Describe the teachings of Christianity which might be used in a discussion about abortion.
Qu A ii) Describe the teachings of Christianity which might be used in a discussion about abortion.
"When does human life begin?" A question many people have been intrigued by for many years. Ensoulment, when the sperm enters the body and life has been said to occur in the sperm before conception, at conception, at the time of the quickening when the mother first feels the foetus moving inside her, or at birth. Some say it may even happen later.
Due to the lack of technology early Christians believed human life starts when the baby starts to move. St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas believed the foetus has no soul until the time of the quickening on the grounds that the embryo does not look human. Because of this belief, they did not consider early term abortion (before quickening) to be murder.
However, in the seventeenth century when the first microscopes were used to examine sperm cells they were thought to show a fully formed human being. It was believed that each sperm cell was a tiny human being, which would then grow. This scientific idea was a misinterpretation. However, in 1869 it led the Roman Catholic Church to declare that if any woman had an abortion at any time, this would lead to excommunication. All stages of human life are said to be sacred meaning even contraception is disallowed by the Catholic Church.
"When does human life begin?" A question many people have been intrigued by for many years. Ensoulment, when the sperm enters the body and life has been said to occur in the sperm before conception, at conception, at the time of the quickening when the mother first feels the foetus moving inside her, or at birth. Some say it may even happen later.
Due to the lack of technology early Christians believed human life starts when the baby starts to move. St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas believed the foetus has no soul until the time of the quickening on the grounds that the embryo does not look human. Because of this belief, they did not consider early term abortion (before quickening) to be murder.
However, in the seventeenth century when the first microscopes were used to examine sperm cells they were thought to show a fully formed human being. It was believed that each sperm cell was a tiny human being, which would then grow. This scientific idea was a misinterpretation. However, in 1869 it led the Roman Catholic Church to declare that if any woman had an abortion at any time, this would lead to excommunication. All stages of human life are said to be sacred meaning even contraception is disallowed by the Catholic Church.
