The Roman Catholic Church feels strongly about abortion and prohibits it entirely. A woman between the ages of 16-25 may choose to have an abortion because of the lack of contraceptives and carelessness. Whereas, a woman between the ages of 35-45 may have an abortion due to medical, social, or economic reasons. The Church also opposes pre-marital sex and the use of contraceptives. It is believed that mankind cannot play the role of the creator by using contraceptives to prevent pro-creation and by having abortions to put an end to reproduction. It is believed that human life begins at the moment of conception. The Roman Catholic Church believes that the foetus develops the sense of hearing upon conception. It has human-like qualities and is dependent on its mother for basic survival. The Roman Catholic Church therefore believes that to abort a delicate and fragile human being that cannot survive without the interference of its mother is murder.
“What could ever be a sufficient reason for excusing in any way the direct murder of the innocent? This is precisely what we are dealing with here. Whether inflicted upon the mother or upon the child, it is against the precept of God and the law of nature" (Pope Pius)
However the Church of England holds the view that all human life is created by God and should not be nurtured, supported and protected. This principle applies to both the mother and the foetus therefore the Church recognises the need for a balance between compassion for the mother and responsibility for the life of the foetus.
Humanists believe that there is a clear point at which a foetus becomes a person.
The humanistic view says, "Man is the highest standard there is. You don't answer to anyone, so do whatever you want." (Bohlin.S)
Although many women choose to have an abortion because of circumstances they cannot control, many women have an abortion because they are not ready to accept the responsibility of raising a child. Deciding who has the legal right to make a decision pertaining to the child will take many years of conflict to resolve. Whoever does make the decision must take into account the mental and emotional consequences without the influence of any religion.
The anti-abortionists' strategy involves focusing solely on what happens to the foetus, which they eagerly describe in gruesome detail. Their professed compassion for the foetus apparently leaves no room for considering the woman's health and happiness. For them, waving a picture of a mangled foetus constitutes an argument. But if it does, then so does waving a picture of a woman whose future was ruined because she was denied an abortion or of a woman mangled by a back-alley abortion. A picture is not an argument and should not be allowed as a cover-up.
Pro-choice supporters see the fertilised egg as a potential life; this view is based on medical and scientific evidence that the foetus is not capable of independent life in the early stages of pregnancy.
“Pro Choice supporters believe that people should be allowed to make their own decisions about abortion according to their own moral beliefs” (Donnellan C: 11) Extreme pro-choice people believe that the baby is not a life until it is born while more moderate pro-choice proponents argue that the foetus is alive at the 20 to 24 week point, or point of "viability". Within the pro-choice group there are disagreements on when life actually begins and for this reason it is up to the individual to make that decision about her baby and her body. Pro-life people argue that from a purely medical perspective life begins when the foetus can survive outside the uterus or 24 weeks. Viability Pro-life people argue that because every person is a gift from God and life begins at conception. If you kill that life at any point after conception than you are committing murder. They believe that every person is created in God’s own image and is not the property or act of either parent, but a creation of God.
In the media at the moment a church curate won the right to challenge the late abortion of a foetus with a cleft palate. The High Court gave her permission to challenge the refusal of police to prosecute a doctor, who agreed to abort the baby because its mother did not want a child with deformity. The law states that in cases where a severe disability is detected in a foetus, the mother has the option to terminate well beyond the 24-week period.
“A cleft palate is not a serious handicap and the law should not allow abortions for trivial reasons.” (Jepson, Guardian Dec 2)
Other individuals believe that a foetus should be respected as potential human being and women are capable of making moral choices about whether or not an abortion is the right decision to make. Other views are that abortion is legal and a safe procedure and is likely to cause the women less harm than forcing her to have an unwanted child. Some people support abortion on pragmatic grounds believing that abortions will always be sought by women who are desperate and that it is better for society to provide abortion services which are safe and which can be monitored and regulated rather than allow back street abortions.
In conclusion than I have found that there is a lot more evidence supporting the arguments against the issue of abortion. I believe that it is the woman's right to decide if she wants to have a child or not. Some women who become pregnant are not mentally, physically, or financially stable enough to raise a child. If this is the case, I believe that a child should not be brought into the world because it will then have an unhealthy life style. If a woman becomes pregnant from rape or incest then it should be okay for her to have an abortion. For whatever reason, if a woman decides to have an abortion, then it should be her choice, no one else's. Abortion is safe. In fact, it has been proven that having an abortion is twice as safe as having your tonsils taken out, and eleven times safer than giving birth. Just because a woman decides to have an abortion, that does not make her a "bad" person. It simply states that she was not ready to have a child. I respect women who choose to have abortions because they are not only thinking of their lives, they are thinking about the child that would be involved. Having a child is a huge responsibility, and if you cannot handle that responsibility, then you should not bring a child into the world.
Bibliography
Donnellan, C (2000) The Abortion Issue Cambridge
Gardner, R.F.R (1972) Abortion The Personal Dilemma Oxford University Press
Horobin, G (1973) Experience with Abortion Cambridge University Press
Indriso, C (1999) Abortion in the developing world World Health Organisation
Marsh, D (1981) Abortion Politics Junction Books
McBride D & Githens, M (1996) Abortion Politics- Public Policy in cross cultural perspective Routledge
Smyth, A The Abortion Papers Attic Press
Allison, R Does a cleft palate justify an abortion? 02/12/2003 Metro
Hull S, Why people like me shouldn’t be aborted 02/12/2003 The Guardian Newspaper
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