Roman Catholics and most Evangelical Protestants think that all forms of abortion are sinful and should not be allowed. They are the main organisers of groups such as LIFE and SPUC which campaign for the rights of the foetus. They base their beliefs on certain Christian teachings:
- The sanctity of life and the belief that all life is holy and belongs to God, therefore only God has the right to end a pregnancy;
- The belief that life begins at the moment of conception;
- The belief that the unborn child is created in the image of God and is one for whom Jesus, the son of God died;
- The belief that every human being has a right to life.
Other Protestants such as the Church of England and the Methodist Church agree that abortion is an evil, but feel that sometimes the lesser of two evils has to be chosen and that Christians should always do what is the most loving thing in the circumstances. They would allow abortion if the pregnancy was a result of rape, because it would be necessary to allow an innocent person to recover. They would also allow abortion where the embryo is handicapped so that birth would only give a life of great suffering or early death. They would allow abortion where the life of the mother is threatened. Some would also allow abortion for social reasons such as poverty and the effects on the rest of the family. Such Christians base their attitude on the following Christian teachings:
- Jesus told Christians to love their neighbour as themselves and abortion may be the most loving thing.
- Christians have to face up to new technology and accept the advances in medicine to cure illness. They should accept advances such as amniocentesis (tests in early pregnancy to predict certain handicaps in the foetus) to prevent disease and suffering.
- Christianity is concerned with justice and it would be unjust to ban abortions because it would affect the poor more than the rich (the rich would still be able to buy abortions)
- The sanctity of life can be broken in such things as war when people are killed, so there could be justification for abortion.
- Life does not begin at conception.
D) ‘Every Woman should have the right to have an abortion if she wants one’
Do you agree? Give reasons for your opinion, showing you have considered another point of view. In your answer you should refer to at least one religion (4 marks)
I disagree with this statement because it goes against the sanctity of life. This belief states that life is holy and belongs to God so only he can take it away. I believe that in certain cases an abortion is acceptable such as rape or if the mother’s life is at risk. I believe to allow every woman an abortion is wrong because it would be used unjustly and just be a replacement to the ‘morning after’ pill.
Many people believe that life begins at conception therefore if all woman are given a right to an abortion with no apparent reason this is unfair. Many people believe that the unborn child’s right supersedes the mothers right and that the mother and father both have claims on the mother’s body as it is both their children. By going by this belief, people believe that only when both mother and father agree to an abortion it can be taken place.
On the other hand, I can see how many people think it is all up to the mother as she is the one in control of the baby and it will inevitably affect her life. Some people believe that if the mother wants an abortion it is all her decision and nobody should stop her as God made humans to have free will and do as they please.
Personally, I believe that not all women should be given the right to have an abortion because Sikhs believe that abortion is not allowed if the mother is healthy and has no just reason for the abortion. However, I do believe that some women in situations like if the mother was raped, if the baby will be born handicapped and suffer or if the mother’s life is at risk should be allowed to have an abortion as Sikhs belief that each individual is as important and a part of God’s essence, therefore the mother is more important than the unborn child.
