Southern Ireland agrees with the Pro-life point of view and so has made abortion illegal. This means that any Irish woman who gets pregnant has to travel over to Northern Ireland, which is governed by England to have an abortion. There are also many groups who are pro-abortion and feel that it is a woman’s right to choose what happens to her body.
The Bible never mentions abortion directly because it is a medical term but it does have things to say about the sanctity of human life. In Genesis 1:27 it proclaims, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them” Pro-abortion campaigners can say this statement means that God created human life but he may have wanted the mother to have an abortion. Pro-life campaigners can argue against this by saying only God can kill you because he alone created you. I feel that if God created all life and knows our life plan then only he can decide when we die, except if being terminated as a foetus was part of his plan.
The Bible also says in Exodus 20:13 “Thou shalt not kill”. Both pro-abortion and Pro-life campaigners can use this statement. Firstly pro-abortion campaigners can say that human life doesn’t start until the baby is born but Pro-life campaigners can say that the Bible proclaims killing of anyone including a foetus is wrong. I think this quote means you cannot kill anyone (another human not a foetus) because I do not believe that when the foetus is in the mother’s womb it is technically or morally a human.
Isaiah 49:5 says, “And now, saith the lord that formed me in the womb to be his servant” This quote can be used by Pro-life campaigners who can say that God created us to serve and follow his commands. Pro-abortion campaigners can argue against this statement by saying that if God formed you to be his servant maybe the correct way for you to serve him is to have an abortion. I think this quote means that God made you so only God can decide when you die.
Acts 17:26 declares, “And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed and the bounds of their habitation” This quote can be used by Pro-life campaigners who can say that only God can decide when we die because he created us all. Pro-abortion campaigners can argue against this by saying that God might have decided it would be better for the foetus if it died before it was born. I feel that this statement means that only God can decide when we die because he created everyone in the world.
Lastly in Corinthians 3:17 it is written that, “If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy: for the temple of God is hold, which temple ye are” Pro-life campaigners can use this quote and say that abortion is basically harming God himself because the temple of God is the human body because he created us all. Pro-abortion campaigners could say that the Bible was talking about churches. I think this statement is referring to the church as the temple of God because in all other religions their holy building is referred to as a temple and when the Bible was written most people weren’t Christian so they used the word temple because they didn’t have another word for the place of worship.
Christianity is a very diverse religion it has many different churches that all interpret the Bible differently. The Roman Catholic Church has the most traditional line on abortion. They will not allow abortion under any circumstances what so ever, in fact they say, “All people must realise that only God can end life”, which is a view that reflects the quote from Act 17:26 that basically means, only God can decide when you die because he is the one who created you. A Roman Catholic Church in Glasgow even went as far as running a pro life scheme where they offered money and emotional support to pregnant women to keep their child rather than have an abortion. The scheme is open to women all over the world, not just in Scotland.
The Roman Catholic view is completely different from the Methodist Churches point of view. The Methodist Church feel that abortion is perfectly acceptable if: “The mother’s life is in danger, The baby will be born with a severe handicap or the children already in the home will suffer if a new baby arrives” This quote is like the one a pro-abortion campaigner could take for the text written in Acts 17:26 where the pro-abortion groups say even if God created all life a woman still has the right to decide what happens in her body.
The two churches have interpreted the Bible quotes very differently with the Roman Catholic Church saying abortion is not allowed at all because it is murder. They have said this because in Exodus 20:13 it says “Thou shalt not kill” and they have interpreted this statement literally and have taken it to mean any person even a half formed one such as a foetus. The Methodist Church on the other hand has taken this quote and has disregarded it in a certain sense because they do not feel a foetus is a person. They have taken the view that when the foetus is in the womb it is not technically a human.
I think the churches have interpreted the Bibles teachings differently because of their leaders, background and other religious viewpoints. The Roman Catholic Church is very traditional and interprets the Bible ideally and literally. The Roman Catholic Church has many ceremonies and sacraments. The Methodist Church is much more liberal and allow their followers more flexibility. The Methodist Church has tried to interpret the Bible in a way that is relevant for modern living.
Depending on their own church of Christianity (Roman Catholic, Methodist, and Church of England etc..etc..) Christians can in some circumstances justify an abortion. If they are any other church other than Roman Catholic then Christians will always have at least one reason to have an abortion for example the baby having a severe handicap or the mother’s life being in danger. This gives them a religious justification because it is saying yes you may have an abortion and we will not send you straight to hell, because of this it will make them feel better about themselves and their decision. Pro-life campaigners could rebuke all of the above statements by saying that no Christian can justify and abortion because if they do have an abortion they are going against God himself because he says in the Bible “Thou shalt not kill” (Exodus 20:13) Pro-abortion campaigners can say that even if their church doesn’t allow an abortion then women should still have them if that is what they want because it is their right to do what they want with their bodies and not the right of their priest of the Bible. Personally I feel that any woman Christian or not is justified in having an abortion because it is her own right to do what she wants with her body.
The main argument against abortion is that human life is sacred and that killing a human even a half formed one is wrong it is basically murder. Pro-life campaigners and the Roman Catholic Church agree strongly with that view whereas most other Christian Churches and pro-abortion campaigners do not, they believe that in some circumstances an abortion is necessary for example if the mother’s life is in danger or the child will be severely handicapped.
The decision whether or not to have an abortion is a very difficult one for both the mother and anyone else involved but that is why I feel that the week limit needs to be lowered even further to twelve or even eight weeks because then it is still a foetus and hasn’t got a fully functioning organ system or a fully developed skeleton. This would make things easier on the mother because she will not have to go through the agony a normal birth only to get rid of a child she doesn’t want. Pro-life campaigners can argue against that by saying the foetus is always a baby right from the moment of conception.
Katrina Barnard
Candidate number: 6019
Centre name: Islington Green School