Both the Abortion Law, the Church of England, the Methodist church and the Baptist church agree that in the case of severe foetal abnormality an abortion can take place at any point during the pregnancy, right up until birth, although these churches agree that late abortions should be very rare. However, this gives rise to the question; “What is the definition of a severe abnormality?” Reverent Joanna Jepson began legal action over the late abortion of a baby found to have a cleft palate, which she believes is not a serious handicap. Miss Jepson had corrective surgery herself as a teenager for a congenital jaw defect, and says that this incident “shows how enslaved we are to the notion that the value of our human life lies in physical perfection.” The ProLife Alliance supports her, saying, “The eugenic practice of aborting babies with a disability is a particularly horrifying act of discrimination.” However, many Christians who are ProChoice may disagree, saying that abortion may be the least damaging option for the mother, her family and the foetus in this circumstance. The Methodist church
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states that abortion is always an evil, to be avoided if at all possible, although if the baby is grievously handicapped, the termination of the pregnancy may be the lesser of two evils. On the other hand, the Roman Catholic church does not see abortion as acceptable in these circumstances, believing that “Direct abortion is always gravely contrary to the moral law,” The Catechism 1994. They believe that God values every human life, and that despite its physical or mental state it is still sacred to God. Mother Teresa, a Roman Catholic nun said, “God has created us to love and to be loved, in his own image, as evidence of his love. For this reason I say that abortion is the greatest evil.” Roman Catholics might use Luke 12:6-7 to support there belief, as it says, “Are not sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed the very hairs on your head are counted. Don’t be afraid – you are worth more than many sparrows.” This means that God cares about all of his creations, even the sparrows, and God promises that human beings much more valuable to him than sparrows. God knows every little detail about every person and everyone is unique, whether they are handicapped or perfectly healthy. I believe that abortion is not justified in the case of a foetal abnormality, as in doing so we are declaring the disabled and handicapped as “sub-standard” human beings, and implying that they do not have the same right to life as others so lucky as to be born without abnormalities.
Some people may believe that an abortion is justified for financial reasons; having a baby would cost too much to keep and therefore it is better for the family or parent not to have to child than to be put under that strain. All the churches would strongly disagree with this, and could support this view with the text, “The love of money is the root of all evil,” 1 Timothy 6:10. To end a human life because it is merely a financial inconvenience would be seen by Christians as a serious sin against God, as life is a gift from God and to treat the life God loves with so little respect would be an insult to him. “God showed his love for us by sending his only son into the world, so that we might live through him,” 1 John 4. Christians believe that Jesus Christ was sent by God to die for humanity, so we could be saved and be reconciled with God, “God reconciled us to himself through Christ,” 2 Corinthians 18. They believe that this shows the value that God places on the individual and the love he has for every single person. The Christian philosopher and bioethicist Baruch Brody believes that, “The killing of a foetus who has not done any harm, to avoid a future problem it may pose, seems totally unjust.” I agree with his statement, and believe that to terminate a pregnancy on the grounds that having a child would cost too much money is not justified.
In some serious cases, continuation of the pregnancy would cost the mother her life, and in this situation alone I believe that abortion is justifiable. The Church of England states that if the continuation of the pregnancy threatens the life of the mother then abortion is acceptable. The Methodist church agrees, saying that if the mother’s life is at risk abortion can be seen as the lesser of two evils. This could be supported by Exodus 21:22-23, “If some men are fighting and hurt a pregnant woman and she gives birth prematurely but there is not serious injury the offender must be fined whatever the women’s husband demands and the court allows. But if there is serious injury, you are allowed to take life for life.” This shows that although God values the life of the unborn child (a man can demand a sum of his choice in payment) it seems from this passage that the life of the already living mother is more valuable as a much higher price is demanded – it says, “A life for a life” therefore implying that the foetus is not yet a life. This supports the view that in cases where the mother’s life is threatened, her life may take precedence over the life of the unborn foetus. Judith Thomson, author of “The Right to Life and Abortion,” would agree with this, as she believes that even though life begins at conception, there are other rights that over-ride this right to life. One of these rights is the woman’s right to self-defence, for example, when, by carrying the baby, there is a considerable risk to her life. The Roman Catholic Church teaches that only in the case of cancer of the womb, or in the case of ectopic pregnancy, where the operation carried out for the purpose of saving the mother would kill the unborn child, the operation is permissible and necessary, as abortion is not the prime intention. The loss of the baby is a consequence of treating the mother. This is
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called “Double Effect.” In Law, if the continuation of a pregnancy seriously threatens the life of the mother an abortion can be carried out at any point up until birth.
All the churches agree that if abortion is to be avoided, alternatives must be available. These include adoption, fostering, the use of contraception initially and effective sex education. There are many tragic situations where a mother may not feel able to care for and take responsibility for a child. Some people think that it is wise in these cases of extreme hardship for the women to put her baby up for adoption, where it has the chance to be loved and nurtured in a caring environment, rather than resort to abortion. The Roman Catholic Church states that we need to solve all the “sorrows and miseries” that lead women to seek abortion. Christians live in hope; the Methodist church teaches that it is strongly preferable that abortions become unnecessary in the future, and the Church of England agree that Christians should work together and try to provide real alternatives to abortion.