The religious views on abortion are very mixed. No religions support abortion but some allow it. The Church of England and the Church of Scotland teach that abortion is wrong except in extreme circumstances such as serious risk to the mother’s health and life. They especially disapprove of abortion when the mother is doing it for selfish reasons like saying her career is more important. Hindu and Judaism are more or less the same. They believe that life begins at the moment of birth, but they still discourage abortion. The Islamic religion is not as strickt. They also teach that abortion should only occur in extreme conditions but they do allow it if the mother has been raped. The Free Churches believe abortion is down to the mother and that she has a right to decide. The only church that rule abortion is completely wrong is the Roman Catholic Church. They believe the baby gains a soul at conception and that abortion is morally evil.
A lot of people think that abortion is ok in certain circumstances like rape, but that type of circumstance only accounts for a very small percent of abortions which are carried out. Some people believe that it is the womans right, her life, her body, her choice. Many people think that if abortion wasn't legalised then it would force many women to go to back alley abortion clinics and get dangerous operations done by unqualified people. Many young girls get abortions if they dont feel that they are ready to be parents and that they have things like school to worry about. Many women get abortions simply because a baby is inconvenient or they might not have the money to support a baby. The catholic church has always been against any form of contraception but I think it feels very strongly towards abortion. Its main view is that all human life is sacred, even the baby in the womb.
Of course, not all abortions take place due to the welfare of the child’s life when it leaves the mother’s womb. I do not agree with the pregnancy being terminated because of the sex of the child. I do not see that as being a valid reason.
If you are thinking that there are no valid reasons for abortion, just imagine a fourteen year old girl who has been raped. How can she be expected to get on with her life and ever recover if she has a baby? How can she receive a full education? Every time she looks at the baby, she will be reminded of her terrible experience.
Introduction: This piece of coursework is about the issue of abortion, the Catholic Churchs view point to abortion, the pro and anti abortionists and the implications it has on modern day society and individuals. The Catholic churchs view is that all human life is sacred and that includes the baby in the womb. What is Abortion? Abortion is ending the life of an unborn child or æFoetusÆ before it has had the chance to live.
If a sixteen year old girl goes to a party, gets drunk, ends up having sex with some guy she doesn’t even knows, and gets pregnant, what happens? I think it is very irresponsible of the girl to have let this happen, but I do think she should have the choice of whether to have the baby or not. It’s not as if she was even going out with this boy for a while that he might even attempt to support her. It would not be an easy decision for her, her family may be unsupportive and may have religious beliefs, but it should the girl’s choice and it should be well thought over.
The Church of England and the Church of Scotland argue that abortion is wrong because it does not give the foetus a chance to live but there are extreme circumstances i.e. when the mother is in danger for her life, that abortion is acceptable.
Judaism and Hinduism teach that life begins at conception, so abortion is discouraged except when the mother’s life is at risk.
Islam teaches that life begins at the moment of birth, but abortion is discouraged except when the mother’s life is at risk, and sometimes rape.
The Free Churches (Baptist, Methodist, and Evangelical) hold that abortion is a matter for the individual to decide.
However woman from all religions continue to seek abortions. Many peoples attitude towards abortion differs from their religious leaders and believe that individuals have the right to follow their own consciences.
If women are to enjoy a healthy life and to offer the same to any children they have, they need to be able to have control over their reproductive lives. Not all women are able to use contraceptives effectively at all times. Surely a request for an abortion is a responsible decision when faced with the prospect of a child that she is not able to love for or care for?
