Abortion

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Abortion-

Keywords-

·

Abortion- Deliberate

termination of pregnancy by removal and destruction of the foetus

·

Embryo- A fetus before it is 4

months old

·

Viable- Having reached such a

stage of development as to be capable of living under normal conditions

·

Pro- life- All life is sacred,

under Christian views

·

Pro- Choice- Group that believe

all women should have a choice about their baby

·

In- Vitro- Fertilisation-

Fertilise egg outside womb and then inject it into host

·

Abortifacient- A drug or device

that causes an abortion

·

Conception- The start of a

pregnancy

·

Ectopic Pregnancy- When the

fertilized egg implants in the fallopian tube instead of the womb

·

Miscarriage- Unintentional end

of a pregnancy

·

Doctrine of Double Effect-

Lesser of two evils

Quotes-

‘We… believe that abortion is an evil… but

we also believe to withdraw compassion is evil… in an imperfect world the right

choice is sometimes the lesser of two evils’- Church of England

‘Human life must be protected and respected

absolutely from the moment of conception’- Roman Catholic

‘Before I formed you, I knew you; before

you were born, I set you apart’- Jeremiah (1:5)

‘In the light of our conviction that the

foetus has the right to live and develop as a member of the human family, we

see abortion, in the termination of that life by the act as a man, as a great

moral evil’ – Church of England (1980)

‘The life of the foetus is not absolutely

sacrosanct if it endangers the life of the mother’- Church of England (1984)

‘Formal cooperation in an abortion

constitutes a grave moral offence’- Catechism 2272

‘God has created us in his image’- Genesis

(1:26)

‘You shall not murder’- Exodus 20

Pro-

Choice-

·

Life is a gift from God

·

You may be killing on Albert

Einstein, so you don’t know the future of the child

·

Murder is a sin

·

Don’t know the long term

effects

·

Instead of abortion consider

adoption

·

Abortion being easy symbolizes

it as contraception

·

A handicapped child may enjoy a

fulfilled and joyous life

Pro-

Choice-

·

My body, my choice

·

Too young

·

Rape

·

Adoption may cause heartbreak

·

Not a life until born

·

World is already overpopulated

·

9 months may be too long to do

something you don’t want

Views

on Abortion-

Roman Catholic

Anglican Church

Baptist Church

Salvation Army

Never acceptable but to save the mother’s life as she

already has a family that relies on her and responsibilities

Generally opposed to abortion, although it may be justified in some cases for example rape

Only allow abortion if pregnancy causes threat to

mother or women fell pregnant due to rape

Life is sacred from moment of conception

Teaches foetus is a human being from conception

Believes that alternatives to abortion such as

adoption should be considered

Allowed up to 40 days for male and 90 days for

female. As it was believed this was the time the baby got their soul

(ensoulment)

Only accepts abortion if mothers life is in danger,

women got pregnant through rape or if there were severe abnormalities with

the baby

Great Moral Evil

Great Moral Evil

Follows

British Law

Seen as murder ‘Do not murder’

Questions

on Abortion-

‘Abortion is wrong’

Agree

Maybe-

Disagree

Roman Catholics- Great Moral Evil

‘Human life must be protected

and respected absolutely from the moment of conception’

Church of England- Alternatives should be considered

‘We… believe that abortion is

an evil’

Atheists- May believe pro- life or pro- choice but

it all boils down to their personal choice as they do not believe religion

should dictate you as there is not God so in the end you should do what you

feel is right.

Quakers- Kindest and most loving action ‘Quakers don't have a united

view on abortion but regard it as a matter of individual conscience.

Philosophically there is no Quaker doctrine of when a person becomes a

person.’

British Law- Only up to 24 weeks however if there

are severe fetal abnormalities or the mother’s life is in danger

Salvation Army- They believe life is sacred from

moment of conception

Church of England- Mother’s life is in danger,

pregnant due to rape or fetal abnormalities

‘life of the fetus is not absolutely

sacrosanct if it endangers the life of the mother’

‘Every unborn child has the right to live’

Agree-

Roman Catholics- the fetus is a full human

being from conception and therefore taking the life of a fetus is much the same

as taking the life of an adult. Life is sacred and God given so humans should

not take it and have no right to do so. The rights of the unborn have to be

preserved.

Disagree-

For others, the fetus is only considered to

be fully human when it can survive outside the womb. Only at that point does it

have the same rights as people outside the womb. Before that it can be killed

without it being considered murder although it is a serious matter and should

not be taken lightly. Many Christians take the view that if a fetus endangers

the life of the mother who has other children to look after, taking the life of

the fetus could be necessary and justifiable. This could also be the case if

the fetus is disabled or has a serious disease already which will affect its

life outside the womb. Other people would take the view that even if there are

no other children; the rights of the mother take precedence over the unborn

child as she has the potential to have other children.