The beginnings of the child’s nervous system appear in the form of what is known as the primitive streak, which develops into the spinal column.
4) Around 18 days
Before the unborn baby’s mother knows she is pregnant, the child’s heart starts to beat.
5) Seven weeks
The outer ear is present and the inner ear, with hearing and balancing mechanisms, is well established. The skeleton begins to change from cartilage to bone.
6) Eight weeks
All of the child’s organs are present at least in a basic form, including the retina of the eye and the canals in the ear. His or her head, arms, legs, muscles and skin have all begun to take shape and the brain and nervous system begin to function.
7) 11 weeks
The foetus is now about three inches long, moves around freely and is growing very fast. He or she can produce complex facial expressions and even smile. He or she can now respond to light, noise and pressure.
8) 17 weeks
The baby is about 16 cm (a little over six inches) long, and makes his or her presence known to the mother with kicks, punches and somersaults. Vocal chords have formed.
9) 20 weeks
Although the heart will have started to beat at around three weeks, now it can be heard through a stethoscope on the mother’s abdomen. Eyelids are sealed, though they will soon open. The baby sleeps and wakes, and can be woken by loud noises or movement.
10) Around 22 weeks
Medical technology can enable babies born at this stage to survive outside the womb.
11) 24 weeks
The baby weighs about 780 grams and measures about 280 mm (11 inches) from head to toe.
12) 24 weeks
The baby weighs about 780 grams and measures about 280 mm (11 inches) from head to toe.
Unsafe abortion around the world
Every year, approximately 50 million unwanted pregnancies end in abortion. 55,000 abortions a day, over 20 million a year, are unsafe.
The World Health Organisation estimates that unsafe abortions cause the deaths of at least 200 women each day, over 70,000 women each year, yet it is ‘one of the most easily preventable and treatable causes of maternal mortality.’ (WHO Safe Motherhood Conference, 1998.)
- Between two million and seven million women each year survive unsafe abortion, but sustain long-term damage or disease.
- The most frequent complications are incomplete abortion, infection (sepsis), haemorrhage and injury to the internal organs, such as puncturing or tearing of the uterus.
- Long-term health problems include chronic pain, pelvic inflammatory disease and infertility.
- About 95% of unsafe abortions take place in developing countries.
- In many African countries, up to 70% of women treated for abortion complications are under 20 years old.
- Unsafe abortion is responsible for one in eight maternal deaths.
- One of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals is to reduce by three quarters the maternal mortality ratio between 1990 and 2015.
2 doctors need to agree to give a woman an abortion otherwise it wouldn’t be allowed. Doctors don’t have to perform an abortion, different doctors have different views on abortion and they will decide according to their beliefs. This may be a religious view or just a moral view to whether abortion is justified or not.
Abortion is wrong for reasons beyond God's laws and moral obligation. The greatest anti abortion argument involves the topic of murder. Many people will say that women have a right to choose what goes on in their body. The problem with this frame of mind is that we are not separating two humans from one another. Yes, a woman has the right to choose what goes on in her body, but abortion is wrong because the baby is a separate human being. Another argument can be that the women should not have a right to kill her child. If murder is against the law, then killing a baby ought to be as well. “Thou shall not kill” (Exodus 20:13).
Six weeks after conception, the baby's heart starts beating. It is a real child that sits inside a woman's body. The moment it is conceived, it is a child. An anti abortion argument can be that when people are pregnant the life is called a baby. Immediately the soon-to-be mother starts to think of the life inside of them as an actual life. When women decide to terminate a pregnancy, they are disturbed for a long time due to knowing they are killing a child. This does not necessarily faze them until after the procedure is done. Many years after, women will need to get counselling because they know in their hearts the right thing to do.
Many people will say that rape is a reason to keep abortion legal. These people will say that this is ok under these circumstances. However, abortion is wrong if always looking at the perspective of the child. Killing a child is wrong no matter what is going on with the mother. But rape can also be considered a non argument because usually there can be so much fighting in the condition of a rape that a pregnancy is not likely to happen. Rape has one of the least percentages of people getting pregnant as a result. Therefore this cannot be used as an argument against practices such as this of any type.
If a pregnant mother is murdered, then the murderer will be prosecuted for a double homicide. This law obviously considers an unborn child a real person to be considered. Why then is abortion legal? The mother who has a terminancy of pregnancy is committing the same crime that the murderer of the pregnant mother committed. The government won't say anything that would be a strong decision one way or the other, but will make a law concerning a pregnant mother. People who believe that killing an unborn child is the same as killing a child that has been born should always speak loud supporting their opinion.
So many children are lost because people do not see that abortion is wrong. However, there are cases of children surviving and they have an amazing story to tell. Many of the great people of today could have been aborted. What would we be missing from today's society if we had aborted the great people of this nation? Abortion is wrong because of how much the Lord reveres life in the Bible. He sees this subject with the utmost disgust and disrespect for what He has created. If a mother was to think about how incredible the formation of a baby through her body really is, she might have a different perspective on whether or not to terminate the pregnancy.
When a woman gets pregnant, always consider the baby a blessing no matter how the child was conceived. This is a great anti abortion argument because the Lord would not put a child in anyone's life if He did not have great plans for it. This is another great anti abortion argument because the Lord would never knit together trash and He loves his children and honours them completely.
The Lord honours life and gives children as a part of himself. Never does he create a child for the purpose. He has our lives planned from the very beginning and would never choose differently for us. To have an abortion is to take lives into our own hands. This does not honour the Lord in anything and is a great anti abortion argument. In fact, this grieves the Lord to no end. Before we were ever born, the Lord was knitting us together inside our mothers. A thousand years before we came about, the Lord had amazing plans for our lives. It is not right to take those plans into our own hands. If we want to honour the Lord, then we must honour his children no matter how it will affect us. "Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations." (Jeremiah 1:5)
The bible never actually mentions abortion as it wasn’t possible when it was written, however Christians still have views on it.
Roman Catholics believe:
- Life begins at conception - the foetus is a human being with human rights.
- All bible teaching on human life also applies to the foetus - especially the commandment (6th) ‘Do not kill’.
- If a mother cannot support her baby then it should be adopted.
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Life is sacred because it is given by God - ‘created in the image of God’ (creation story). Here are some quotes from the Roman Catholic teachings.
Here are some Roman Catholic Teachings:
“Human life is sacred”. Humanae Vitae, 1968:
“The unborn human being’s right to live is one of the inalienable human rights” Pope John Paul II, 1985
"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" Declaration on Procured Abortion (1974)
The theological basis of this is that the foetus is God given life, with the potential to develop relationships, think, pray, choose and love. So as the 1983 Synod Resolution put it:
“All human life, including life developing in the womb, is created by God in his own image and is, therefore, to be nurtured, supported and protected.”
These quotes tell us how serious the Catholic Church takes abortion, and under no circumstances do they accept it.
Anglicans & Methodists: Believe :
- Life does not begin until the baby has a chance to survive independently from the mother.
- Abortion is wrong BUT justifiable if there was a chance of greater harm to the mother, or if she had been raped.
They believe this because:
"Although the foetus is to be specially respected and protected, nonetheless the life of the foetus is not absolutely sacrosanct if it endangers the life of the mother."
Church of England - Board of Social Responsibility Report 1984
“We affirm that every human life, created in the divine image, is unique… We therefore believe that abortion is an evil… and that abortion on demand would be a very great evil. But we also believe that to withdraw compassion is evil, and in circumstances of extreme distress or need, a very great evil… In an imperfect world the ‘right‛ choice is sometimes the lesser of two evils.” Church of England 1988
“To regard the life of the mother as less valuable than that of the unborn child does not consider her 'right to life' in terms of her wider roles of wife or mother (actual or potential) of other children, as well in terms of her own person.” Abortion, an Ethical Discussion, Church information office 1965
The Methodist church believes that the foetus is an individual when the sperm and the ovum fuse. They think that Fertilisation, implantation and subsequent development are parts of a continuous process. It is simply not possible to identify the single moment when a new human person begins. The right of the embryo to full respect clearly increases throughout a pregnancy.
Christians For Free Choice (organisation): Believe:
- Should be left to the woman’s conscience, which will be guided by God.
- The decision to continue a pregnancy should not be forced on the woman
However there are also biblical quotes which in some ways can support abortion:
“If some men are fighting and hurt a pregnant woman so that she loses her child, but she is not injured in any other way, the one who hurt her is to be fined whatever amount the woman‛s husband demands and the court allows. But if the woman herself is injured, the punishment shall be life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth.” Exodus 21:22-25 - This suggests that causing the death of an unborn child is not as serious as killing someone who is already born. Also in Genesis 38:24 Tamar is ordered to be burnt to death because she committed adultery and became pregnant. Although her life is spared, this has nothing to do with the twin foetuses she carried which seem to be given no value or consideration.
Although it is not directly used in relation to abortion, there are several quotations that can be linked to abortion from the bible:
“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mothers’ womb.”
“I praised you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well” – this tells us that the human body is an amazing creation and that stopping it from living is destroying something beautiful.
“Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you; before you were born I set you apart” Jeremiah 1:5 – God has planned everyone’s lives and only he should be able to stop a life ending before it has started. He has chosen a woman to fall pregnant for a reason and it is not her choice.
“Before I was born, the Lord chose me and appointed me to be his servant”. Isaiah 49:1
“You saw me before I was born” Psalm 139:16. “God… chose me even before I was born” Galatians 1:15 – Life begins before birth
In the Ten Commandments it says that “You shall not kill” (Exodus) – when Christians have accepted that a foetus is a human being, then this quote applies. Killing a human being is unacceptable that is why it’s in the Ten Commandments- which are 10 simple tasks that Christian’s can live by.
“Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you? If any man destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him, for the temple of God is holy, and that is what you are.” (Corinthians 3:16-17) – A human body is a “temple” and it is “holy”, it shouldn’t be destroyed when it is developing.
God deliberately made everyone, so no one is a mistake to God. God would not make a woman fall pregnant if he thought that she would be unable to cope. There is a purpose for every life and it should not be destroyed before it has had the chance to start.
Section B: Explain how Christians may put their beliefs into action
Christians put their beliefs into action through peaceful protest. Generally, Christians don’t believe that abortion is right, but some may disagree. However, whatever the Christian’s belief about abortion, they should all agree that violent protest is completely unacceptable.
Christian’s could pray for help and guidance. As God is the all-knowing, this is very important for Christians.
One of the most effective ways is by joining a charity-, as strength in numbers is the most likely way of getting attention.
There are 2 main organisations concerning abortion:
- Pro-life which is against abortion
- Pro-choice which is for a woman’s choice to have an abortion.
Pro-life individuals generally believe that human life should be valued from conception until natural death. The contemporary pro-life movement is typically, but not exclusively, associated with Christian morality (especially in the United States), and has influenced certain strains of bioethical utilitarianism. From that viewpoint, any action which destroys an embryo or fetus kills a person. Any deliberate destruction of human life is considered ethically or morally wrong and is not considered to be mitigated by any alleged benefits to others, as such benefits come at the expense of the life of a person. In some cases, this belief extends to opposing abortion of fetuses that would almost certainly expire within a short time after birth, such as anencephalitic fetuses. Euthanasia and assisted suicide are also opposed by some pro-life people based on a belief that all human life is sacred and must be protected even against the wishes of people who want to end their own lives.
Pro-life activism involves a variety of activities, from promoting the pro-life position to the public in general, lobbying public officials, or reaching individuals - for example by attempting to dissuade individual women to forgo abortions. Some efforts involve distributing literature, providing counseling services, conducting public demonstrations or protests, and committing acts of civil disobedience. Another method of protest is to hold assemblies or to perform a speech to a class in school.
Pro-choice describes the political and ethical view that a woman should have complete control over her fertility and the choice to continue or terminate a pregnancy. This entails the guarantee of reproductive rights, which includes access to sexual education; access to safe and legal abortion, contraception, and fertility treatments; and legal protection from forced abortion. Individuals and organizations who support these positions make up the pro-choice movement.
Pro-choice protests to governments from countries where abortion is illegal that it is the woman’s right to decide if she wishes to have an abortion or not. This could be done by bombarding them with letters or to protest outside government halls.
Christians want to be part of organisations such as “Pro-Life” and “Pro-Choice” as it helps them to support what they feel is right. They would feel supported if other people in the same organizations had the same views as them. Being part of an organization is a good way of expressing your personal beliefs and putting their beliefs into action, and many Christians join these organizations simply because of this.
Another way that Christian’s could put their beliefs into action is by letter writing and protesting. Christian’s would discuss their beliefs with each other and may organise a protest. Protesting your views on abortion (either way) is quite common at the moment as the topic is in the news alot. Christian’s could write a letter to their MP or to a newspaper as this would be able to spread their beliefs.
Christian’s could also go into schools, or other gatherings, to give talks about their beliefs. They may also like to call for better sex education in schools from a young age so that teenage pregnancies (one of the reasons that abortion may be needed) can start to decline. They could also try to encourage contraception so that unwanted pregnancies don’t occur as frequently. Christian’s could also volunteer at crèches, which would mean that mother’s would not be as stressed before giving birth. Charities could also be set up, which Christian’s could help to fundraise and support financially, that help pregnant women who wouldn’t be able to cope financially otherwise- this would mean that pregnant women don’t feel the need to have an abortion. Another way to help would be to become an adoptive parent, this would mean that pregnant women could give birth and then give their child to a loving parent that is financially, emotionally and mentally stable enough to bring it up.
Christians could also teach agape (unconditional love) which would make pregnant mothers love their child no matter how difficult it is.
Section C: Discuss whether or not you agree with the statement “Abortion is never justified”
In my opinion, abortion should only be used when it isn’t the woman (or girl)’s fault that she has fallen pregnant and in exceptional circumstances I think that the people who have fallen pregnant are irresponsible if they don’t want it.
I think that an abortion is only acceptable if:
- They have been raped- this is not the mother’s fault and she may be completely unable and unready to have a child. She might want to have a career or do many other things in life before she has the responsibility for another human life
- There (the mother’s) life is in danger- the mother may have taken all of the precautions and may have been finally ready to start a family and have a child. However when medical difficulties arise the mother’s life can be put in danger, many women used to die in child birth. If the mother survives but the baby doesn’t (through abortion) then she is able to have other children that would probably be healthy and grow to be adults who could then have the potential to have children. If the mother dies and the child survives then the child will grow up without their natural mother which can be very hard and could lead to an unhappy life.
- The Baby would have severe disabilities- the unborn child would be born with very severe disabilities (mental or physical). This means that the child may only live for a very short time and be in severe pain and agony (if it can get any pleasure from life then it would also get an extreme amount of pain. The child would have a very poor quality of life and the mother (and father or other relations) would become very attached to their child and would be completely heart broken when their child did die. The parents would also experience a poor quality of life by having to care for their child with the false hope that one day it may get better.
I think these are the only exceptions to abortion and other reasons such as if the woman is not financially stable isn’t a good enough reason to have an abortion. I think that if God has blessed a woman with a child then God will find a path for her to raise the child. She has chosen to fall pregnant (if it isn’t her fault via rape then it is acceptable) and she should bear the responsibilities. If I women is careless and falls pregnant from not using contraception or similar methods then it is not a good enough reason as she is simply careless. A child with hope and aspirations should not lose the chance to live because of someone’s carelessness.
Although some people may argue that if a child would not be given a very good upbringing from a mother or father that are unable to cope it deserves to be given an abortion so that it doesn’t suffer I think that there are other options, such as adoption. If a woman is unable to raise a child but has still chosen to have unprotected sex then possibly the best thing she could do is to put the child up for adoption so that loving parents who would be able to get their unborn child time and attention can be found.
The main reason for argument is whether or not an unborn child is actually alive and whether or not it counts as a human, as it would be wrong to kill a human. However I think that even if an unborn child was not a human, it has the potential to be and life is so special we should grab all of the opportunities for it that is possible. We are all unique, with our own DNA. Everyone is different and an aborted child could have had the potential to do great things, they could have become a scientist who could have discovered marvelous things; a doctor who could have saved people from dyeing; or maybe a parent themselves who could provide for a child to have the extraordinary experience of life.
I could argue that doctors and nurses have taken an oath to save lives not take them away, this goes against the Hippocratic Oath.
The Catholic Church would say no whatever the reason. They have very strict views on termination, as they believe that a human foetus is still a human and therefore should not be killed.
The Anglican (Church of England) and Methodist churches believe that a foetus is only a human when it has the chance to live independently from the mother. Abortion shouldn’t be used as a means of contraception but if it would be harmful to the mother or the child then it is acceptable.
The Bible has thousands of ideas inside it. Someone can take a piece of evidence and use it to make their argument seem true. There will never be a definite answer to whether “Abortion is never justified” or not, but we can only have our opinions. To get a true opinion on the matter, you have to have examined all of the possible evidence rather than simply picking out single pieces of information. As I have read the Bible all of the way through and having learnt many things from writing this document I feel comfortable to make my mind up.
Although everyone is entitled to their own opinion and I would never say that I am definitely correct, I believe that abortion is very rarely the right option and that it should only be used when it becomes the final option and that it would stop a child from having a poor quality of life.