The Sanctity of Life

Abortion is the termination of a foetus, abortions. It is illegal to have an abortion after twenty-four weeks of pregnancy. There are two different types of abortion, procured and natural. Natural abortion is a natural end to a foetus's life, a miscarriage. This is where the baby naturally dies inside the mother's womb; miscarriages cause a lot of trauma amongst families. Procured abortion is the termination of a living foetus. This is done through a planned operation. The Catholic Church does not agree with having a procured abortion. This is why there are many arguments between the Catholic Church and the following public. Euthanasia is the termination of a person's life; these people usually are elderly, infirm or suffer from a chronic illness. Euthanasia means 'easy death'. That is what these people ask for an easy death, to die prematurely with no suffering.

The Catholic Church says that Abortion and euthanasia are acts of murder. The Church says that each one of us human beings is special and where put on this earth for a special purpose. So for this reason nobody has the right to shorten or exterminate the life of another human being. The Church says that no pregnancy is unplanned because no baby can be made unless Almighty God has planned it, and has decided to bring the individual into the world. The Church also says that God put the individual on this earth so only he should have the right to take it away. So the Catholic Church does not believe in Abortion or euthanasia, but do fellow Christians believe that should be the case. For the case of abortion Christians argue that there is no such thing as one hundred percent safe sex. So if a child is not wanted and contraception fails then the couple may look for an abortion. But as Christians they will have to look beyond that option as it is against their religion. The Church would then simply say that abortion is not the case, as the baby must have been put on this earth for a reason as Almighty God created him. As Mathew said:

"Look at the birds" they do not sow seeds, gather a harvest or put it into barns; yet your father in heaven takes care of them! Aren't you worth much more than birds."

Meaning that God loves all of us for what we are no matter whether we are lazy or bad. Humanists say that it is better having an abortion than bringing unwanted babies into the world. Many groups of people say the same. Different people have different opinions on abortion some are for abortion and some are against. Doctors say that if the woman wants an abortion then it is the woman who will suffer from the consequences so the decision to have an abortion should be left with the mother, not any religious beliefs. The Churches argument is that life begins at conception and the church states that the natural law is that human life begins when an ovum is fertilised, as there is an unbroken continuum from conception to birth. It is wrong to take life, therefore abortion is wrong. The Catholic Church teaches that euthanasia is absolutely unacceptable. The Church suggests that somebody sick does not deserve the death penalty! Those who believe in it suggest that it should be used in cases where there is no hope of recovery and death will be slow and painful e.g. cancer patients, aids victims, the elderly and the handicapped or mentally disabled. These groups of people tend to ask for help in dying. As they are too weak or unable to commit suicide. People who disagree with the churches teaching argue that if they are helping somebody to die then it is not murder as the person dying asks for it. The Catholic Church disagrees and says that if you help that person die then you are committing murder.

Other Christians more or less have the same attitude to abortion and euthanasia as the Catholic Church. Most non-Catholic Christians believe the same views as the Catholic Church about euthanasia, with two small exceptions. Some non-Catholic Christians would allow the switching off of a life support machine and the removal of artificial feeding. The other exception is suicide, they believe that if somebody is in so much pain they would not know how else to cope. Some Protestants have exactly the same views as Catholics. Protestants believe that all life begins at conception and that all life is sacred. Other Christians believe that abortion must be permitted in certain circumstances. They do not encourage abortion, but discourage it and it is not banned. These allowances would benefit the people who find themselves in the circumstance of either abortion or euthanasia. These are only small allowances but would benefit many people in a great way. But again the Catholic Church would argue that le begins at conception and from then on the baby in the womb is a living being and killing that human being is murder and again the Catholic Church would stress the fifth commandment:

"Thou shalt not kill".

For those who suffer from the effects of abortion and euthanasia there are hospices and societies to help the people get over this traumatic period of their life. Hospices care for people with terminal diseases. The people with the terminal diseases are encouraged by the hospices to be as fulfilled as possible physically, mentally and spiritually. Relatives of the patients are offered counselling, support and help after the death. The majority of these hospices are Christian foundations and some of them rely entirely on voluntary donations. The hospices care for the dying and helping the dying to die with a bit of dignity and pride. The whole attitude to the patients is one of love and charity. Life is an organisation to prevent abortion; it is named after life. They believe that life is sacred and should not be taken away from a small-unborn child before the child has the fortunate opportunity to step into the world. Many people who suffer from wanting an abortion but not having an abortion can turn to adoption of the child after it is born. This saves a lot of hassle from the Catholic Church, but it is too hard for a mother to give away her own flesh and blood. After carrying a baby around in your stomach for nine months you grow to love that child no matter whether you want it or not.

For the case of abortion and euthanasia the Catholic Church is not going to change its teaching. For as long as the Churches teaching stays the same there is going to be a lot sad endings to people's lives.