“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you came to birth I consecrated you.” (Jeremiah 1:5)
“We have been created by almighty God in his own image and likeness, no pregnancy is unplanned because no baby can be conceived unless almighty God intends conception and has willed that particular unique and completely individual new person into existence. What has actually happened in our society is that clever arguments has convinced those with no anchor of belief in God to cling to; that merciless slaughter of unborn babies is morally justifiable and even essential for the happiness of the individual and the good of society.” (Catholic Truth Society)
“Human life must be respected and indeed protected from the moment of conception. From the first moment of his existence, a human being must be recognised as having the rights of a person. Abortion and infanticide are abominable crimes and cannot be allowed. The law must provide appropriate penal sanctions for every deliberate violation of the child’s rights.”
(Catechism of the Catholic Church (2270- 71, 2273))
A baby or a person is brought into the world as soon as fertilisation takes place, and since all human life should be protected by the law, from conception to natural death, I believe that the destruction of unborn life is always wrong.
“Death is an event in life, not the end of life.” (Genesis 1:27)
“God made man in his own image, human life is a gift from God. It is soured and has dignity.”
“Jesus in the New Testament heals the sick and dying.”
“God gave man’ dominion over every living thing, humans have a responsibility to use Gods gifts to the full.” (Genesis 1:28)
Euthanasia means the gentle and easy death; the bringing about of this especially in cases of inerrable and painful disease. This totally excludes abortion from the Christian beliefs and way of life. As Christians we are brought up to care for one another. We are also thought that to kill some one is a sin and that we must be punished for it. No person should be allowed to decide whether a person gets a chance to live or whether a person should have their life taken away from them, by ending their life. Euthanasia ends the life of a person, by the help or aid of another person. Human life must be respected from the womb to the tomb, we as humans do not have the right to take a persons life into our own hand and do Gods work. God decides when a person should be brought into the world and when a person should leave the world.
Skill AO2) Faced with the issues you have chosen, explain the different ways Christians might respond.
Some Christians believe that abortion is acceptable if a woman becomes pregnant as a result of a rape. In such a circumstance, it would not be right to expect her to continue with the pregnancy if she did not want to. Giving birth and brining up a child of a man who had violated her. She would be living with a constant reminder of the trauma she had gone through. Of course the mother could have the child adopted and save the child’s life, but the emotional strain of carrying and bearing a child conceived through rape and then giving it up, is probably greater than the strain of having an abortion. Abortion in this case could be said to be the lesser of two evils.
In some cases the parents of the child know through the use of technology today that their child that is to be born may be severely handicapped and suffer from some incurable diseases. It could be argued that it is cruel and definitely not ‘loving one’s neighbour’ to allow a badly handicapped child to be born when it could be avoided. The quality of life for the child could be so affected to make life almost unbearable. The parents lives in turn would also be disrupted and prevent them from living a full life themselves. So for this reason, if a child is severely handicapped, the parents should be allowed to chose whether they want an abortion or not.
Abortion is an act of responsibility in that it gives people the right to choose. Every child has the right to be a wanted child. Abortion saves thousands of children from being unwanted, and saves society from many problems.
As a Catholic I am opposed to abortion and euthanasia. There are a number of reasons why many Christians are generally opposed to abortion. For Christians abortion involves their basic belief about God being the creator of human life. They believe that nobody has the right to destroy what God has created. Several times in the Bible it is implied that God values human life greatly. In Genesis we are told that God created us in his own image, in Luke’s Gospel, that God has even counted the hairs on our head, and in 1 Corinthians our bodies are the temple of God.
There is also the commandment ‘Thou shall not kill’ (do not commit murder). Many Christians believe that human life begins at the moment of conception, and therefore the abortion is murder. In Psalm 139,the Psalmist affirms that God has created every part of a person and that this part of creation takes place in the womb. A foetus is a unique individual life. It is true that the foetus is dependent on the mother for protection and food, but so too is a newborn baby. It is morally wrong to kill a young child who is still dependant on the mother, so it is equally wrong to kill that life in the womb.
People with the most awful handicaps can lead happy, creative and fulfilled lives. So abortion is the discrimination against the weak if they are not given the chance of a life. God is presented in the Bible as being concerned for the weak and defenceless. The concern is shown in the many miracles he preformed. He healed those with a mental of physical weakness. The abortion act of 1967 regards the foetus as having no right to life before twenty-eight weeks. The foetus has a heartbeat, a nervous system, yet the law allows it to be torn apart. Which ever method is used Christians argue that during abortion agonising pain is experienced by the embryo.
Christians are divided over the issue of abortion because there are good points for both sides of the argument. It is not simply one is clearly right, while the other opinion is clearly wrong. Sometimes it is said that abortion is the lesser of two evils. When weighing up the evidence and reasons, one Christian may judge things differently from another Christian.
One circumstance, which may justify euthanasia, is when a person is dying and is in great pain. Why should anyone be forced to endure the appalling agony of the terminal stages of a disease such as cancer? There would seem to be no good reason to prolong the persons suffering and force them to undergo a painful death. It would seem right to let that person dies when he/she wants to, painlessly and with dignity. It would also be easier for the family and friends of that person to not have to watch them suffer and slowly deteriorate. If the person cannot bare life anymore then he/she should not be denied of what they want. After life’s value lies in its quality not its length.
Skill AO3) “What Christians believe about life is up to them. They should nit try to make others accept their position.” Do you agree? Give reasons for your answer, showing that you have considered more than one point of view.
No, I disagree with the statement, that Christians should not try to make others accept their position.
I believe that all forms of ending life and ending other people’s lives is always wrong, because all are making decisions of life and death which are exclusively God’s. So in this respect, I would disagree with the statement. As a Christian I am brought up to believe that life is a precious gift from God, and that it should be respected and protected from the womb to the tomb. God has planned out our life, only he knows when we will die and we should not change his plans. The fifth commandment says you shall not kill, this is our guide, and it leads us to respect all forms of life at every stage of existence. I must show respect and dignity, as we try to preserve life and not take it.
When people perform an abortion they are actually taking the life of someone. The baby in the womb has no voice, as a Christian I have to speak out for the decorum and well-being of this unique individual when it is under threat. Every living organism deserves their own right to live in the kingdom of God, just as God wants them to, so we have no right of denying any person of a life. If the child is unwanted, there are many other options to deal with the problem. Adoption is one of them, this way the child can still live. Life is a gift from God this gift should not be abused or misused. The Bible contains many references to God’s love for his people.
Another reason for euthanasia is if the person is living like a ‘vegetable’, rather than living like a human being. They could be so badly brain damaged, or is a coma, which they are unlikely to come out off and is unlikely to end only in the case of death. If that person cannot contribute anything to society or the family and the family agree, they should be able to end the suffering. Euthanasia can quickly end a patients suffering, and every person has the right to decide how they should die.
As a Catholic I am opposed to euthanasia. One reason why many Christians oppose it is because they believe that life is a gift from God, and nobody has the right but him to decide when that life should be terminated or ended. One of God’s commandments is ‘Thou shall not kill’. Euthanasia devalues the preciousness of life and makes it disposable. Voluntary euthanasia could in time turn to compulsory euthanasia as it did in Nazi Germany. It could be the first step to a slippery slope.
Doctors are carers not killers. Under the Hippocratic Oath, doctors must try to preserve life, not terminate it. If euthanasia becomes more frequent, relationships and trust between doctor and patient could be gone.
A person may request euthanasia when they are mentally unstable and not knowing what they are doing. They might want to die to end others suffering, when really they themselves want to live on. Many people recover after being “written off” by doctors. Miracles still happen and people recover from illness and accidents against all expectations.
The sick or dying should not have their death forced upon them. A stand against abortion and euthanasia is a stand for humanity. Abortion and euthanasia should not be seen as relieving governments and local authorities from their responsibilities nor should they be seen as a solution to societies problem. Only the person who owns the life should decide what should happen and what they want from their own life. As a Christian I have a duty to respect innocent life before birth and during all the stages of life.
God made a world of people who are to love and care and treat each other with respect. He doesn’t expect us to destroy the world, or one another. But sometimes this may be very difficult to follow. Pope John Paul the ii said in his first enaydical, Redemptor Haminis, that when the day of judgement comes the lord will confront those who without justice, mercy or repentance kill the innocent of society be they young or old. He will also address those who have tried but failed to save lives and to them he will say, “In as much as you defended the least of these you defended me.”
Some people believe in abortion or euthanasia. They see it as the best way sometimes to ease the suffering of the person and that persons family, and think of it as the best and only way.
As Christians we need to be informed about the issues of abortion and euthanasia making informed choices while showing sympathy, understanding and not condemning or being judgemental. The unborn has no voice, the old and sick are vulnerable, I must speak for them. As a Christian I have a duty of care to the young and old.
