Catholic Teachings on Abortion
There is not much teaching about abortion in the bible because during
the time it was written abortion was not the common occurrence as it
is today, abortion back then was not a safe procedure. Even though the
bible does not use the word 'abortion' or deal with its issues
directly, Christians can use certain bible passages to support their
views. However the bible does stress the sanctity of human life;
abortion is intensically evil, life is a gift from god and we are all
made under god's image. Genesis 1:26 supports this: Then god said "Let
us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the
fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all
the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground."
Also another quoting from the bible is Exodus 20:13, which simply
says: "You shall not murder". This commandment means it is wrong to
take human life unless in the case of war or capital punishment. God
plans and knows every person before they are born, this is proven in
Jeremiah 1:5: Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you
were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the
nations.
The Catholic Church teaches that life begins at conception and they
believe that abortion is always wrong to kill an unborn child. They
believe that it is sacred human life and has the same respect as any
other human being. If a woman is raped and pregnancy is a result the
Catholic Church would still not support an abortion, they say the
child should not have to pay the price for someone else's crime. If
the worst comes from the birth then the church encourages the woman to
put the child up for adoption than to abort it. However there are few
exceptions to an abortion such as an ectopic pregnancy or if the
mother develops cancer. These cases kill the mother if not treated but
"We are one in all and all in one. There is no man but only the great 'we', one, indivisible, and forever."
...s to remove the selfish entertainment from nature and focus instead on its intrinsic value. This in situ approach to conservation of cod, although seemingly surface level transcends the boundaries of economic, cultural, or any of such approximations and places the value on the existence of the species. Another projected solution for the crisis of the overexploitation of fish is the institution of moratoria, which establish that a certain species can no longer be hunted or fished in this context. This in situ attempt at regulating the consumption of cod allows the cod for time to replenish themselves and their populations. Yet, this type of regulation suggests that all humankind must do is step back and let for the problem to take care of itself, and as has been proven several times before stepping back and letting things resolve themselves do not end accordingly
The following in a report on the themes and action of The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck as it relates to food and culture.
We have made thee neither of heaven nor of earth, neither mortal nor immortal, so that with freedom of choice... thou mayest fashion thyself in whatever shape thou shalt prefer. (Mirandola 225)
The Divine command theory states that morally right actions are those commanded by God, and any action going against it is morally wrong. People that accept this theory can only consider an act to be right or wrong if God commanded it to be so. Therefore, supporters of this theory have a moral obligation to do and obey whatever God considered to be right without questioning his judgment. Those in favor of this theory should fulfill his will without any hesitation, regardless of its consequences to society. So if God had claimed abortion to be morally right, everyone supporting this theory were to happily accept it. Moreover, this theory suggests that those who act on a moral sense God desires will be rewarded at the end, perhaps in the afterlife;
We were designed for one purpose, to honor and love our creator (Matthew 6:24). When we look at ourselves, and others we find that we each have individual humanistic characteristics. Each with different thoughts of how we perceive God and what we think he wants from us. By using our talents and gifts wisely and just we are giving praise back to our creator (1 Timothy 6:17).
Mankind is composed of sovereign individuals, and each person only has one obligation to self: think of "me" before "we."
Euthanasia, Abortion and the Church The Catholic Church has consistently taught that respect for human life is one of the most essential aspects of our faith. Life includes love, respect, community, and family. Each person is entitled their right to life, a responsibility to God, to live out their life from natural birth to natural death. Unfortunately, there have been horrifying incidents where people commit murders, assault and manipulate other people. One of the Ten Commandments clearly states
“I think life is sacred, whether it’s abortion or the death penalty”- Tim Kaine. One of the most talked about ethical dilemmas is abortion. It seems everyone (and every faith) has a different opinion on the subject. Some people feel that abortion should be legalized, while others think that abortion should not be legalized. Judaism supports “pro choice” (meaning that the mother can make the choice of whether or not to have an abortion) but only in certain conditions. Judaism, unlike religions such as Christianity (which strictly forbids abortion), feels that abortion can be done however only for extenuating circumstances.
In our society, there are many ethical dilemmas that we are faced with that are virtually impossible to solve. One of the most difficult and controversial issues that we are faced with is abortion. There are many strong arguments both for and against the right to have an abortion which are so complicated that it becomes impossible to resolve. The complexity of this issue lies in the different aspects of the argument. The essence of a person, rights, and who is entitled to these rights, are a few of the many aspects which are very difficult to define. There are also issues of what circumstances would justify abortion. Because the issue of abortion is virtually impossible to solve, all one can hope to do is understand the different aspects of the argument so that if he or she is faced with that issue in their own lives, they would be able to make educated and thoughtful decisions in dealing with it.
Abortion is defined as a procedure that is done to remove an embryo or fetus from the uterus of its mother in order to prevent its birth (Roth, 2005). Abortion is categorized as a bioethical issue because it relates to the morals of biomedical advances, policies and research. Abortion is a difficult subject that can involve personal morals and beliefs, legality and religious values. The issue is often viewed from either the side of pro-life, which places emphasis on the fetus and its right to life or pro-choice, which emphasizes the rights of the mother to decide the appropriate action (Roth, 2005). This brings the ethical question of should the government have the right to outlaw abortion into debate. The two viewpoints of pro-life and pro-choice explore the two main moral issues concerning abortion (Roth, 2005).
In examining religious opinions on abortion, one must find common ground on which to form a foundation of comparison. With most of the religions to date, that common ground lies on the argument of whether or not a fetus is an actual person. Some religions protest by saying a fetus isn't a conscious being -- therefore there is no loss in doing away with it. But for those religions that do believe there is a life -- or any spiritual being -- in a fetus, it is clearly a crime to have an abortion.
Mankind should live according to his origin. Mankind should follow God’s commandments by reaching and educating all men on earth, telling them of their origin, and showing proof of God’s will in their lives. They should also be told that their decisions should be made on this side of eternity.
In the beginning of the Bible in the Book of Genesis, it is revealed to use in 1:26-27 that God has created man in his image. The text verbatim states “Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness…So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” From this distinct text we can clearly conclude that when ad created man and woman, they were destined to be in God’s image and carry his image throughout his creation. Today we can see that many of us do not live in God’s image due to society becoming more secularized as it progresses through the years, however as Christians we can verse this by living in God’s image in our chosen vocations, churches, and even in the secular world.
Abortion is the killing and removing the fetus/ embryo before there is any possibilities of it surviving outside of the mother’s uterus. Abortion is the end of a pregnancy that is normally chosen by the mother, but is also known as a miscarriage. Abortions are mostly known as a surgical procedure, this is done multiple ways but all killing the fetus/ embryo. There is a variety of viewpoints on abortion such as through the religious tradition, also from seeing it as a crime to beneficial, this is an on-going debate about abortion.