Abortion

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Key Arguments

Part A

Identification of key issues (Moral status of the unborn child, the rights issue)

Attitudes to ensoulment and the personhood debate

The debate of rights (Who's rights are more important?)

The various circumstances of abortion and the opinions of them (Eugenic, social, ethical therapeutic etc.)

The doctrine of double effect and its effect on the abortion debate for Christians

Sanctity of life

Secular and utilitarian views (Peter singer; Chicken and egg)

Feminist Views (Judith Jarvis Thompson; Famous violinist)

Abortion on demand debate and the effect of the 1967 abortion act including abortion being used as a form of contraception

"Thou shall not kill"

The views by a situation ethicist

Part B

Savita Halappanavar and Sarah Ewart and their effect on the NI and ROI legislation

Is abortion a lesser evil?

challenging religious principles to protect women and the value of human life

Foetal Abnormality is grounds for abortion as that can have serious implications on the mental heath of the Mother as she will carry out the pregnancy only to lose her baby, in certain cases, moments after

However there are alternatives to abortion such as adoption

There are also services such as care for life to make a place of comfort to women facing an unwanted pregnancy

Since the 1930's over 20000 registered adoption have been recorded. To use situation ethics, adoption can be the most loving course of action as it creates great love for the baby and its new adopted parents

Many Christian Believe that abortion is just as bad as infanticide.

Scholar Views

Ensoulment: Vardy and Grosch comment: Aquinas maintained that if you hit a pregnant woman and she aborted then you had not committed murder if the foetus was earlier than 90 or 40 days"

Thomsons theory of the violinist: Singer comments " A woman pregnant through rape finds herself, through no choice of her own, linked to a foetus in much the same way as the person is linked to the violinist"

Sanctity of Life: Singer comments: if the choice was between the sanctity of life ethic and the quality of life ethic, the decision has been made unequivocally in favour of the latter