Examine and Comment on The Beliefs About Abortion

GCSE Religious Studies (Philosophy & Ethics)

Examine and Comment on Religious Influences on Beliefs about Abortion

Abortion is the deliberate termination of a pregnancy. The rate at which abortion is carried out around the world is increasing in numbers and is accepted in many more countries. I will be discussing the Christian and Islamic views on abortion.

The general religious beliefs about abortion are that it is wrong. Life is sacred and is protected by the divine authority. God gave us life and it is his gift to us therefore he should decide when to take our life away. Abortion is going against this religious law as a sacred, God gifted life is taken away.

The word morality comes from the Latin word moralis. It’s concerned with which actions are right and which are wrong. Abortion is therefore also morally wrong as it is an action which is wrong. However, the question can be raised that if the woman is raped is the child conceived as sacred as that of a child conceived in marriage? In the view of morality the significance of the child would be the same as in rape and marriage the end result is the same; a new life is bought to the world.

However, if the mothers life is in danger as a result of the child than is it acceptable to abort? Socially abortion would be accepted as the mother’s life is being saved. If the mother chooses not to abort the child than her life and the life of the child maybe at risk. In the view of religion and morality abortion would also have to acceptable as the mother’s life is at risk and if the mother did choose to abort, than the child would be bought up without a mother. This maybe the only time abortion is acceptable socially, morally and religiously.

Islamic View

Muslims believe that the Holy Quran was the final testament revealed to mankind in the time of the Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him). This is believed to be the revelation of the will of God, given to the final prophet Muhammed (pbah) in a series of visionary experience. Moral principles set in it are therefore seen as coming directly from Allah. The Hadith which a collection of the sayings and deeds of the Prophet Muhammed (pbah) is used as an example for all Muslims to follow. The Shari’ah (path) refers to natural law created by God to guide everything in the universe. In the following sections of the essay I will be referring to the teachings based upon the Holy Quran, Hadith and the Shari’ah law. I will also observe the differing opinions between the three main sects in Islam, the Hanafi, Maliki and Shafi schools.

Muslims believe that life is a gift from God that is sacred and that abortion is absolutely wrong in all circumstances. However, Islam accepts abortion only if the mother’s life is at risk at in the Holy Quran it states,

“And do not kill anyone which Allah has forbidden….” (17:32)

All schools of Muslim law accept that abortion is permitted if continuing the pregnancy would put the mother's life in real danger. This is the only reason accepted for abortion after 120 days of the pregnancy. The more advanced the pregnancy, the greater the wrong.

The Quran does not explicitly refer to abortion but offers guidance on related matters. Scholars accept that this guidance can properly be applied to abortion. Abortion can be related to murder as it is a newly conceived child that is ultimately being destroyed by abortion. Where it refers to murder in the Holy Quran, this can be related to abortion as abortion and murder is seen to be the same in the eyes of Islam. Killing is a grave sin in Islam, so therefore so is abortion.

“And kill not your children… the killing of them is a great sin” (17:31)

In Islam there are many different sects which believe in the same main values of Islam but only differ in opinion in certain topics. Abortion is a debatable topic and different sects may have different views on it. The three main sects are Hanafi school, Maliki school and Shafi school.

The Hanafi school is the most flexible on abortion. It specifies that before the fourth month of pregnancy, an abortion may be induced if a woman's pregnancy poses a threat to the life of her child. The Maliki position prohibits an abortion after fertilisation has taken place, while the Shafi'i school maintains that at any stage after fertilisation the zygote should not be disturbed, and interference with its development would be a crime.

Moreover, after fertilisation the foetus is regarded as having equal rights with its mother. In the case of conflict, this dilemma is resolved by the general principle of the Shari'ah law choosing the lesser of two evils. If the mother’s life is at risk, rather than losing both lives, the life of one should be given preference over the other i.e. the mother's life. Abortion is regarded as a lesser evil in this case because:

the mother is the 'originator' of the foetus
the mother's life is well-established
the mother has with duties and responsibilities

This is a preview of the whole essay

the mother is the 'originator' of the foetus
the mother's life is well-established
the mother has with duties and responsibilities
the mother is part of a family
allowing the mother to die would also kill the foetus in most cases

Most Muslims would prefer this approach to abortion as it is the teaching of the Shari’ah law. As Abraham concludes by quoting the Quran as defending the sanctity of life:

“Whosoever has spared the life of a soul, it is as though he has spared the life of all people. Whosoever has killed a soul, it is as though he has murdered all of mankind.” (5:32: in Abraham, 102)

From this verse it is evident that every human being has the right to be born, the right to be, and the right to live as long as God has permitted it to. The foetus is regarded by all schools of Islamic law as having the right to life. If the mother chooses to abort than as it states above, it is like slaying the whole of mankind.

The Quran makes it clear that a foetus must not be aborted because the family fear that they will not be able to provide for it; they should trust Allah to look after things:

Quran 17:32

The same texts also ban abortion on social or financial grounds relating to the mother or the rest of the family. For example the pregnancy wasn't planned and a baby will interfere with the mother's life, education or career.

If it is confirmed in the early period of pregnancy that a foetus suffers from a defect that can't be treated and that will cause great suffering to the child, a number of scholars would say that it is permissible to abort, provided that the pregnancy is less than 120 days old. Muslims believe that during the first 120 days the foetus is growing but has no soul. After 120 days, Muslims believe that life is breathed into the foetus and that it has a soul and has the same rights as the mother.

A slightly more liberal opinion is that abortion within the first 120 days would be permitted if a child would be born with such physical and mental deformity as would deprive the child of a normal life. In order for this to go ahead the decision of the mother has to be firm; to abort or not to abort and the opinion of at least two competent medical specialists is required. In recent times in Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khameni has issued a fatwa (law) permitting abortion for foetuses under 10 weeks shown to have the genetic blood disorder thalassemia.

Some scholars state that abortion where the mother is the victim of a rape or of incest is permissible in the first 120 days of the pregnancy. Others say abortion for such reasons is never permitted. There are mixed views on this matter. Sheikh M.A.Al-Salami, stated,

“I believe that the value of life is the same whether this embryo is the result of fornication with relatives or non-relatives or valid marriage. In Shari’ah life has the same value in all cases.”

There are differing opinions if a woman should abort if raped. Ultimately it is the decision of the woman if she wants to go ahead and abort the child. The teaching according to Sheikh M.A.Al-Salami is that the woman should abort before 120 days if she wants to go ahead with it. If not than she should carry on with her pregnancy as usual.

Christian View

Christians believe that life is sacred and a gift from God. Christians use the Bible as a guide to life. They follow the same beliefs as the Jews as the Bible contains the Old Testament but also believe in the New Testament which are the four gospels written by Matthew, Mark, Luke and John which have the teachings and lifestyle of Jesus Christ. Christians follow his example of life as a guide to life. By using Jesus as an example their moral decisions are decided by the teachings of Jesus.

The Old Testament contains the Ten Commandments which are ten rules directly sent down from God to the prophet Moses for us all to follow, and to this day they are still practiced and followed. The Bible doesn’t directly state any incidents of abortion in the New Testament; however, abortion is seen as murder in the eyes of Christianity, so references to murder in the Bible can be referred to abortion as well. One of the Ten Commandments is “Do not kill”. The Commandments, being the word of God have to be strictly followed so killing is absolutely wrong; therefore abortion is absolutely wrong according to Christianity.

The Church says that human life begins when the woman's egg is fertilised by a male sperm. From that moment a unique life begins, independent of the life of the mother and father. The features that distinguish us from our parents, the colour of our eyes, the shape of our face, are all laid down in the genetic code that comes into existence then. Each new life that begins at this point is not a potential human being but a human being with potential. Therefore, the foetus has to be treated like a human being. As killing a human being is wrong, this supports the fact that abortion is wrong. Further more, The Church condemned abortion as early as the 2nd century CE; a document called the Didache, written in the 2nd century (some time after 100 CE.), states: "You shall not kill the embryo by abortion and shall not cause the newborn to perish".

Pope John Paul II took a very strong line on abortion, describing it as murder. In 1995, Pope John Paul II wrote a teaching letter to the whole Catholic Church called 'Evangelium Vitae' (The Gospel of Life). He stated the fundamental position of the Church:

“I confirm that the direct and voluntary killing of an innocent human being is always gravely immoral”. Pope John Paul II, Evangelium Vitae, 1995

In this he was directly referring to abortion, euthanasia and the destruction of human embryos in medical research. On abortion specifically the Pope wrote:

“I declare that direct abortion, that is, abortion willed as an end or as a means, always constitutes a grave moral disorder, since it is the deliberate killing of an innocent human being Pope John Paul II, Evangelium Vitae, 1995

However, not all Catholics believe in what the Pope says about abortion. The arguments put forward against the ban on abortion state that (1) the Church does not have a firm position on when the foetus becomes a person; (2) the Church has affirmed the right and the responsibility of each Catholic to follow his or her own conscience on moral matters, even when it conflicts with Church teaching.

(3) The Church has not declared that its teaching on sexual and reproductive issues is reliable. As in statement (1) there are no clear teachings on when the foetus has become a person. Catholics believe that at the moment of conception, the foetus has to be treated as a human being but there are no further comments on this matter so no firm position when the foetus becomes a person. As in statement (2) each Catholic is responsible for their actions and they should follow their conscience. If abortion seems to be the best option is it the right option to take even thought the Catholic Church strictly forbids it? As in statement (3) teachings on sexual and reproductive issues are not yet confirmed. So if these teachings are infallible than the best option maybe to follow ones conscience even though it maybe against the teachings of the Catholic Church.

Christian philosophers agree with the statement ‘abortion is wrong’. Christian writers such as Clement Alexander and Tertullian disputed whether early abortions were as morally grave as later abortions. However, they concluded that abortion was wrong and it was viewed as murder. David Smith invented four principles that broadly summarise the Christian absolute rejection of abortion;

God alone is Lord of life and death
Humans have no right to take life
Human life begins at conception
Abortion at any stage is murder

However, even though the Church is truly against abortion, contradictions can be seen in Christian countries where abortion does take place and is sometimes legal. For example, the Law in Britain has made abortion legal (Abortion Act in 1967). This law provides women with the possibility of making choices, giving them a potentially greater quality of life for themselves and their children. Catholic countries, even where abortion is illegal, have high levels of abortions: In Brazil, the estimated number of abortions ranges from 1 million to 2 million per year and in Peru, 5% of women of childbearing age have abortions each year, compared to 3% in the United States. 72% of Catholics in Australia say decisions about abortion should be left to individual women and their doctors. The figures show that not all Christians agree with the teachings of the Church.

The views of Christianity and Islam are absolutism. Absolutism looks at the nature of the act itself for example religious rules. It doesn’t take into account the end result of the action like teleological ethics do. Absolutists would therefore say that abortion is absolutely wrong as the act itself is murder.

Teleology’s point of view would look at the end result. In abortion the end result would be destroying the foetus; however, if the mother was aborting the child because she was a single mother and wouldn’t be able to afford the living costs of herself and the child, than this would be a better end result for the mother as she is going to have a better quality of life. If the mother’s life was in any danger where the foetus was posing a threat to the health or to the life of the mother than the mother would have to abort the child. A teleological point of view would look at the end result which would be saving the life of the mother.

A deontological point of view asses the value of the action itself, similar to absolutism. A deontological point of view would therefore disagree with an abortion taking place because the nature of the act itself is a sin as the foetus is being destroyed. For example if the mother was going to abort the child if she got raped, couldn’t afford the living costs for herself and the child, was a single mother or the child was going to be born disabled in any way, than the deontological point of view would disagree with the abortion as the nature of abortion is a sin. The only time abortion would be allowed in the view of a deontological person would be if the mother’s life was at risk where the mother would die if she never aborted. A deontological point of view is again very similar to the views of religions such as Islam and Christianity.

Evaluation and Conclusion

As discussed above both Islam and Christianity strongly disagree with abortion as it is seen as murder. Islam states that after 120 days the foetus has the right as an individual as the soul is put into it at this stage. If an abortion were to take place any time before this for a valid reason such as the mothers life were at risk, than it would be acceptable. As in Christianity, the commandment “Though shall not kill” condemns murder which can be used to say that abortion is wrong.

In both religions, abortion is seen as wrong in all circumstances such as wanting to abort due to quality of life, financial issues, not wanting a child or rape. However, the only times Islam and Christianity allow abortion is when the mothers life is in danger and the only solution is abortion. As the Quranic Shari’ah law concludes that the “lesser of the two evils” should be taken and if both lives are at stake than the mother should abort. Similarly in Christianity David Smith invented four principles that broadly summarise the Christian absolute rejection of abortion.

However, there have also been issues in the world where abortion seems to be the best option even though the foetus doesn’t pose a threat to the mother’s life. For example if a woman were to be raped and didn’t want the child than she would want to abort. However some scholars do not agree with abortion even if the women were raped. On the other hand some scholars state that abortion is permissible if it were to happen before 120 days of the pregnancy. It is a mixed view amongst Muslim scholars. Similarly in Christianity, contradictions can be seen in Christian countries where abortion does take place and is sometimes legal. For example 72% of Catholics in Australia say decisions about abortion should be left to individual women and their doctors.

Islam and Christianity have deontological points of view on abortion where the value of the action is assed. A deontological person would absolutely forbid abortion as the action itself is morally wrong as the foetus is being murdered. Therefore, both religions should not allow abortion to happen for any reason but the mother’s life being at risk.

However, one could argue that Christianity and Islam also have the view of situation ethics where the value of the action produces the most love filled result. If the mother wants to abort because she was raped or the baby was going to be disabled than surely the most love filled result would be to abort the child on the basis that the mother would be happier to do so.

Judith Jarvis wrote an article about abortion and compared it to a famous violinist. You found yourself one day with the violinist plugged into your back on a hospital bed; he was using the same vessels as you in order to survive for a certain period of time. There are two choices (1) Stay with the violinist for the rest of his recovery (2) disconnect with him and let him die. This scenario is similar to that in abortion as the choices are to continue with the pregnancy and give birth at the end of it or, to abort the child early on in the pregnancy. Judith Jarvis continues and relates the story with abortion and states that abortion is wrong. This again is yet another article that doesn’t agree with abortion. However, one could argue that in the article the violinist is an individual and so is the person that is plugged with the violinist. They both have equal rights. However, during pregnancy the mother has more rights to live than the foetus so one could argue that the child could be aborted.

Another school of thoughts may argue that the mother should decide on the abortion. She has more rights and it is her life that is going to change whether the abortion takes place or doesn’t. It is completely legal in the U.K. for an abortion to take place so the mother wouldn’t be wrong to have an abortion. The mother of the child mat only be young and it may have been an accident that she became pregnant; the best choice for her would be to abort as she is too young for a child, wouldn’t be financially fit to supply the child and the child may be a burden on her is she were to continue with the pregnancy. Leslie Cannold argues that the child can only be aborted depending on the reason why it is to be aborted.

I believe that abortion is wrong in all circumstances. Only if the mother’s life is at risk is the abortion to take place. It is immoral for the mother to abort the child for any reason other than this as it seen as murder in both Islam and Christianity. I believe that God created us to live life as a gift, not for it to be destroyed; therefore, He is the only one with the right to take it too. As it states in the Holy Quran:

Quran 4:29