Christian Attitudes to Abortion

For Christians there are many sources of authority; leaders of the church, religious teachers, and even their own conscience. The main source however is the Bible; it helps guide Christians, and affects their attitude towards everyday life.

 Abortion, the act of terminating the life of a foetus (unborn child) before it has had a chance to live, was legalised in England in 1967 (The Abortion Act), however many Christians are still undecided on whether the act is morally correct.

The early Christians regarded fertility as one of Gods greatest blessings, and the idea of abortion was totally alien to them. The word abortion is not directly mentioned in the Bible, and no Christian group actually supports abortion, but some Christians understand that everyone should have an equal right to choice.

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Christians that argue the pro-choice position believe that there are many instances where teachings from the Bible or another source of authority can be applied to this situation.  The Church of England teaches that: ‘The life of a foetus is not absolutely sacrosanct if it endangers the life of the mother’, this teaches Christians that if the life of the mother were in danger, then to consider abortion would be acceptable.

The Bible teaches Christians about the lesser of two evils, the acceptance of an imperfect world. It is sometimes better to have an abortion, than to have an ...

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