- A few would outlaw abortions under all circumstances
- most would allow abortions if the pregnancy was a result from rape or incest in the family
- Some would permit the abortion if the pregnancy would result in a very serious damage to the mothers health and wellbeing.
- Some would allow the use of emergency contraception which may result in the death of the just fertilised ovum before it attaches itself to the inner wall of the womb.
Pro-choice groups such as the National Abortion Campaign and the Abortion Rights League argue that life becomes a human person much later on in the pregnancy or at birth. There are many different beliefs among pro-choicers:
- Many argue that a woman should have full control over her body. If she is convinced that she wants to end her pregnancy, after discussing her options and being informed of the consequences, she should be allowed to have an abortion when she chooses to.
- Others argue that a woman should have the right to terminate her pregnancy at any time, up to the time when the foetus is fully formed.
The main arguments for abortions are:
- The mother’s health is at risk
- The mother may have a disease or may have been an addict which will affect the child
- The mother should be allowed to do as she wishes with her body
The main arguments against abortions are:
- One of the 10 commandments tell us not to kill
- Abortion is seen as murder
- The unborn foetus has the right to live
- The foetus is God given life and should be protected
My conclusion to this is based on my own personal opinion. Other views such as religious and non-religious views are both for and against abortion in various situations and I think that abortions could be right in certain cases such as rape, however, I still think that there are many other options available to the mother such as adoption or fostering. I believe that the law should be changed to prevent women from aborting just because they feel like they don’t want the baby, or that it will be an inconvenience too them. I think that there should be more information and other options available when it comes to having a baby rather than an abortion.
Euthanasia
The dictionary describes euthanasia to be an easy way out of death. Euthanasia affects life because it takes life away. Voluntary euthanasia occurs when a patient who is dying or in pain asks someone to help him or her die to avoid any further suffering. There are many other names for voluntary euthanasia:
- Assisted suicide – this mean that someone helps another to kill themselves.
- Mercy killing – this means helping a terminally ill person, who could be dying from AIDS or cancer, to die so they are free from pain. It is showing compassion.
- Gentle, easy death – this means helping a patient to die quickly in dignity. It is different from suicide because the patient is already dying but wants to die in peace.
- Living will – this is when a person declares in advance that he or she doesn’t want to be kept alive by a machine.
The main arguments for euthanasia are that:
- It would help others to face death if they knew their suffering could be ended easily
- It can quickly and humanely end a patients suffering
- Terminally ill patients often want peace and dignity in the way they die
The main arguments against euthanasia are that:
- Old people may feel they are a nuisance to others and opt for euthanasia when in their hearts they want to continue living
- Many people recover after being ‘written-off’
- A patient may not be able to make a rational decision
- There are many pain-killing drugs which can help them die naturally with dignity
- Life is sacred and only God can make decisions over death
- Anyone who helps a person to die is an accessory to murder
- It may be regarded as suicide
The Roman Catholic Church believe that ‘thou shall not kill’ however it accepts that it is right to ease the suffering of terminally ill patients, often knowing that the side effects of powerful drugs may well speed up the death of the patients. This is considered natural because it is a side effect.
The Church of England believes that the rights of human beings are to be valued. They believe that a person has the right to refuse treatment but he or she doesn’t have the right to die at the time of his or her choosing.
Euthanasia is not mentioned in the Bible but Christians can be guided by a number of passages. In Job 1:21 Jesus says ‘Naked I came from my mothers womb and naked I shall return there; the Lord gave and the Lord has taken away.’ This teaches us that God gave us life and that only he can take it away from us. Exodus 20:13 tells us to ‘Honour your father and your mother, so that your days may be long in the
land of the Lord your God is giving you. You shall not murder.’ This tells us not to murder but also to be grateful for our life which God has given to us by God.
In recent years the emphasis has moved from a debate about euthanasia to a concern for the care of those who are terminally ill. This has led to the growth of the Hospice Movement, which attempts to help the dying spend their last few days in a loving and caring environment so that they can die with dignity.
My conclusion to this is that euthanasia is acceptable. If someone wanted to die then they should be allowed to do so. In my opinion their life is their own and they should be in control of it.
“God gave us life and only God can take it away”
There is a large range of views on this matter, no one person could really agree to be for or against this statement, but before I can come to a conclusion on this statement I shall have to consider both sides of the argument. I am firstly going to review the arguments for this statement.
The main reason to agree with this statement is the fact that life is sacred and was given to us as a gift and it should be up to him when to take our lives. Another reason is that all life is sacred and it should be protected and respected, it is also a sin to kill as one of the 10 commandments tells us ‘Do not kill.’ God made man in ‘His own image’ and so by taking someone’s life away we are, in a way, destroying a part of him. God gave us the ability to create life, so we should preserve life rather than destroy it. ‘While we are alive, we are living for the Lord’ this further emphasises that by killing another it is like killing a part of God. In the case of abortion, whether an unborn child should live or die is not up to us. We have no right to think that because the unborn child hasn’t been introduced to the world yet but the child has been introduced to God ‘before I formed you in the womb I knew you.’
In the case of euthanasia, killing a sick person appears to be the easy way out of life. Jesus suffered when he died on the cross for us so why should we take the easy way out. Jesus also healed the sick, we should follow in Jesus’ footsteps and help to heal the sick and care for the dying.
A reason to disagree with this statement, in the case of abortion, is that killing an unborn child can help save a life however this may only be the case if the baby was a threat to the mother’s health. In the case of euthanasia, killing a dying patient seems to be a decent thing to do as they would be dying in their own environment, in dignity and surrounded by the people they love and they would suffer no more.
In Genesis 1:28, God gave us power over all living things, surely that includes ourselves.
As a Christian I believe that God gave us life however I do not agree that only he can take it away from us. When a person is given a gift it is seen as rude if the giver of the gift took it back from the receiver. I believe that God gave our lives to us as a gift and it is ours to do as we wish with it.
Faced with the issues of abortion and euthanasia, explain the different ways Christians might respond.
Many Christians have different views on how people should react when faced with the issues of abortion and euthanasia. In the case of abortion the obvious thing to avoid pregnancy is to avoid having sex or having sex without the use of contraceptives. However, contraceptives are not always reliable and can fail. Most Christians believe that the morning after pill is just as bad as having an abortion as either way the birth of a potential human being is prevented. Roman Catholics do not believe in sex before marriage and argue that if pregnancy would be a problem then the simple way to avoid it is not to have sex. If an unwanted pregnancy does occur then most Christians would prefer to have the baby given up for adoption or have the baby temporarily fostered until the mother can cope. If the baby is not given up then some Christians would turn to Social Services or the NSPCC for varying degrees of help. In some Catholic schools a girl would be expelled if she became pregnant and so some local education authorities run pregnant schoolgirl classes enabling the girls to continue with the schooling and their exams while their babies are cared for. Some women, especially young teenagers, go back to their own families. Christian families would welcome their son or daughter back and care for them and their baby. Some might relate to Christians for a free choice who believe that the right decision can come through prayer. At times the right decision may be abortion, particularly in hard cases.
The first recorded hospices were founded in the Middle Ages by Christian Knights who cared for those badly injured in the Crusades. Monks and Nuns also looked after the sick in Abbeys. They grew herbs and flowers in the monastery gardens to make into medicines and potions. Recently modern historians have made up these potions, medicines and ointments, and found many to be very effective. Homeopathic and herbal, natural or family remedies which are passed down through families are used, many are available over the counter or through doctors. Many hospitals now have pain relief clinics with the latest ways of reducing pain, new pain killers are less addictive and have fewer side effects and are more efficient. Many Christians now will take pain killers or pain relief drugs although some are against the use of any pain relieving methods because Jesus did suffer when he died on the cross. Hospices are hospitals for the terminally ill, run on a personal basis with expert care for people. St. Luke’s Hospice was founded by Christians and many believe that people who go there are treated with dignity before they die. Fears about death are discussed with the patients and their relatives and friends. Some hospices such as Zoë’s Place are set up especially for children. Many people find inner peace and tranquillity before they die. Whatever your Christian allegiance or religion, nobody is turned away.
