Faced with the issues of Abortion and Euthanasia, explain how a Christian would respond.
Faced with the issues of Abortion and Euthanasia, explain how a Christian would respond.
All Christians believe in the sanctity of life. They believe in its reverence, sacredness and think that it should be protected and cherished with love. However, we are all unique, so some may respond in a different manor when they are faced with these issues although they would all follow the beliefs and teachings of their church.
Abortion is the direct and intentional killing of an unborn child in the womb, although an abortion can occur naturally as a miscarriage.
The Roman Catholic Church is staunchly against abortion and it teaches that it is very serious sin in all circumstances. It teaches that “human life is sacred” (Pope Paul VI) and it must be protected, cherished and treated with reverence. The Catholic Church believes that God gave life and only God can take it away, so if a human was to take a life it would be an unjustifiable sin. Their belief is that life begins at the moment of conception and therefore, inducing abortion is equal to murder, which is going against God’s word and his fifth commandment, “Thou shalt not kill”. The Church of England’s teaching is similar but not the same. Their view on abortion is that “the life of the foetus has to be protected. If the foetus endangers the life of the mother action can be taken” (Church of England Report 1984). This shows that both Churches share the belief that life is sacred and must be protected, but while the Catholic Church believes it is always sinful, the Church of England teaches that if the foetus endangers the mother’s life, then and only then can abortion be considered and action can be taken.
