Some Roman Catholics will say that giving birth to the child does not necessarily mean you have to look after it Victoria Gillik, a Roman Catholic:
“Contraceptives will fail and human beings will make mistakes. There will always be unplanned pregnancies. But there are always many couples longing to adopt.. And there are many young girls who have gone ahead and had babies and found it wasn’t the end of the world. There is help available, a baby is not the end of life but the beginning”
This seems to suggest that having children is not a bad thing at all. It is quite the opposite, if you have a child it does not necessarily need to be a burden upon you. Other people may wish to adopt your child and if you want to keep it does not mean that it is the end of your life. Instead of seeing it as the end of your life see it as the beginning of somebody else’s a new life which holds its own opportunities. There is no need to have an abortion because it does not mean that having a child is paying a huge price, there is help available so abortion is unnecessary.
Mother Teresa said;
“The greatest destroyer of peace in the world today is abortion. If a mother can kill her own child what is there to stop me and you killing each other? The only one who has a right to take life is the One who created it.. The child is the most beautiful gift of God to a family, to a nation. Let us never refuse this gift of God.”
Mother Teresa is clearly stating that the only person who has the right to take life is God. The child is a gift from Him and should always be accepted but what she has said can be interpreted in a different way. “The only one who has a right to take life is the One who created it” Males and females are needed to create life so maybe they have a right to take it away. Even if it is God who only has the right he may take life away by making doctors give abortions in clinics.
The Roman Catholic Bishops of England and Wales said in their statement ‘The Common Good’
“We must raise our voices against all destruction of human life in the womb.. The prevalence of Abortion as well as being an evil itself has led to the wide spread abandonment of fundamental moral principles.. But all campaigning, especially on ‘life’ issues must be conducted non-violently and with respect for the law.”
This shows that Roman Catholics should be completely against abortion seeing it as a “destruction of human life” not only is it an evil but it has spread itself to allow for the “abandonment of fundamental moral principles”. They believe that Abortion is truly wrong and having it legal causes massive effects in all aspects of human rights not just those of abortion. Finally it states that any campaigning there must be must be done properly and without the intention of hurting others or against the law.
The Church of England are slightly more relaxed on the subject of abortion but they are still against it and will allow it in certain cases e.g when there is a risk to the mother’s life, in cases of rape, or if the child may be handicapped. They see these abortions the lesser of two evils. This means that abortion is completely wrong unless somebody’s life is in danger when having the child. The mother’s life being in risk is a good example. If the only possible way she can have the child is if she dies or gets a serious illness or condition then abortion is not as bad. Therefore abortion in this case is the lesser of two evils.
The Church of England argue
“Our View on abortion is that although the foetus is to be especially respected and protected nonetheless it is not sacrosanct if it endangers the life of the mother.”
This quote backs up what I have said before. Basically Abortion is seen as wrong and the foetus should be loved and respected but abortion should not be questioned if it endangers the life of the mother.
Another Christian viewpoint is to take a more pro-choice stance on abortion. This means to respect the mothers decision even if you believe what she is doing is wrong.
Paolo Hugo wrote;
“The bible’s command is to love one another and to have compassion for the weak. I suggest that the most loving thing in many cases may to be allow the unsupported single mother to have an abortion. Jesus invites us to live life to the full. What kind of life awaits a severely brain damaged foetus? God gives us free will, who are we to take that away from someone?”
Paolo has said that the most important thing in life is your own life. You should not let anything get in the way of that if you choose it not to. Abortion should be allowed because if it prevents someone from living a full life like Jesus then we cannot live a life the way that God would want us to.
Marie O’Diamond said;
“Motherhood is a lifelong commitment-a life of denying yourself and putting the child first-not to be entered into lightly. Adoption is no cosy alternative. It is deeply traumatic for the mother and child.”
She has said that a woman should not give birth and give up the chance of abortion if she does not feel right about it. Even if you do give birth and do not wish to care for the child adoption can be a painful experience for the child if it gets put with a family that do not love it.
Some Christians may respond by setting up campaigns like LIFE.
LIFE try to campaign against abortion and follow a Roman Catholic view but all different members of religion join. They will help provide money for a pregnant woman so that she will give birth to a baby and be financially more secure. They also provide baby clothes as a way to influence a pregnant woman’s decision to not have an abortion. By setting up homes and places of residence for women considering abortion they aim to change their mind and give birth to the child by influencing what the pregnant mother thinks. They will offer counselling to help mentally support people who are considering abortions and those who have had abortions. LIFE will go to many lengths to try and stop pregnant women having abortions and to give support and care to those who have.
Another Christian response is to join organisations like SPUC (Society for the Protection of the Unborn Child) take a much more political approach to campaigning against abortion. They will write letters to members of parliament asking them to make abortion illegal. They will not vote for those who do endorse abortion and try to influence other people to not vote for them by writing letters and giving out leaflets to houses.
Other Christian responses are to set up more mother and baby homes to help comfort pregnant women and campaign for recognition that abortion is murder.
A further Christian response is to set up sex education classes with emphasis on responsibility and contraception. They may also campaign to change the law against late abortions to reduce the number of abortions carried out.
Other Christian responses may be to give good contraceptive advice. Educating children more about abortion and pregnancy. They will also support women who choose abortion.
In extreme cases some Christians will bomb abortion clinics to prove their point. It will shock doctors who carry out abortions and may prevent them from wanting to carry on. They will even find the houses of doctors who perform abortions and kill them. They would believe that what they are doing is fighting for the lesser of the two evils. Because they believe that doctors who perform abortions are murdering innocent human life
Other Christians will support abortion and may even be abortion doctors themselves. This shows their love for other people, their agape love towards others. If they help people who need abortions than they see they are doing a good act and they believe it would be seen good to God.
To find one Christian response to abortion is very hard. Abortion is such a complex issue that there will never and has never been one Christian answer. Therefore there is no one Christian response but there are many different Christian responses.
