Dilation and evacuation involves using a pair of forceps to grab the foetus. The foetus is twisted until its body is completely dismembered. It is then removed.
Not all methods of abortion are surgical. There are also many chemical methods which can be used. Abortion pills or “contagestives are also popular. These pills usually inhibit the action of a vital hormone and result in a miscarriage. The morning after pill is seen by many to be a method of abortion, because it can result in the death of a developing embryo.
Historically abortion has been a very delicate problem. It was a very serious crime. Often punishable by death and back then, “back-street” abortions were very popular. They are very risky as they are often carried out by people with no training, who use dangerous methods, such as injecting dangerous substances into the womb or inserting objects intended to dislodge the foetus. These abortions are often performed in unhygienic conditions and are performed in great secrecy. These abortions can be very harmful to the woman involved. This type of abortion is illegal.
In 1967 the abortion act was passed. This stated that the point of viability was to be recognised as twenty eight weeks and that three doctors had to agree that it was necessary before an abortion could be performed. In 1990 the act was revised. The biggest change was that the point of viability was changed to twenty four weeks.
An abortion is, of course medically understood as a surgical procedure, but it can be a distressing thing for an abortionist and the staff involved.
There are many moral view points concerning abortion. Many see it as murder and people’s opinions bout when life begins differ greatly.
There are many interpretations of what abortion means. Attitudes, law and methods of abortion have changed greatly over time and abortion is a sensitive issue for many people.
(ii) There are many biblical teachings that a Christian could use in a discussion about abortion. One example is exodus 20v13: “You shall not murder.” Many see abortion as murder. And clearly this goes against God. This is one of the Ten Commandments. They are the 10 fundamental rules by which a Christian is supposed to live their life and they believe that going against them is a very serious sin.
Another teaching is Job 1v21: "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised." This suggests that human life is a gift from God and that it is therefore very holy. This suggests that it is up to God to give and take life and that we should not interfere. Abortion therefore goes against the idea that God is the only one who can give and take life.
Psalm 139v13-16 states: “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” This is important because it suggests that God has a plan for us all and our lives are already set out for us before we are born. A Christian may use this to say that it is not right for us to interfere with God’s plan by aborting foetuses.
Genesis 1v26-27 says: “Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground." So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” This means that we were created by God to be like him. We are more like God than any other creatures and it is our job to rule over all other creatures. This means that we are sacred and that we are important to God. Abortion destroys something with the potential of developing into a sacred creature which has the likeness of God. Christians believe this is wrong.
Another biblical teaching is that of Jeremiah 1v5: "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." This supports the idea that God sets out our lives for us and that if we interfere we are potentially going against the plans of God.
One biblical teaching which is very important is, 1 Corinthians 3v16-17: “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him; for God's temple is sacred, and you are that temple.” This quote could be interpreted to mean that our bodies are all holy and important in the eyes of God. We should not, therefore destroy it by aborting human beings.
All churches treat abortion as a very important matter. The Roman Catholic Church teaches that the foetus is human and that life begins at the moment of conception, when the egg meets the sperm. The teaching is that life is a gift from God and this should be respected. Roman Catholics believe that it is wrong for a foetus to be blamed for someone else’s mistakes or crimes. For example, Even if the child is a result of rape, it is not its fault. Roman Catholics believe that abortion should not be used as last minute birth control, which is how many see it. The Roman Catholic beliefs about abortion are clear in many documents such as “the didache”. In chapter two, a quote can be found: “you shall not murder a child by abortion nor kill that which is born”. There are many other important documents including, “humanae vitae” and the “declaration on procured abortion” of 1974. Roman Catholics believe that abortion is “against the voice of nature and the commandment of God”.
The Church of England is also against abortion, but they do accept that there are certain serious circumstances in which abortion may be the most loving thing to do. These circumstances are when there is a risk to the mother, or if the child will suffer a disability, or if the child is a result of rape. The church believes that all alternatives should be considered before a decision is taken to have an abortion. They want to promote educational programmes, which teach children about contraception.
The Methodist Church had a conference in 1976. Their teachings about abortion are very similar to those of the Church of England. They believe that abortion should always be avoided, if possible. They believe in offering help to the mother during her pregnancy and they believe in putting children who will not have a comfortable home into adoption.
As you can see, Christianity sees abortion as a very serious issue. Although the bible actually makes no specific reference to abortion, there are plenty of passages in the bible which can apply to the topic. The churches all have different opinions and attitudes towards abortion, but all of them believe that it is not good and should be avoided.
