The United States Methodists are a little more lenient on the subject. They also consider abortion a very serious matter, but stop short on saying that it should be punished by law. They simply say that it is a very serious crime. They do not allow abortions, but they do not think it suitable to punish anybody who participates in any part of an abortion. By saying that abortion is a sin, they hope that the person concerned will feel guilty and will not go ahead with the abortion.
The Church of England are undecided about this subject. No church could possibly say that abortion is a good thing. The Church of England says that abortion is a sin. However, they do acknowledge the fact that there may be times when an abortion may be the best option (in the event of rape). They agree that abortion is a sin, as it is killing a human being, but they also say that to withdraw compassion is also a sin, so both sides of the argument should be considered.
The UK Methodists’ point of view is very similar to that of the Church of England’s. They realise that the feelings of the mother of the unborn child must be considered. They consider abortion an evil, but say that sometimes it is the lesser of two evils. They also make the valid point of saying that it is best for abortion to remain legal and controlled, rather than it being illegalised again and women resorting to back-street abortions, where the process is a danger to the health of the mother.
My personal opinion is that abortion should remain legal. I agree with the statement from the UK Methodists, that it is better for it to remain legal and controlled, rather than being made illegal and therefore unsafe.
I don’t think that anybody could really agree with abortion. Whichever way you look at it, you are killing an unborn child. However, I think that there are some times when abortion may be necessary. For instance, if a woman is raped and it results in a pregnancy, there is no way that she would want to keep the baby. I think in cases such as these, abortion may be necessary. However, if a woman finds herself pregnant unexpectedly and she has not used contraceptives, then I think that she should be made to see out the pregnancy, as it is her fault that she has fallen pregnant.
There are always two sides to every argument. There may be some Roman Catholics who, because of their religion, are made to firmly disagree with abortion, but personally, they do not think that it is as great a sin as the church says it is. They may find themselves in a dilemma, being pulled one way by the church, and another by their own opinions. I do not think that just because you belong to a certain branch of Christianity, that you should have the same beliefs about everything as your church. By all means, listen to what your church has to say on the issue, and listen to other peoples’ points of view. This will help you to form an opinion of your own, not that of your church or of other people.
Louise Jones
