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Introduction

Caitlin Davies Explain the beliefs Christians hold about their responsibility for those at the beginning and end of their lives. In this essay, I will explain and evaluate how Christians hold themselves responsibly at the beginning and end of people's lives. This will include what they do for the people to enable their lives to be better in the time they have. In the beginning of our lives, we are in our mother's wombs. We will develop there for approximately nine months before we leave the womb and become part of the outside world. Each human being comes into being from the moment we are conceived, and we are separate human beings to our mothers, so for a woman to have an abortion would kill the potential life growing inside of her. This is why the Roman Catholic Church's teaching is that abortion is morally wrong, as you are killing another human being. By killing this foetus, you are violating the commandment, 'thou shalt not kill.' If a woman becomes pregnant, and this is an inconvenience to her, she could always consider adoption or fostering or even receive help from her family to raise the child, but to kill it when it has done no wrong to others is seriously wrong. Many organisations help to encourage women to choose such options over abortion. Organisations such as LIFE or SPUC (Society for the Protection of the Unborn Child) ...read more.

Middle

In the essay, I will take into consideration all the views and opinions of Abortion and Euthanasia and contrast them to the views of the Roman Catholic Church. Many people in today's society may not face these issues in everyday life; however, they still may have views about them. Either from a religious viewpoint or a secular one. Christians believe that all forms of procured abortion are morally wrong. They believe this because the Catholic Church teaches that life begins at contraception, so from the moment the ovum is fertilized, that human's life begins. So to purposely end this life would violate the Commandment 'thou shalt not kill.' The Catholic Church also believes that everyone has a 'natural right to life,' so killing a foetus is exactly like killing someone that has been 'alive' and out of the womb for years. Because of these reasons, Christians can never be allowed abortions. However, in some circumstances abortion is technically accepted. The Doctrine of Double Affect states that if a certain procedure could save a mother's life, but would kill the foetus in the process, this would not be seen as an abortion, but as a second effect, which is not purposely intended. This can be the case in the removal of a fallopian tube in an entopic pregnancy, or a woman suffering from cancer who is receiving chemotherapy. ...read more.

Conclusion

Some Christians believe that a war where innocent people will be killed, and where people are suffering, are grounds for a just war and therefore it is morally right to fight for life, for others and yourself. Also the Doctrine of Double Effect can be used here, as people would be fighting for freedom of oppression and the right to life, therefore any deaths that may be caused by these actions would be considered a second effect, therefore it will not be punishable sin. Whereas other Christians would see this as unjust and cruel, as people would perish at the hands of others. Many Christians have recently organised petitions and rallies and protests against the war to persuade others to join them in the fight for what is morally good. I feel this, in a sense is good because they want to stop people in such countries in Iraq dying, however, I feel people should decide on their own, without other minorities pushing for them to share their opinions and views. Overall, the war is a good example of Christians trying to make others see their point of view, as it is a subject nearly all Christians would be passionate about. The examples given show how Christians are doing well by trying to stop the war, but are wrong as they force the issue upon others. I still believe everyone should decide on their own terms and have their own opinion on every subject, and not just fold to what people tell them. ...read more.

This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Abortion and other medical issues section.