Abortion is a controversial issue, and people often have very strong views. Some people with extremely strong and passionately held views form what are known as pressure groups. Pressure groups are organisations that try to persuade people to agree with their view on abortion. There are two poles of opinion, one is pro-life, this is against any abortion, and the other is pro-choice, which holds that the woman should have the right to choose what happens to her baby. The pressure groups organise campaigns for changes in the law by lobbying politicians, holding demonstrations and taking other direct action.
One pro-life organisation is SPUC; the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children. Even the name of this organisation tells us about their beliefs; using the words ‘unborn children’ in the name and not ‘unborn foetus’. This organisation was founded in 1967 at the same time the Abortion Act was passed. Its main belief is "to uphold that human life ought not to be taken except in cases of urgent necessity". Pro-life campaigner Victoria Gillick said in 1990 “There will always be unplanned pregnancies. And there are many women and young girls who’ve gone ahead and had babies and found it wasn’t the end of the world. A baby is not the end of life but the beginning.”
One main pro-choice pressure group is the ALRA; the Abortion Law Reform Association. It was founded in 1936 and was the main pressure group behind the 1967 Act. It exists to support "a woman’s right to choose whether or not to continue with a pregnancy and campaigns for further liberalisation of the law and improved NHS facilities". Writer L Kalland says, “Are we sure, on biblical grounds, that it is always the just and loving thing to bring into this demanding world a badly deformed, perhaps even mentally incomplete individual? While the scriptures establish the sanctity of life, the stress of the scripture is on the quality of life.”
The father of the foetus to be aborted has no rights to influence the decision over the abortion. This was decided in 1987 when the courts refused an Oxford students application to prevent his girlfriend terminating the child they had conceived.
Explain what Christian teachings might be used in a discussion about abortion.
In this section I will look at the Christian teachings that could be used in a discussion about abortion. I will look at some biblical teachings and some non-biblical teachings.
Christians use the Bible as a source of teachings although different branches of the Church place different emphasis on the words and interpretations, it. The Bible contains the words and teachings of Jesus. Liberals would not expect the Bible to have every answer contained within it – they believe the Bible reveals aspects of God that we must modify and apply to their own situation. Evangelicals place a much more literal emphasis on the Bible and take it as their starting point on any issue.
One of the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20:18 is “Thou shalt not kill”. This illustrates that it would be a sin to kill any living creature. When talking about abortion the foetus is actually alive so in Christian terms it would definitely be a sin to kill a foetus in an abortion.
Jeremiah 1:5 says, “I chose you before I gave you life, and before you were born I selected you to be a prophet to the nations.” This may be used to show that even if a child is still in the womb it is recognised by God. Christians could relate this to a discussion about abortion by the understanding that if God recognises an unborn child in the womb why don’t we? Surely God knows what is human and what is not.
Genesis 1:26 says “So God created human beings, making them to be like himself. He created them male and female”. Although this verse does not relate directly to abortion, most Christians believe that the image of God is sacred and that anything made in the image of God is sacred, so this means that human life and human beings are sacred because they are made in the image of God. Christians might relate this to abortion by saying that it would be a sin to destroy something made in God’s likeness therefore to destroy an unborn child would be a sin.
In the New Testament 1 Corinthians 3:16,17 states “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person. For God’s temple is holy and you are that temple.” This also equates a human being with God’s likeness and is a further indication that it would be a sin to destroy an unborn child.
Christianity contains many different denominations and, as these denominations can hold differing views on abortion, I will select two of those denominations to examine some non-biblical teachings.
The first denomination I will look at is the Roman Catholic Church. The Roman Catholic Church (R.C) teaches that abortion is a sin in all circumstances. Catholic theology says that life begins from the moment of conception; from this moment any life is sacred and everybody should try and protect it. The Churches teachings are explained more fully in the Declaration on Procured Abortion (1974).
The Declaration re-stated the traditional teaching of the Church and pointed out as well that everybody (not just Christians) should have proper respect for human life and human rights. It also said that the movement for women’s rights is a good thing when it frees women from injustice, but it cannot be an excuse for abortion, which denies to another person the fundamental right to life. Finally, it explained that although abortion was the killing of an unborn child, the reasons people ask for abortions are sometimes very serious: they are the product of many ‘sorrows and miseries’. The Declaration said that ‘Every man and woman with feeling, and certainly every Christian, must be ready to do whatever he can do to remedy them’.
The R.C Church holds very strong anti-abortion views and regards the sanctity of life as extremely important. Pope Paul VI said, “Human life is sacred. All men must recognise that fact.” (Humanae vitae, 1968). Mother Teresa, a Catholic nun, said “If you do make a mistake don’t destroy the life … because also to that child God says, ‘I have called you by your name, I have carved you in the palm of my hand: you are mine’.”
The second denomination I will consider is the Church of England (C of E). The Church of England has a slightly more lenient view on abortion. Although it still says that ‘the foetus is to be specially respected and protected’, it goes on to say, ‘nonetheless the life of the foetus is not absolutely sacrosanct if it endangers the life of the mother’. This means that if carrying on the pregnancy would risk the life of the mother then the Church of England would allow an abortion to take place.
The General Synod stated that “We affirm that every human life… is unique…. And that this holds for each of us born or yet to be born. We therefore believe that abortion is an evil…. And that abortion on demand would be a very great evil. But we also believe that to withhold compassion is evil and in circumstances of extreme success or need, a very great evil. Christians need to face frankly the fact that in an imperfect world the ‘right’ choice is sometimes the acceptance of the lesser of two evils
