The Protestant tradition takes a less hard line as Catholics do in the abortion debate. It accepts that there are certain situations when abortion is an unavoidable consequence of deciding between ‘lesser of two evils’. For example, if a woman has become pregnant after being raped, Protestants accept that that woman might consider having an abortion. They believe the demand for abortions is unacceptably high. They stress that abortion should happen as early in the pregnancy as possible and only after serious moral reflection. Their view on late termination of handicapped foetuses is that they should only be given if the baby is likely to die from its deformities soon after birth. Just as Roman Catholics, Protestants also accept abortion when the life of the mother is in danger as a result of her being pregnant. This is known as ‘Double-effect’.
Other denominations such as the Orthodox Church believe that abortion is a violation of the commandment “Thou shall not kill” and therefore do not allow abortion. Many argue over the ethics of abortion, whether it is "right" or "wrong", and totally ignore the soul of the foetus. The origin of each individual human being's soul is not fully revealed in Sacred Scripture. This is "a mystery," according to the words of St. Cyril of Alexandria, "known to God alone." Therefore, the Church does not propound a strictly defined teaching on this question.
Euthanasia (voluntary) is when a person request to die due to avoid prolonging suffering and pain. Just as in the case of abortion, Christians are divided in their views on euthanasia.
The Roman Catholic Church is very definite on the issue of euthanasia. The teaching of this Church is based on the simple but basic principle that all human life is a gift from God and that God alone has the power over life and death. According to the view, no one has the right to take the life of an innocent person, not even a person’s own life. Euthanasia is a violation of the commandment “Thou shall not kill”. In Evangelium Vitae, the Pope wrote that to cause death by euthanasia was “a grave violation of the law of God”.
The Protestant Church, again, is more lenient towards euthanasia than the Roman Catholic Church. They accept that a person should not be kept in unbearable pain and suffering.
Other Denominations such as Methodists share the same beliefs as the Protestant Church. While being against euthanasia, they do accept that there are strong arguments that a person should not be kept alive at all costs when they are suffering unbearable pain and point to the way of ending life. The leader of the Methodist Church, Dr. Leslie Weatherhead, said "I sincerely believe that those who come after us will wonder why on earth we kept a human being alive against his will, when all the dignity, beauty and meaning of life had vanished; when any gain to anyone was clearly impossible and when we should have been punished by the state if we had kept an animal in similar conditions”
For Christians, euthanasia is only one answer to the problem of suffering. Another answer is the hospice. The aim of the hospice is to enable people to die with dignity and to be aware of what is happening to them right to the end of their lives. People who are terminally ill are given care and treatment that lessens the pain, but will not cure them. This is known as palliative care. They and their families are given support to come to terms with the death. The Hospice Movement was set up by Dame Cicely Saunders and is now a real alternative to euthanasia.
In Conclusion, it seems that the Roman Catholic Church are much more strict towards the issues of abortion and euthanasia than the Protestant Church and other churches. The Protestant Church and others churches tend to be lenient towards most issues of abortion and euthanasia.
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