Abortion

People draw on a variety of sources of authority to help them make a decision. For example:

• scripture
• religious leaders and the official teaching of their religion
• personal conscience
• reason

Absolute morality

If you believe in absolute morality you will have faith that there is a right course of action to take in a moral dilemma, which is true in all situations regardless of culture, religious tradition, time or age.

Relative morality

If you believe in relative morality you would agree that different courses of action might be needed in different situations.

What is the Sanctity of life?

Sanctity means ‘the quality of being sacred or holy.’

Christians often talk of human life as being sacred. In other words, they believe there is something special or holy about human life. Every human, Christians believe, is special to God. They refer to the sanctity of life when considering issues such as abortion, euthanasia, embryo research, the care of disabled or the elderly.

Where does this belief come from?

In Genesis 1: 27 God is described as creating the first humans. The Bible says,

‘So God created people in his own image; God patterned them after himself; male and female he created them.’

Humans are the only part of God’s creation described as being in the image of God. Christians don’t believe we look like God. They believe ‘being in the image of God’ means that we are somehow special: we have something of God’s nature in us – or at least the capacity to show God’s nature.

Law/Conditions

• According to UK law, abortion is allowed up to 24 weeks if there is a risk to the health of the woman or to any existing children.
• It is allowed up to birth if there is a risk to the woman’s life (or of serious harm) or if the child will be born with a severe disability.
• 24 weeks is known as viability. This is when a foetus can survive outside the womb. In practice, it is often possible for a foetus to survive outside the womb before 24 weeks.
• By 12 weeks of pregnancy the foetus’ main organs are operating.

Methods

There are two options:

• medical abortion (the "abortion pill") – you take two medications, usually 24 to 48 hours apart, to induce a miscarriage
• surgical abortion – you have a minor procedure to remove the pregnancy and normally go home soon afterwards

• The Christian Church teaches that life is a sacred gift from God:

" So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them."

Genesis 1:26-27

• The bible teaches that we have a part of God in us:

           "Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils              the breath of life, and the man beacme a living being"

           Genesis 2 v 7

• The Bible appears to say that life begins when the baby is in the mother’s womb:

"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb."

Psalm 139:13

Stage 1: The Germinal Stage                                                                                                  The two week period after conception is called the germinal stage. Conception occurs when a sperm cell combines with an egg cell to form a zygote. About thirty-six hours after conception, the zygote begins to divide quickly. The resulting ball of cells moves along the mother’s fallopian tube to the uterus.

Stage 2: The Embryonic Stage                                                                              The embryonic stage lasts from the end of the germinal stage to two months after conception. The developing ball of cells is now called an embryo. In this stage, all the major organs form, and the embryo becomes very fragile. The biggest dangers are teratogens, which are agents such as viruses, drugs, or radiation that can cause deformities in an embryo or fetus. At the end of the embryonic period, the embryo is only about an inch long.

Stage 3: The Fetal Stage                                                                                                  The last stage lasts from two months after conception until birth. About one month into this stage, the sex organs of the fetus begin to form. The fetus quickly grows as bones and muscles form, and it begins to move inside the uterus. Organ systems develop further and start to function. In the last three months, the brain increases rapidly in size, an insulating layer of fat forms under the skin, and the respiratory and digestive systems start to work independently.

What's ensoulment?

In religion, ensoulment is the moment at which a human being gains a soul. Some religions say that a soul is newly created within a developing child and others, especially in religions that believe in reincarnation, that the soul is pre-existing and added at a particular stage of development.

When does life begin?

“Human life begins at fertilization, the process during which a male gamete or sperm unites with a female gamete or oocyte (ovum) to form a single cell called a zygote."

"Before I was born the Lord Called me."- In Christianity there is little debate that a human person exists before birth. The Bible makes reference to human life in the womb.

"Human life begins only when the umbilical cord is cut, making the newborn child an independent agent."

Roman Catholics views on Abortion

• Believe that life begins at conception.
• Jeremiah 1:5 ‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you’.
•  You cannot go against the Sanctity of Life.
• Abortion is never an option.
• We must not play God.

Church of England views on Abortion

Abortion is an evil to be avoided if possible, but can be justified in 3 circumstances:

1. Risk to the mother’s life or her mental and physical health.
2. The baby is likely to have a serious disability and the mother feels she can't cope.
3. ****.

Pro-life                                                                                 Advocating the legal protection of human embryos and fetuses, especially by favoring the outlawing of abortion on theground that it is the taking of a human life.

•  A woman has the right to choose whether or not she wants to have the baby. It is her body.
• In the case of ****, it would be lacking in compassion to deny a woman the right to an abortion.
• The woman might be too young, or have work or family commitments which make bringing up a child difficult or impossible for her.
• The pregnant woman's health and welfare are more important than that of the embryo or foetus.

Pro-choice                                                                                                                    Advocating the legal right of a woman to choose whether or not she will have an abortion.

• There are alternatives to abortion, eg adoption.
• The unborn child is denied choice.
• Abortion destroys human life and makes life appear cheap and disposable. This affects the quality and value of life.

Islamic teaching on abortion

Abortion is not permitted within Islam unless it’s to save the mother’s life. Even if a pregnant woman is sentenced to death, this cannot be carried out until the baby has been born.

The later the abortion takes place the worse it is thought to be. Some Muslims believe that for the first four months of pregnancy the woman has greater rights than the foetus but that after this time they are equal.

One of the reasons that Islam is very opposed to abortion is because, before the time of Muhammad, unwanted female children were often buried alive in Arabia. Islam teaches:

"Do not destroy your offspring for fear of poverty, it is We Who provide for them and for you. Surely, destroying them is a great sin."

Surah 17:32

Adoption 

An individual or a couple become a child's legal parent(s) after its birth. The adopted child usually takes on the surname of the adoptive parent(s) and they also inherit from them. The child's birth parents no longer have any rights or responsibilities towards the child. Adoption is usually the preferred option if the child's birth parents are not able to look after the child.

Practical support to keep the baby 

Some organisations provide new mothers with financial support for housing and to buy baby clothes and food. This is to encourage the mothers to have the child rather than to have an abortion. This might mean that the child can be brought up by its birth mother.

Counselling 

This can support an individual faced with an unexpected pregnancy in coming to terms with the situation, and thinking through the options calmly before making a decision. Counselling may be available for the wider family as well.