Faced with the issues of abortion and euthanasia, explain how a Christian might respond.
. FACED WITH THE ISSUES OF ABORTION AND EUTHANASIA, EXPLAIN HOW A CHRISTIAN MIGHT RESPOND
Most Christians would respond very negatively when faced with the issue of abortion. Most Christians believe in the commandment “Thou shall not kill” and as they believe that God is the creator of all human life, they believe that only God can take life. In the Bible Jeremiah shows how God has mapped out our lives:
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”
As God may have plans for this infant, he should not be destroyed as a foetus. The Roman Catholic Church believes that life begins at the moment of conception and that everyone has the right to life. A foetus is a person and abortion destroys its right to life and is therefore wrong.
Other Christians like Anglicans believe that abortion may be permitted in certain circumstances if it is the lesser of two evils and so it is discouraged but not completely banned. Some Christians see abortion as acceptable if a woman becomes pregnant as a result of being raped. Carrying the baby, giving birth and rearing the baby could be constant reminders of the trauma the mother had been through and so abortion could be seen as the lesser of two evils. Another similar circumstance could be if the foetus is deformed or severely handicapped. Some Christians could justify the abortion on the grounds that it is unfair to bring a severely handicapped infant into life if its quality of life is going to be very poor. However other Christians argue that no-one knows the potential of this foetus irrespective of the medical opinion regarding the handicap. At any rate most Christians feel a responsibility to help look after the less fortunate in society rather than get rid of them.