AO1.a(ii). What biblical and church teachings might be used in a discussion about abortion?
In the bible there are many quotations that disagree with abortion. These are some of them which I will explain about:
- "Thou shall not destroy thy conceptions before they are brought forth; nor kill them after they are born." (The Epistle of Barnabas 14:11).
In this bible reference it is saying that you shouldn't destroy unborn babies and that you shouldn't destroy any children. Overall this reference is saying that you shouldn't kill anyone born or unborn, this means not having abortions.
-
"You shall not murder"(Exodus 20:13):
This is one of the most common arguments that are used. It is simply saying that you shouldn't murder anyone. This means that according to Jeremiah 1:5 if you have an abortion you are murdering someone.
-
In Genesis 1:27 it says; "So God created man out of his own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female he created them". This tells us that we don't have the right to take away a life. So this also means it is wrong to have an abortion. dg:
In Psalms 139:13-16 it says:
-
13 For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother's womb.
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,
16 your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me
were written in your book
before one of them came to be.
In this reference it is saying that God has a plan for every human life so it should not be destroyed because all life deserves respect.
-
In Jeremiah 1:5, it says: "Before you were formed in the body of your mother I had knowledge of you, and before your birth I made you holy; I have given you the work of being a prophet to the nations". This tells us that God had already made us before we are born and this backs up the theory that every human life is unique and that we are killing a person by aborting it. Another reference saying that we are alive before we are born.
The Catholic Church believes that the main purpose of sex is to bond a couple and to reproduce. Sex should only be used in a marriage.
"Be fruitful and increase, fill the earth..." Genesis 1:28.
Contraception is the use of an artificial device to prevent conception. If the word is split 'contra' means against and 'ception' means conception, this means against conception. This is why Catholics are against contraception because they think every time a married couple have sexual relationships they should be open to the possibility of a child. Natural family planning or the rhythm method is when a couple find out when a woman is not fertile and then they only have sex on those days which means there is a small chance of them getting pregnant if carried out correctly. The pill stops the egg and sperm meeting so in the eyes of the church it is not an abortive but they still do not agree with it. The Diaphragm stops the fertile egg implanting itself in the lining of the womb. Meaning that it is an abortive in the eyes of the Catholic Church, as they believe that life begins at the moment of conception. The coil, like the diaphragm prevents the fertilized egg from implanting itself on the wall of the womb, so again this can be seen as an abortive. The Catholic Church does not agree with contraception at all, they believe that the meaning and purpose of sex is reproduction.
-
"…Condemned is any action which either before or at the moment of intercourse is specifically intended to prevent procreation-whether as an end or a means... It is never lawful, even for the gravest reasons to do evil that good may come of it…" HUMANAE VITAE-JULY 25TH 1968
All Catholics do not share the same outlook; the Anglican Church view is that a couple should be responsible as parents, therefore meaning they should limit the number of children to what they can afford. Also they have not decided when they think that life begins, they all have different opinions but they do not think that it is as simple as the ways the Catholic Church believe it. Some other Christians think that the mental and physical health of the woman is the most important thing and others think it will make a couple closer, as they have no fear of any consequences that may happen.
Abortion is the murder of an unborn child in the womb; this is why it is unacceptable to the Christian church under any circumstances. They believe life begins at conception, the moment the sperm and the egg meet.
so abortion is going against the word of God. Some people describe the situation as "the war of the powerful against the weak". They believe that people think that because the unborn child is not capable of speaking up for itself then it doesn't have any rights. They are totally helpless at this point that is why people believe they need our help more than anyone else. Visit coursework cc in cc fo cc for cc more cours cc Do cc not cc redistribute
-
"Unborn children are the poorest of the poor and they demand out protection”
This was said by mother Teresa trying to portray that Jesus did not help the rich people in society, as they were not the ones who needed his help, it was the poor people, so this is why Jesus and the catholic church believe that we should not have an abortion as it is just like turning away the people who need our help most.
Some other Christians think that a woman should have the right to make her own decisions about abortion- a matter that concerns her body. Not everybody believes that life begins when the sperm and egg first meet, they believe at this point it is not a human but a potential human. It cannot lead its own independent life; it is just a part of the woman's body. Some religions find it acceptable if the mother's life is at risk, but only then can she have an abortion.
Christian teaching on abortion is complex. An early Christian document, the Didache, condemns it:
You shall not kill by abortion the fruit of the womb.
None of the Christian Churches believe that abortion should be encouraged and all agree that it should only be used in the most serious circumstances.
B. Explain how Christians might put their beliefs about abortion into action?
Christians might put their beliefs about abortion into action by turning to sanctity of life, when Christians say this, they mean that they believe there is something special and holy about life and try to follow the meaning of sanctity of life by doing good to themselves and good to others. This means that Christians try to treat all kinds of human life with respect.
One of the most important things that Christians are supposed to remember when they are making moral decisions is their belief that God is love, and that they should love on another like God has loved us. Many Christians follow the example of Jesus and try to put the principle of agape into practice. Christians put their beliefs about abortion by helping woman who are thinking about having an abortion by suggesting that the baby could be adopted, as many couples who would love to have a child but are unable to conceive, other Christians may join a pro- life organisation. There are many groups, which are for or against abortion. Both LIFE and SPUC (society for the protection of the unborn child) are anti-abortion. Christians that are against abortion may approach the situation with different activities and try to help other Christians by organising organisations, talks and meetings where people can come to talk about what's on their mind and take advice from a group of people. Some Christians work as foster carers, and look after the children of parents who find it hard to cope.
There are two different groups in the fight against abortion pro-life and pro-choice. Pro-life believe that every preborn child, from fertilization on, is a human being who is entitled to both social and legal protection. Their ultimate goal of the pro-life movement is to amend the U.S. Constitution. To discriminate against an individual child, or a selected class of children, on the basis of parentage or any other random classification (i.e., rape, incest, foetal deformity) violates the equal protection clause of the 14th amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Both the mother and her baby are to be respected as human beings of inestimable worth and deserve equal protection. The other group is pro-choice. An American pro-choice group called NARAL want to reduce the need for abortions. Americans need better access to contraception, health care and sex education. They believe that pro-choice are trying to get rid of woman's right to choose which results in more unintended pregnancies and more abortions. In America anti-abortion protesters prayed on the 30th anniversary of the US supreme courts decision to legalise abortion and went on a march. President Bush called this march a "march for life". Pro-choice supporters made a candlelight vigil outside the Supreme Court. This is just one way that pro-life and pro-choice supporters put their beliefs into action. Christians might put their beliefs into action by passive methods including voting for a political party or boycotting and supporting companies. The method for voting for a political party is put into practice in America, the republicans there are anti-abortion and they vote for political parties that support the family and it's value, maybe via beneficial tax relief or child support..
There are also less peaceful ways of putting their beliefs into action. One case in April 2003 saw a man get booted out of his church not because of where he stood but because of the way he demonstrated it. He and a few other members would stand outside churches and shops and hold up poster of aborted foetuses and dress up as surgeons and hold baby dolls with fake blood on them. One lady that lived near the church said, "I don't think a neighbourhood where there's a church and children are attending Sunday school and there's a junior high is the right place for these kinds of images." There are peaceful and non-peaceful ways to protest. Some people say that the only way to get the viewpoint across is by using non-peaceful methods. Christians do all this to offer help to other people because they feel that they have to put their beliefs across by action and help others in their faith to choose the right decision for them.
c) Do you agree? Give reasons to support your answer and show that you have thought about different points of view. You must refer to Christianity in your answer.
"Abortion is never justified." I do agree with this statement but other people would argue that believeing that it all depends on what circumstance your in. If your pregnant due to rape I still don't believe that it is ok to have an abortion. If you are raped and become pregnant just because you have an abortion it doesn't mean that you haven't been raped. The fact is that child is still human. So an abortion would make the mother complicit in the murder of her unborn child. If she has an abortion she would have the rape on her mind and also the fact that she 'killed' her own child. The baby will also still have her features just like if she had any other baby. Another argument that is very hard to get an outcome from is if the mother's life is at risk, mentally or physically. Although this is very rare, signifying only a tiny fraction of the abortions performed, it does happen. A woman can choose to put her own life at extreme risk in attempt to carry a pregnancy to viability. In cases where the mother chooses to give her life for that of the child, both lives may be sacrificed. In life and death cases, when the physical life of the mother is at stake, it would be fair to sacrifice the life of the one to save the life of the other, particularly in the instance where not having the abortion would likely cost both lives. On the other hand if someone was to believe that abortion was ok there argument might be that if you have been raped and you become pregnant from the incident then if you have the baby then every time you look at it you will remember how you had been raped and how this baby became and you wouldn't be able to take proper care of it. In Conclusion I believe that abortion can be justified but only in special circumstances.
In my opinion I believe that abortion is wrong in most circumstances, The man and woman took the risk of getting pregnant and conceived they should not think getting an abortion will make it right, the baby that has been conceived is completely innocent and should be given the life that it has already started, it should not be taken away from it, but in some circumstances I think that people would argue that abortion could be acceptable, e.g. The baby had been conceived after rape or incest, or that the child will be severely handicapped and would live a life of suffering, but in these situation you have got to think about the fact that saying aborting a child because it is handicapped is acceptable is like saying that handicapped people do not want to live, which is not true. I also think abortion may be acceptable in position where the pregnancy risks the life of the Mother but many things can be done e.g. praying, having faith in God etc. On the other hand these circumstances account for very few abortions carried out, I believe that many people take advantage of abortion and do not think of it as ending the life of an innocent baby. Which is totally wrong.
