Abortion and Christianity

Abortion has been one of the most fiercely debated issues of the past millennium but why is this so? It may have something to do with the world’s religions and churches interpreting God’s words differently. Or then again it may be to do with the constant propaganda that we are bombarded with from both the pro-abortion and pro-life groups.

 In this essay I will only focus on the religion of Christianity and how it’s different churches interpret the Bible differently. I will also try to answer why they have such conflicting opinions and whether or not a Christian can ever justify having an abortion. This essay will also include the biblical interpretations of both pro- abortion and pro-life groups.

However before this can happen we need to know what an abortion is. The word ‘abortion’ means the termination and removal of a foetus while it is in the mother’s womb. This can happen medically through a “Chemical” abortion or naturally through a miscarriage.

        Having an abortion can be a devastating thing but women still choose to have them, some of the reasons women have abortions for are:

  • The baby was conceived by rape
  • The mother cannot afford another child
  • The mother is too young
  • The mother does not want the child
  • The child may be born handicapped

                Abortion has been legal in this country since 1967. The abortion act was passed because of an MP called David Steel. David Steel thought it was unnecessary for thousands of women to die each year through having a back street abortion. Untrained people with un-sterilised equipment carried out these back street abortions. The abortion act stated, “A mother can have an abortion if it is carried out before the 28th week of pregnancy”. I think the act imposed this week limit because when the act was first passed the anti-natal equipment (ultrasounds etc..) was very new and doctors didn’t fully realise the amount the baby would have grown and developed. Also during the 1960’s peoples attitudes towards women were changing, they now had more rights and could control contraception with ‘the pill’. The week limited was changed to 24 weeks under the 1990 Human Fertilisation and Embryology act where it was stated, “An abortion should be carried out before the 24th week of pregnancy”. I think it was altered because anti-natal technology and understanding had progressed rapidly and people realised there was a good chance a baby could survive if it was born at 28 weeks whereas at 24 weeks it couldn’t. The current government would like to lower the week limit to 20 weeks this is because anti-natal care has improved a lot even since 1990 and so a baby can survive at 24 weeks, but even now if a baby was born at 20 weeks there is no chance of it surviving. Nowadays abortions are carried out in hospitals or healthcare centres by trained doctors and nurses using sterilised equipment. The government’s plans may appease Pro-life campaigners who feel that human life is sacred.

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        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 ...

This is a preview of the whole essay