Christian approaches to abortion.
Abortion
Abortion is one of the most common moral issues of today. There are many people who stand for and against it very strongly and whole-heartedly. There are two main approaches from Christians:
.It is always wrong to have an abortion because it is wrong to take a life. Only God can do that. Whatever other problems there may be, God wills it and will help.
2. Abortion could be acceptable in certain circumstances because it may be the more loving thing to do, commonly called the lesser of two evils. You have to consider the mother and the rest of the family as well as the foetus.
Christians also consider the 'Sanctity Of Life'. This means that all life is sacred because it comes directly from God, and He intended the unborn baby to live. This could mean that the life of the foetus is sacred, but it could also mean that the life of the mother is sacred. It would depend on which stance a Christian takes and the individual circumstances. The Church of England does not actively support abortion but believes that in some cases it is the best thing to do. This means that it is up to the mother to decide whether abortion is right in the circumstance, giving that the bible teaches that abortion is wrong. Catholics believe that abortion is always wrong, whatever the circumstances. They believe that if God has blessed the mother with the pregnancy, then he has plans for the child and we have no right to alter them.
Quotations From The Bible:
"The Lord said to me, "I chose you before I gave you life, and before you were born I selected you to be a prophet to the nations.'"
Jeremiah 1:4-5
"Do not commit murder."
Exodus 20:13
"The Anglican view on abortion is that although the foetus is to be specially respected and protected, nonetheless the life of the foetus is not sacrosanct if it endangers the life of it's mother."
Church Of England Report - 1984
"Abortion has been considered to be murder since the first centuries of the Church, and nothing permits it to be considered otherwise."
Pope Paul VI - 1970
As you can see from these quotes, the Church generally believes that abortion is wrong ...
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"Do not commit murder."
Exodus 20:13
"The Anglican view on abortion is that although the foetus is to be specially respected and protected, nonetheless the life of the foetus is not sacrosanct if it endangers the life of it's mother."
Church Of England Report - 1984
"Abortion has been considered to be murder since the first centuries of the Church, and nothing permits it to be considered otherwise."
Pope Paul VI - 1970
As you can see from these quotes, the Church generally believes that abortion is wrong and should be considered murder, however, there are some "pro-choice" Christian groups that find quotes that they use to prove that abortion is in fact biblical.
God speaks about abortion in only two places in the Bible.
) Accidental Abortion: "If a brawling man happens to strike a pregnant woman and causes a miscarriage, he must pay a fine to the expectant father. But if he otherwise injures the woman, he must be punished accordingly." (Exodus 21:22-25)
2) Intentional Abortion: "If a man suspects that his wife has had intercourse with another man - and possibly has become pregnant - he shall take her to the tabernacle, where the priest will mix holy water with the dust off the floor - where animals are slaughtered for sacrifice - and force the woman to drink it. If she is guilty, her womb will discharge and her uterus will drop." (Numbers 5:11-21)
In neither case does God say that the foetus has the right to life in all circumstances, but in neither case does God forbid abortion, so even these quotes can be used against each other.
Given the understanding that human life begins at conception, taking the life of an unborn child is no different from the related atrocity of infanticide. As far back as the second century, the Church condemned both practices. Abortion was so unthinkable among Hebrews that no special mention of it was necessary in the Old Testament criminal code. God said "You shall not murder," and that was enough. Abortion makes the womb a place of death instead of life. The ability to give life should be celebrated as a gift, never to be taken for granted. It is the very thing that separates women from men. Christians believe it is also the gift God gave women to save humanity. When one generation has failed, the next has a chance to do better. And most importantly, all were given the opportunity for salvation through the birth of Christ - Mary's choice to give life in the face of adversity.
People promoting anti-abortion have used many visual aids to help their campaign. These pictures are just some of them.
This is the remains of a baby aborted by suction.
This is the remains of a baby aborted by salt poisoning.
This is a picture of a babies' feet after abortion. The baby was ten weeks old.
This is the remains of a baby aborted by Dilation and Curettage.
These are the main methods of abortion used nowadays. Henry Bracton, (1216-1272) "the Father of Common Law," apparently regarded abortion (at least after 5 or six weeks) as homicide and it seems that at early Common Law abortion was a felony, and, therefore, a hanging offence. Later commentators, Coke and Blackstone, held expressly that abortion after quickening was not the crime of murder, but a separate crime (a "grave misprision"). It is unclear whether pre-quickening abortion was still criminalized. The Miscarriage of Woman Act of 1803 introduced a statutory abortion scheme in England. Pre-quickening abortion was made a felony and post-quickening abortion was a capital crime. In 1837, with abolition of the death penalty, the quickening distinction was removed and all abortion was punished as a single felony. In 1861, the Offences Against the Person Act introduced a replacement statutory scheme, where, as before, all abortions were felonies. In 1929, the Infant Life Act was passed. It supplemented the OAPA and included a defence for bona fide efforts to save the mother's life. Rex v. Bourne introduced a common law health exception to the OAPA in 1938. Finally, the Abortion Act of 1967 introduced broad exceptions for genetic defects, and the mental and physical heath of the mother. Under this law, abortion is generally permitted if 2 doctors agree that a pregnancy will be more of a health threat than childbirth
Catholicism has not had an effect on the abortion law, which states that a foetus can be aborted up to the 24th week of pregnancy, in certain circumstances. However, the four clauses are relevant to other Christian groups, such as Methodist or Baptist, as they take into account the possible need for abortion in the cases of rape, threat to the life or physical or mental of the mother, and possible effect on the other children in the family. The Catholic Church teaches that ensoulment takes place at the moment of conception and this has been a key reason for their refusal to condone abortion. This according to the Catechism of the Catholic Church is that: Human life must be respected and protected absolutely from the moment of conception. From the first moment of his existence, a human being must be recognised as having the rights of a person - among which is the inviolable right of every innocent being to life.
The Church of England shares this general opposition to abortion. As the 1980 statement of the Board of Social Responsibility put it: In the light of our conviction that the foetus has the right to live and develop as a member of the human family, we see abortion, the termination of that life by the act of man, as a great moral evil. We do not believe that the right to life, as a right pertaining to persons, admits of no exceptions whatever; but the right of the innocent to life admits surely of few exceptions indeed.
Most Christians believe abortion violates the sixth commandment, which prohibits murderous acts. However there is a keen debate concerning the moment a human embryo/foetus becomes fully human. Catholics say that it is as soon as the egg is fertilised, whereas The Church of England say that ensoulment takes place about four to five weeks after conception.
Personally, I think that abortion should be the decision of the mother and, if necessary, the father. Abortion should only take place if it promises to be better for the foetus, but there should be a limit as to when the abortion can take place. Four weeks after conception, as the foetus can feel pain after this amount of time.
Ryan Burns 9G
