14.3: Abortion
Christians take the issue of abortion very
seriously. The earliest Christian text, the Didache, written in 54 A.D. condemns abortion,
and the Christian church has taken a strict line on the matter. Views differ. Roman
Catholicism does not accept that abortion is right under any circumstances, and it
believes that there should be no legal right to abortion. Some other Christians make
exceptions in one or two cases, such as danger to the life of the mother, and some
individual Christians, while disagreeing with abortion, think that it is a matter of
individual conscience that should not be forbidden or encouraged by law. The two views
start from different angles. The view that abortion should be banned starts from the
belief that no one may take the life of an innocent person, whatever their conscience
tells them; the view that abortion is a matter of conscience starts from the belief that
freedom of conscience is of vital and primary importance in human life.
Task RC 1
What do you know of the grounds on which abortion can be carried out?
Task RC 2
What feelings does abortion raise in you?
The Catholic Church teaches that life begins at the moment of conception. It teaches that at the moment when sperm and egg come together a unique being is formed with its own genetic make up. Clearly, just as there is a continuum between the acorn and the oak, there is a continuum between me and what I was at conception. The big argument is at what stage in this continuum we become persons. This is a very important matter. Most people agree that it is wrong to kill persons. Supporters of abortion argue that the foetus does not become a person until it is capable of independent life, which should be somewhere between 20 and 24 weeks gestation. Catholics argue that it becomes a person instantly it is conceived. One argument for this is that its soul is there from the beginning. This has not been the view of Christians throughout history. In the Middle Ages it was thought that there was a moment of quickening, when God breathed a soul into the child. This was when it began to move in the womb. Other Christians argue that whether or not the foetus is a person is irrelevant. It is a potential person, and therefore we value its potential. They claim that people only have abortions because they don't want to have a certain person in their lives, and they say that, whatever the argument, abortion is about killing.
Task RC 3
Task RC 4
- Read this conversation.
- " The foetus is not alive until it is born. It is merely an organ of the mother. So,just as I can take out a troublesome, unwanted appendix, so I can take out a troublesome and unwanted foetus."
- "No, it is not just an organ of the mother. An organ has a part in the working of your body, but the foetus has a life of its own. It is an individual living within another individual. Killing it is wrong."
- Which of these views is the Christian view? Which do you agree with, if either?
Task RC 5
- "A woman's right to choose." (Pro-abortion view.)
- "There is no right to choose to kill another person." (Anti-abortion view.) Discuss.
Task RC 6
Many Christians argue that when problem pregnancies occur, abortion is the negative option, and that the positive option of having an adoption should be taken. The counter-argument is that if the woman bears the child for nine months she becomes attached to it, so it is better that it be aborted. Discuss.
Task RC 7
- For most Christians the tricky issue is the question of what to do when the mother's life is in danger. Clearly, it is a grave injustice to neglect the mother, and there may be other children who need their mother's attention and care. Christians, who value life, believe that it is right to attempt to save both, but this can be very difficult, although with modern medicine this kind of situation is becoming thankfully rare.
- a) Would an abortion be morally permissible in such circumstances?
- b) Some people suggest that in such a case it is acceptable to bring out the baby and try to save it. What do you think?
It is possible now to find out before a child is born whether it will be handicapped physically or mentally. Some parents believe that handicapped people live a miserable, unfulfilled life and that it is, therefore, more merciful to put it out of its misery. A common Christian response is to point out that every human being, however weak, has a part to play in God's plan, and that no-one should, therefore, be killed. Human being should not presume that they know the full plan of almighty God. Besides, every human being has one talent, the ability to give and receive love, and this enables everyone to make a positive contribution to the human race.
Task RC 8
Task RC 9
Rape poses a terrible problem. It is clearly unjust that a woman has a child by a rapist. Yet Christians hate the taking of innocent life. What are your views?
