Perhaps the easiest reason to understand is if the child will be born with some sort of crippling disease or condition, which means it will live a hard life, which is perhaps not worth living. In cases like this abortion can be seen to be the most loving thing to do for the child.
It is possible to argue that abortion is not murder and therefore is justified. Many say that in the early stages of development a foetus is not a human. It is not recognisable as a human, and therefore isn’t human.
It is very important when considering the justification of abortion, that we take into account the effects it can have on the mother, as well as the unborn child. Often, the pregnant woman has a very successful career and it is very inconvenient for her to have a baby. You could argue the same thing for a school girl who needs to study and probably isn’t ready for the hardships of motherhood anyway. Also, a woman who already has enough children may not want another as it would perhaps harm her health physically, or mentally.
Another possible justification is that the baby may not be born into a comfortable household. It may not be provided with the everyday things which it requires and it may be neglected and unwanted by its parents.
Many women do not want to lose nine months of their lives. Being pregnant can limit what a woman can and can’t do and pregnancy can harm a woman mentally and physically. Also, many women are not too keen on childbirth, which can be a very traumatic and painful experience and can result in death. You could argue that a woman does not have to go through this and should have an abortion.
Sometimes a woman is mad e pregnant as the result of rape. It is unfair for a woman to have to go through her life with a constant reminder of the horrific crime. The child may resemble the rapist and this could make the woman resent or mistreat the child. This is a situation in which abortion may be seriously considered to be justified
The Church of England believes that all possible alternatives should be thoroughly considered before abortion is justified. They are not supporters of abortion but are of the belief that sometimes it is the best thing to do. They believe also that is better to perform an abortion in the early stages of pregnancy before the foetus ahs developed to a point where it is clearly recognisable as a human being.
There are of course many arguments that support the idea tat abortion can never be justified. The main reason, quite obviously, is that it is murder. Not only is it murder, but it is the murder of an innocent human being that has done absolutely nothing wrong to anyone.
One thing which is a big influence on Christians is the life of Jesus Christ. He spent his life helping and defending the helpless, the defenceless and the unwanted people. Jesus’ life is of course considered by Christians to be an inspiring one, so surely Christians should try their best to do the same thing and protect the helpless. Unborn foetuses are helpless and Christians therefore may see abortion as going against their beliefs.
There are, of course, many other arguments, which Christians could use, such as God made us, more than any other creature, in his image. We are sacred and abortion is therefore seen to be willingly going against the will of God.
As I stated earlier, the Roman Catholic Church is completely against abortion even when the circumstances are bad. For example, if a woman is made pregnant as a result of rape, a Roman Catholic may see this to be something good which has come out of the situation. It is a gift from God.
The leader of the Roman Catholic Church is of course, the pope. The pope is an inspirational figure for many people, all over the world. He is against abortion and many consider him to be a representative of God on Earth. This means that many people live by his advice and therefore believe that God is against abortion and that it is never justified.
Also, abortion can create serious problems for the mother. During an abortion the mother may be harmed, and the mother will very possibly feel guilty about the procedure after it has occurred. This can lead onto more serious problems, such as depression. Having an abortion can also harm a woman’s chances of having a successful pregnancy in the future. An abortion can leave a woman infertile and could lead to miscarriages in the future.
Most abortions take place simply because the child would be an inconvenience. This is very unfair on the unborn child, which has as much as a right to life as any other human being. Abortion is not justifiable in this way.
You could also argue against aborting disabled children. Who are we to say whether a handicapped life is not worth living? Just because someone is born disabled, does not necessarily mean that they wish to die.
Abortion is not the only way to avoid having to bring up an unwanted child. There are many couples in the world who are infertile and would love to have children. Instead of aborting a child, there is the option of putting it up for abortion and sending it to a loving home.
Abortion is potentially a big problem for modern society. Many argue that if we come to accept killing babies that are totally innocent, then there is nothing to stop us from disrespecting other people in society.
I personally believe that abortion is a very hard thing to justify. As you can see there are many arguments which suggest that abortion can be justified, but there are also plenty which suggest that it cannot be justified. This goes to show how controversial this issue is. There are so many people with differing views and ultimately this issue will continue to be controversial for a very long time to come for Christians and other people as well.
