What is meant by the word Abortion?

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Robert Hall

Abortion

1) What is meant by the word Abortion?

The word abortion is defined by the Roman Catholic Church as the deliberate killing of an unborn foetus. To terminate the life of a foetus accidentally is called a miscarriage.

Before 1967, Abortions in England were illegal. If you wanted to have an abortion you had to have what was known as a back street abortion, these were carried out in very unhygienic conditions and could be preformed by people with not any real knowledge of the operation they were performing. If a girl was pregnant without a husband or a father to the child, it would bring shame on a family and be socially wrong. This led to abortions been done in secret. It was illegal for doctors to perform the operation so everything was done in secret.

After 1967 the liberal democrats decided to change the legality on abortion and make it legal, now doctors could perform the operation legally.

There are many different ways an abortion can happen.

1) The dilation and evacuation, this is where the foetus is crushed and taken out in pieces.

2) Dilation and curettage, this is where the baby is scraped out of the womb.

3) Vacuum aspiration. This is where the baby is sucked out down a powerful ‘vacuum cleaner’ type machine. Most abortions are preformed in these ways.

Abortion have to be preformed before 24 weeks since conceived and approved by two doctors certifying that in their own opinion formed in good faith the abortion should be carried out.

About 180,000 abortions take place in England and Wales every year they can be preformed by the N.H.S, or a private pay hospital.

Some reasons why women have abortions are the girl already has children and not enough money to support another child or the girls could be too young to feel she can’t have children and the early pregnancy was not planned. Other reasons might be the baby has a disability or handicapped also the baby could interfere with plans of a career or future prospects. All of these could make a woman want to terminate the pregnancy.

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1b) What biblical and church teachings might be used in a discussion about abortion?

The church teaches us that abortions are wrong. It bases its teachings on what the bible tells us about life. Christians believe the bible is Gods word and should always be followed.

The bible says in genesis 1:26 we are born in the image and likeness of god. Christians believe that god created life in the image of him self so to destroy life would go against gods creation.

We are all born in the image and likeness of god, Christians believe that God created ...

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