The sanctity of life is a core Christian belief, but in today’s society there are times when the belief may be hard to uphold or may lead to difficult questions for people to answer.
Whilst most people would agree that human life is special and should be respected some would ask questions:
- Is life always worth living?
- What if someone wants to die?
- What sort of life would a badly brain-damaged baby lead?
- Is one life more sacred than another?
- Is the life of the mother more important than an un-born child’s?
- At what point does a foetus become a human being?
- Just because someone has sinned does it mean their life is less sacred?
- If someone kills another person, do we have the right to take his or her own life away?
- If you cant live life to the full is there any reason to carry on living?
Advances in technology over the past decades means that doctors are now able to create life where there was none before. Other medical technologies mean that people who would once have died are now kept alive. What are the suggestions of this for the idea of God being the sole creator or giver and take or life?
A02- Explain why Christians hold different views about abortion?
Christians are divided on the issue or abortion.
Abortion is the artificial ending of the life of a foetus in the womb.
Before 1967 abortion was illegal in the UK.
The Abortion Act made abortion legal if:
- 2 doctors agree and it is carried out ‘before the time of viability’ i.e. before the baby could survive outside the womb (in 1990 changed from 28 weeks to 24 weeks)
- To continue the pregnancy would put the mother or other members of the family at risk
- It is necessary to avoid permanent injury, physical or psychological to the mother
- There is a real risk that the baby would be born handicapped of deformed.
There are many arguments in favour of abortion. Some people believe that the woman should have the right to choose what happens to her body. If the mother doesn’t want the baby then it will be brought into the world unwanted, which is wrong. Unwanted children may suffer rejection, abuse and would cause a lot of problems. Money might also be a problem. If the family can’t afford the baby, having it could lead them to poverty and the child would have to be taken into care.
If it becomes harder for people to have legal abortions then there will be a big increase of illegal abortions, which will danger a lot of lives.
If a woman becomes pregnant after the result of a rape, she should not be forced to carry on with the pregnancy.
If a woman is at a risk of dying or becoming severely handicapped, due to the pregnancy, she should have the choice especially if she has other children to look after. Abortion is not murder, as it only destroys a collection of cells, which cannot survive out side the mother’s womb.
The big argument is when does the life begin?
People against abortion believe that the foetus is alive from the moment of contraception and has the right to live. They think that abortion is infanticide (child killing). Abortion may be looked on like another form of contraception, thus causing a more casual attitude to sex.
If the mother didn’t want the baby surely they could spare its life and have it adopted by loving parents who would want it. Many couples today are unable to have children, so instead of having a lab-made baby wouldn’t it be easy for them to have a natural one. But adoption is not always an easy option. Sometimes when the mother opts for this she finds it hard to let the baby go. Also the new parents might not be that happy because the baby isn’t really theirs. Although it doesn’t really matter about blood relations, it might matter to some people. Another problem would be when the child was older. They might want to find their real parents and might end up hating the adopted parents for not telling them.
Although abortions are safe, the can be a lot of mental problems that could affect the mother. Such things as depression, and guilt have resulted in suicide cases. Less people would want abortions if there were more financial and emotional help given to the mothers.
A03- It says in the Ten Commandments; ‘You shall not kill’ So abortion must be wrong. Do you agree? Give reasons for your answer showing that you have thought about more than one point of view.
When God ordained the Ten Commandments, life was very different. Even though abortion, euthanasia and capital punishment existed, life’s value was less. Children died young and people could be struck down other bight by illness. Many times children were ‘disposed of’ when they were the wrong sex or disabled. People were used to death, life was cheaper. Nowadays, technologies in the western world mean that most people do not experience death, except that of elderly relatives. We are used to our children surviving into adulthood.
Abortion, Capital punishment and euthanasia are all forms of ending life. Each time someone has to make the decision whether the life should end.
In the Ten Commandments it teaches that we should not murder. But later on in the bible it says:
‘There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die…a time to kill and a time to heal’ (Ecclesiastes 3:1-3)
I believe that is saying that there is a time for everyone’s death, be if they are murdered, or die naturally. There is not an awful lot people can no about it.
I don’t think abortion is actually killing. I believe that life begins when the child is capable of survival independently. Sometimes this is 40 weeks, more or less. If the foetus can’t survive outside the womb then it cannot be alive. With great care some premature babies as young as 24 weeks have survived, but many have suffered huge health problems leading to blindness and mental handicaps. I don’t believe this is fair on the child.
I don’t think its right bringing an unwanted baby into the world. Each child has a right to be loved, cared for and wanted. If the baby is unwanted the parent could end up taking their misery out on the child and make it feel rejected, lonely and insecure. This could cause the child to be the victim of abuse.
There are lots of other commandments, such as do not commit adultery, but there is no law against it saying it is wrong. We see adultery as a everyday thing, not a criminal offence, even though it is a commandment. For example, Prince Charles, the future head of the Church of England, has admitted adultery.
There is nowhere in the bible that directly refers to abortion. Christians have to decide when life begins before deciding whether or not abortion breaks the commandment, not to kill.
Different churches in Christianity hold different views on abortion.
The Roman Catholic Church holds the biggest objection to all forms of contraception and abortion. The church teaches that abortion denies the biggest right of human beings- the right to exist! The destroying of a foetus means murder. Any catholic involved in an abortion, whether mother or medical practise may be excommunicated from the church and its sacraments. The church also doesn’t believe in sex before marriage. They believe marriage is to bring people together to have children. So if married women got pregnant she would have no need to have an abortion.
As well as being against contraception the church is also against any new reproductive technologies such as IVF (In Vitro Fertilisation) and AID (Artificial insemination by a donor). They believe that a child is a gift, not a right.
Other churches like the Methodists and the Anglicans believe that life does not begin until the baby is able to survive outside the womb. These Christians believe that abortion is an evil, which should be best avoided. An abortion could take place if it meant even greater evils were avoided by the abortion. An abortion can take place if the mother’s life was at all in any risk mentally or physically, if she was likely to give birth to a handicapped child or if the pregnancy was due to a rape.
I agree with the Methodist and Anglicans beliefs, but I do think there are more reasons to allow abortion.
