to have an abortion"

This case is referring to the highly controversial and publicised of seeking an abortion due to rape. A friend's father under misdemeanouring circumstances has raped this girl, who is only fourteen.

She is also in a suicidal psychological state. This is a very difficult situation for the girl to be in due to the surreal and startling circumstances surrounding the case. The main one of these reasons being the girl's age. Being so young she finds herself trying to deal with such a traumatic event already i.e. the rape itself but also having to make such a difficult decision in whether or not to keep the baby. She still has a future ahead of her and in order for her to pursue her education she may need to opt for an abortion. Also there is a sense of fear factor bound within this case. The girl may find it difficult to tell her parents about her horrid ordeal, as she may believe that they may become angry with her for becoming pregnant at such a young age.

I believe that abortion may seem like the best option for the girl in this case because she has already suffered enough and she should not have to continue with this burden that the baby may, ultimately, bear on her and her family. However being a Christian I can understand the churches teachings of the sanctity of human life. The Catholic Church would maybe allow some leeway as regards their abortion policy on this case

"From the time that the ovum is fertilised a new life is begun which is neither that of the father or the mother. It is the life of a new human being with its own growth. It would never become human if it were not human already" Document on Procured Abortion (1974) [Roman Catholic Church]

The girl is in such a strange mindset that the church, in particular, need to empathise with her. They need to show some understanding towards this case instead of turning a blind eye. The Presbyterian Church in particular have it right, in my opinion, they condemn abortion however can understand with special circumstances and allow it to take place i.e. rape. They call abortion the "lesser of two evils". In this case the girl does not really have much other options other than abortion. She could considering having the baby fostered however she may feel that it goes against her maternal instincts and decide to keep the baby when she gives birth to it.

In conclusion I feel that abortion is wrong but under special circumstances eg rape, incest etc it could and should be allowed. This is black and white in the Catholic Church and they believe it is completely and morally wrong.