I also think it is wrong to endanger the pregnant woman by not having an abortion if the woman is in great risk. Sometimes a problem will arise at any point in the pregnancy where the embryo is seriously handicapped. I don’t think that it is right for the woman to be denied an abortion especially if there was a danger that if the baby was born alive it would be under immense suffering and there was a possibility of an early death. I think it is very important to remember the well being of the woman and that the foetus is a part of her so whatever decision is made, it will have consequences.
However most Christians of certain denominations would disagree with me because they believe that there is never a good reason to have an abortion. Perhaps the strictest denomination of Christianity when it comes to talking about abortion is the Roman Catholic Church. Roman Catholics campaign for ‘pro-life’. They believe that under no circumstances is it ever right to have an abortion. Roman Catholic followers may refer to the ‘natural law’ when agreeing with this statement. The natural law is a way to express the justice and equality of human nature. Those belonging to the RC church believe that abortion is murder because it is destroying and disposing of a developing human being and therefore abortion defies this natural law, because it can be seen as morally wrong. A Roman Catholic might argue that abortion is disobeying God’s will, as life is a gift from God and destroying it is somehow ungrateful. Roman Catholics often refer to Jeremiah 1.5 because this passage in the Bible tells how God knew the growing foetus and therefore the developing child is important and disposing of it would be murder. For RC church abortion is a matter of life and death and therefore it is better to have lived than not to live at all. They would agree with this statement.
Those belonging to the Religious Society of friends would look at the statement with an open mind and consider all the points of view before agreeing or disagreeing. This ‘Quaker’ society is aware that abortion is a sensitive and complicated matter and they make sure that there is some mutual understanding about the traditions, laws and morality of today’s society. This perspective belief is perhaps more common in the Quaker society than in any other Christian group. Quakers would probably disagree with this statement because of their perspective on this issue and the fact that they understand that it is sometimes a necessity for the well being of the woman or child if and abortion takes place. For example in this faith they believe that if the pregnancy is a result of rape or incest then it is a common belief that the woman should be able to abort the child if it is her choice.
The Church of England would probably disagree with the statement, as there is some tolerance for abortion in specific circumstances. However this church are not relaxed as they have publicly states that there have been an unacceptable amount of abortions since the act was passed in 1967. The statement also implies that abortion should only ever be carried out after serious moral reflection on the operation and its potential consequences.
For everybody abortion is a very serious and very real subject in today’s society. For everybody who has to deal with a decision concerning abortion there seems to be no right answer and no wrong answer. There are many agreements but also many disagreements within the Christian community and all have reasons to back up what is said. Which ever way the decision is made, there will be consequences. I personally disagree with this statement.
