Is abortion justifiable in cases of rape or incest?

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Is abortion justifiable in cases of rape or incest?

Abortion:“ the expulsion or removal of a human foetus from the uterus before the foetus is capable of independent survival” (Heinemann English dictionary).

“…In these tragic cases the great value of the mental health of a woman who becomes pregnant as a result of rape or incest can best be safe-guarded by abortion. It is also said that a pregnancy caused by rape or incest is the result of a grave injustice and that the victim should not be obliged to carry the foetus to viability.” Biochemist Andrew Varga

“In a rape case, if there's anyone who deserves a death sentence, I think we'd agree that it's the guy who commits the crime.  But to say that the child deserves death is to punish a totally innocent bystander.  He (or she) had nothing to do with his mother's rape, but now he should be killed?  The baby is a living human being, not a cancer that has to be cut out.” Randy Alcom

There is a large controversial issue on abortion there are two different sides to the argument on whether abortion is justifiable those who believe that abortion should be legalised either in certain cases or on demand (pro-choice) and those who believe abortion is wrong and unjust in every case (pro-life).

With pro-choice there are two categories-

  1. Those who believe abortion should be legalised and therefore women can have abortion whenever they choose, for example, financial reasons, the mother wants to pursue a career, overcrowding in the home (other children may feel neglected by a new baby in the family), these are social reasons for having an abortion.
  2. Those who believe that in some cases abortion is the lesser of two evils, for example, if the pregnancy has occurred as a result of rape, if the baby is to be born with a disability, the baby may have begun growth in the fallopian tube and therefore both the baby and the mother will die some time during the pregnancy, these are medical reasons for having an abortion.
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Those who support the pro-life argument believe that life begins from the moment of conception and that abortion is never justifiable, which is a principle that should never be compromised.

All Christian churches recognise sanctity of human life from the moment of conception, however there are differences of opinion regarding the justification of abortion in cases such as rape.

        Both the Anglican and the Methodist churches believe that abortion in itself is wrong but is understandable when the pregnancy is a result of rape.

“Christians should reject the practice of induced abortion…save at the dictate of strict and ...

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