Birth and Death

"So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him, male and female he created them" genesis 1. Made in Gods image, thus are special forms of life.

"All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be" Psalm 139. suggests God knows each person individually and has a plan for them.

Sacred because we have souls.

"Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's spirit lives in you" 1 Corinthians 3. God has given us life, we should respect this by looking after our bodies.

Roman Catholic
Artificial contraception is wrong. Allow natural contraception - having sex only in the infertile period of a womans period cycle.
Believe that sex was designed for a purpose - reproduction. "Be fruitful and multiply in number" Sex is spoiled if its not with the one you love and there is no chance of concieving.

Church of England
Artificial contraception is fine.
Believe that it is the parents desicion to decide when and if to have children - and to choose their age gaps. If a child is concieved without being planned, it is less likely to be loved and wanted. Therefore contraception helps this. Also helps to prevent unwanted conception and possibilites of abortion.

Potential human being - "i knew you in the womb..."
God can only determine who lives and dies and life starts at conception "God knit me together in my mothers womb" Psalm 103.

However, helping other humans is good.
"Love your neighbour" Ex 20
"Lonliness and the feeling of being uncared for is the greatest poverty" M. Teresa.Help others!

For
Bring happiness.
Life comes from God, anything that creates life is good.
"Be fruitful and multiply" Gen 1. God wants them to have children
Agape
Put medical advances to good use'
AIH
Methodists - agree that spare embryos should be used for medical research, but not past 14 days as this is considered as human life past this point.

Against
God choose who has children.
Unnatural - believe only hetrosexual and -50yrs old women should concieve
AI - introduces 3rd party, adultery? problems later in life for the child.
Roman Catholic against spare embryos - cant be disposed, human life, killing.
AID - 3rd person involved

Against
"God created man in his own image" Gen 1
"You knit me together in my mothers womb" Ps139
Sanctity of Life

"You shall not murder" ex 20. Roman Catholic supports.
"You shall not kill by abortion the fruit of the womb" Didache Church Teaching
"Before i formed you in the womb i knew you" Jer1
"You are Gods temple and Gods spirit lives in you" 1 Cor 3
"Before you were born, I set you apart for a special reason" Jer 1
"Then God breathed life into Adams nostriles and he became alive" Gen 2
"God remebers even the sparrow and you a worth more than one of these"Mat 10. God remebers everything, so especially a life.
"He who gave us life, can take away life" Job 26. God has the right to take away life, we dont.
"Be fruitful and increase in number"

For
"at the earliest stage of their existence, embryos do not have the moral value of a person"
"the right to life of the mother is more important than the unborn child because of her obligations to her family" Church of England - Archbishop Habgood.
"if men who are fighting hit a pregnant woman and she gives birth prematurely but there is no serious injury, the offender must be fined..." Ex 21. Suggests that death of an unborn child isnt as serious as other killings.
"Love your neighbour" Ex 20
"treat others as you would like to be treated" Mat 7. If the unborn baby has serious medical complications, they should be aborted as they would live in pain and discomfort.
This can also be used to support abortion if the mother is in danger, or the child is a result of ****. as the child would have mental problems later in life.