Christian Attitudes to Abortion
For Christians there are many sources of authority; leaders of the church, religious teachers, and even their own conscience. The main source however is the Bible; it helps guide Christians, and affects their attitude towards everyday life.
Abortion, the act of terminating the life of a foetus (unborn child) before it has had a chance to live, was legalised in England in 1967 (The Abortion Act), however many Christians are still undecided on whether the act is morally correct.
The early Christians regarded fertility as one of Gods greatest blessings, and the idea of abortion was totally alien to them. The word abortion is not directly mentioned in the Bible,
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The Bible teaches Christians about the lesser of two evils, the acceptance of an imperfect world. It is sometimes better to have an abortion, than to have an unfit mother and an unhappy child.
The Bible also teaches Christians the greatest commandment: `Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: `Love your neighbour as yourself.' If you wouldn’t want to be brought up in the only circumstances you can provide, then you shouldn’t expect someone else to be brought up in them. You should be able to treat your child, as you would want to be treated.
Christians who argue against abortion have been taught that life begins at conception: ‘You knit me together in my mother’s womb…my frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place…your eyes saw my unformed body’ (Psalm 139:13-16). This quote suggests that God created humans, so they should be allowed to grow up the way he wanted. Christians use a number of verses that seem to teach how God knows each and every one of us and plans out the life of us before we are born.
The Bible also contains the Ten Commandments; the sixth being ‘thou shall not kill’ self-explanatory
One of the most controversial topics over the years, and still today, is abortion. Is abortion murder or not? When does a fetus become a human? There are no answers to these questions. Everyone individual has their own beliefs on whether or not abortion is justifiable. Abortions have been performed throughout many of centuries. Recently, there has been a number of court cases that has changed the legality of abortions, especially in the United States, for example Roe v. Wade. Even religions have changed their views on abortions over the course of the years. In the abortions wars there are two parties, pro-life and pro-choice. Pro-life believes that abortion is murder and is completely immoral. Pro-choice,
When touching the subject of abortion, one must consider that there are two sides battling for control. That is right, abortion has literally turned into a war zone where even the unlikely of individuals do the unthinkable. Each side has their motives and methods for contradicting the other. For instance, there are cases and events that support both sides of this issue.
Abortion’s legalization through Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade, has allowed for one in three pregnancies to end in abortion. This means that 1.5 million abortions are performed in the United States each year (Flanders 3). It ranks among the most complex and controversial issues, arousing heated legal, political, and ethical debates. The modern debate over abortion is a conflict of competing moral ideas and of fundamental human rights: to life, to privacy, to control over one's own body. Trying to come to a compromise has proven that it one cannot please all of the people on each side of the debate.
it is seen as a new life. Therefore, it would be true to say that
Abortion has been an issue of heated debate in the United States for numerous years. Legislation has ruled it legal to perform an abortion on any gestational age of an embryo or fetus. Some people agree with the law and consider themselves pro-choice. Others are completely against abortion and are pro-life. In addition to these two groups is another group who support abortion in the first half of pregnancy, but believe abortion should be banned for the second half.
I specify Christians because I am not familiar with the rights or wrongs of abortions in other religions. Christians use the bible for teaching and reproof. The bible is not confusing when it comes to this issue. In the new world translation of the bible the psalmist states “Your eyes saw even the embryo of me.” (Psalm 139:16) There are several instances where God has condemned the murder of an unborn child. In Exodus 21: 22-23 22 there is an illustration and condemnation of evens that cause the accidental harm of a pregnant woman. It states “If men should struggle with each other and they hurt a pregnant woman and she gives birth prematurely but no fatality results, the offender must pay the damages imposed on him by the husband of the woman; and he must pay it through the judges. 23 But if a fatality does occur, then you must give life for life, God stated that a person would be called to account for injuring an unborn child. So, in his eyes, killing an unborn child is murder. (Ex. 21:22,
Abortion is one of the most personal, widely discussed, and controversial topics in American culture today. In most cases, people on both sides of the argument take worthy and moral positions. Who can blame someone who wishes to prevent the termination of a teen pregnancy to save the life of an unborn child? On the other hand, who can blame anyone who advocates the soon-to-be mother's right to make such a personal, heartbreaking choice? No matter what she chooses to do, should anyone have the legal right to force her to bear an unwanted child? Most people in the US are pro-choice, and believe that abortion should be a legal, confidential decision that only a woman can make for herself. However, some are against the idea of
Abortion is the voluntary act taken by a woman to terminate a pregnancy. It results in the death of a fetus or embryo. Pro-Choice groups advocate freedom of choice and often use scientific examples and facts to support their argument. The contrasting view to the Pro-Choices is that of the Pro-Life or ‘Right to life’ group. They believe that all life is sacred and to kill any form of human life is immoral. There is also a moderator between the two, they hold the view that only in certain cases is it acceptable, for example rape.
Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy. Since 1973 abortion has been an important controversial issue within the United States. 1973 marks the year that the famous Rowe versus Wade case was decided before the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court ruled that abortion be legal and available to all women. Legal abortions can be performed up until the sixteenth week of pregnancy, after sixteen weeks most doctors or clinics will not perform the procedure unless keeping the baby presents a medical risk to the mother. Even in these situations abortions are very risky after sixteen weeks.
The father of the foetus to be aborted has no right to be consulted or
Yet, it is your duty to look after your baby. As Kant suggests, if you
The controversy within the biomedical ethics topic, abortion, has two main proponents. The first is the view against abortion, also known as pro-life. The other view is rooted upon the belief of being pro-choice, or basically for abortions. These two different views are like two mathematical principles, in that although these two views have many differences, they also have larger similarities in the background. For example, when pro-choice activists support abortions due to unwanted pregnancies, the activists are not rallying behind the idea of sexual incompetency (pregnancies due to lack of birth control). Rather, they are supporting the idea that women have the right to choose what to do with their own bodies. In order to understand
Abortion is a serious topic that people have been debating about for years. Everywhere you turn the topic of abortion presents itself, on TV, in the newspapers, in books and magazines. It already has, and will continue to cause, controversy for years to come. As long as abortion remains legal, pro-life advocates will continue to protest what they believe to be these horrible acts of murder.
One of the toughest issues to debate in our world today is abortion. Abortion is the induced termination of pregnancy before the fetus can survive. Nowadays, abortion affects all people, not just the mother and the baby. There are moral, ethical, health-related, political, and religious aspects that affect how people feel towards abortion. By looking at religion and its views, one can see just how hard it would be to argue in the pro-choice position of this debate.
or not to have the child she is carrying. The Bible does not say much