In the United States, one of the most controversial issues today is abortion. For most Christians today, state allowed abortion is sinful and immoral. Recently, one of the only three abortion clinics in the U.S that regularly performed late term abortions has permanently closed in Germantown Maryland. Most Christians rejoiced that less babies were dying; however, Christians differ in their beliefs of the afterlife these dead babies went to. The contemporary Catholic Church holds that these aborted fetuses go to an intermediate state known as the limbo of the infants, due them having original sin but no natural sin. This calls back to the theology of the medieval theologian St. Thomas Aquinas’s views of the soul. Protestants are more divided …show more content…
All of the groups in the Maryland Coalition for Life had to operate under the assumptions that unborn babies have a soul, the ensouled babies have original sin, and God sends the babies an afterlife at some point in time. In Psalms the Bible states “[You were] sinful when my mother conceived [you],” which both Protestant and Catholics interpret as Biblical justification of ensoulment and introduction of original sin (Psalm 51:5). The various Christian denominations, differ in their views of the afterlife these children went to. The Vatican holds that when an ensouled baby is aborted, it goes to a place separate from God without the suffering of hell, the Limbo of the Infants (Sanna et al. 2007). For Catholics this is a moral issue, but the infants are not being damned to Hell. The issue of abortion is framed as any evil, with Catholic news sources saying, “We need to pray, pray for the women, pray for the conversion of hearts and for the end to the evil of abortion” (Boyle 2017). For Catholics, abortion is a moral issue. Conversely, abortion is a more imperative evil for Protestants. Protestants rejected any ideas of intermediate states so two major views have evolved: the unborn have original sin and are deserving of hell, or the unborn are not above an age that makes them deserve eternal punishment. The protestants that take the former view portray Abortion a …show more content…
The fate of the babies aborted at Germantown depends on which lense of Christianity one’s viewing from. Catholics preserve the beatific vision while only allowing God to condemn the souls to an eternal moral neutrality while Protestant’s views are divided between the only two options a soul has heaven or hell. If the babies go to hell, God’s morality is called into question. If the aborted baby’s original sin is forgiven, then why is volitional sin different? So God’s omnipotence is called into question. In this story, Christianity operates from the near universal frame that abortion is wrong and must end, but the initial existence of this wrong is an exigent circumstance that requires morally complex
The pro-life stance on abortion is often associated with and defended by traditional Christian beliefs , ; however, this paper will argue that it can and should be defended with secular arguments that appeal to reason and our shared human condition. This paper will try and counter the notion that the argument is simply another battlefield where religion and secular thought meet. Rather, it is an important issue that carries with it heavy implications not only for the religious but also for the secular. The major arguments discussed include the emotional and physical toll on the mother, the societal toll of having abortion legalized, and the rights attributed to every human being; first, however, the stance taken in this paper will be further defined and clarified.
The birth of a child is usually a wonderful and priceless occasion. However, on June 5, 2015, an eleven-year-old girl gave birth to a newborn girl. Approximately a year before she gave birth, her 40-year-old father repeatedly sexually assaulted her. In this case, the unprepared eleven-year-old child decided to have the baby. This is a prime example that illustrates that the right to abortion should always be vested in the woman. Abortion, which has been debated for centuries and will continue to be fought upon for centuries to come, is a hot issue among social, political, and religious entities. This research paper will inform the reader about abortion using scholarly journals to define abortion, specifically when a fetus becomes a human being,
Abortion has been a political, social, and personal topic for many years now. The woman’s right to choose has become a law that is still debated, argued and fought over, even though it has been passed. This paper will examine a specific example where abortion is encouraged, identify the Christian world views beliefs and resolution as well as the consequences of such, and compare them with another option.
We as Catholics are taught to show respect and protect human life from the moment of conception. From conception, the embryo must be defended, cared for, loved for, and healed, as much as possible, like any other human being should be. God gives life from the moment of conception and we don't have the right to take it away.
The relentless support of abortion is always contradicting the moral and good teachings of the Church. Through passed laws, pro-choice supporters have made it possible for many women to have abortions. In some countries, including the United States, there does not have to be a reason for a woman to have an abortion early in the pregnancy. The Supreme Court in the United States ruled that the fetus’s ability to live was between about twenty four weeks to twenty-six weeks (Glendon 22). These laws show that supporters of abortion do not believe that life begins at conception. This is contrary to the teachings of the Church. “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you” (Jeremiah 1:5). God knew us before we were conceived. He made us accord...
Some people may argue that when the abortion takes place, the fetus cannot feel anything and is not even human being, some almost look at the fetus as just another cell. This is the biggest argument for pro-life and the opposing side, pro-choice. Although por-choice people look at it as not a fetus, The Catholic Church on the other hand believes that a bay is a human being the moment conception happens. In the article, “On the Morality of: Abortion.” written by Adam Lee, Lee argues that consciousness is the characteristic of humanity. Lee states, “Ending the existence of someone and they are not able to function a conscious thought is not the destruction of a human being” (Lee 2013). He believes that, “Until they possess the capability for conscious thought, a fetus cannot have the same moral status as a person”.
The issue of abortion has always been a controversial one for citizens of the United States. Abortion is the practice of terminating a pregnancy after the embryo has been planted in the uterus (Abortion). An individual’s stance on this controversial issue categorizes them into one of two very different groups. An individual who feels that a woman should not have an abortion- due to moral or religious views- is said to be “pro-life”. Coincidently, those who feel that a woman should have the right to choose abortion are said to be “pro-choice”. “Pro-life” supporters point to the practice of abortion as an immoral one. Supporters state abortion is immoral because it takes away the rights of the unborn fetus, since activists consider human life beginning at contraception (Jones). “Pro-life” supporters also believe that the practice of abortion can lead to medical problems- such as emotional duress- succeeding the surgical procedure (Cords). “Pro-choice” advocates refute these claims. Advocates for abortion feel that a woman should have the choice to decide what should or shouldn’t be done to a woman’s body. Activists also point to cases- such as an abnormal pregnancy or dangers that could incur if the pregnancy was forced to proceed- that support the health and wellbeing of the pregnant woman (Reasons Offered for Abortion). Advocates also express examples like an abandoned partner or strives to gain equality in the workplace as other reasons for abortion (Reasons Offered for Abortion). Many opinions throughout the county create a struggle on who should have the final decision to govern the practice. The practice of abortion has been a crucial option to terminate dangerous and unwanted pregnancies- although advocates point to religio...
Abortion is the ending of a pregnancy before birth; it causes the termination of the embryo or fetus inside the women. There are two different types of abortion, a spontaneous abortion, which is also known as a miscarriage, and an induced abortion, where the embryo or fetus is purposely removed from the women’s body. The topic of induced abortion has been widely debated for hundreds of years. The issue of abortion was argued way back in the time of the ancient Hebrews. In the United States it became illegal around the mid 1800’s and not until the 1960’s was the argument for the right to abort brought back to the table. In 1973, the Supreme Court case “Roe vs. Wade” made abortion legal. The case stated that abortion was legal in the first trimester (three months) of pregnancy (O’Brien par. 17). Since that day over 30 years ago, there have been many cases in which abortion has been disputed. Congress has passed many laws restricting abortion rights, including in cases such as Webster vs. Reproductive Health Services and Stenberg v. Carhart (O’Brien par. 18). There are many other cases like these and each time is seems more likely that a woman’s right to choose could be overturned (“Reproductive Rights” 26). There are many different ranges of beliefs about the morality of abortion, whether or not one should have an abortion, and under what conditions the termination of pregnancy is acceptable. Many argue at what point in the process of pregnancy a human person comes into existence. People disagree about whether anything from an ovum to a fetus is a form of human life. No person knows this information, but it is debated among the two major sides on this issue. The first side are those that believe abortion should be forb...
For many years, the morality of abortion has been questioned by two perspectives: pro-choice and pro-life. While modern culture explains that abortion is a woman’s free choice if she does not want the unborn baby, the Catholic Church teaches the world that from the moment of conception there is a child with a soul within the womb, and to abort it would be to murder an innocent being.
Abortion, a simple word yet complicated. This word has become a controversial topic in political, religious and medical world since the 19th century and until now, it’s still a question in each and everyone’s heart. (“Feminist”) On January 1973, abortion has been brought out in the case of Roe v. Wade, which later ruled that the state law that banned abortion is unconstitutional by the Supreme Court. (“britannica”). Because of this case from 1973 through 2005, millions of legal abortions were performed. For a better cause and to avoid public protestants towards this issue, the government of Nebraska and Oklahoma had signed two specific laws about abortion (“Procon”). Although abortion has been protected by the government, many people- like me- still hold a strong belief that says:” Abortion is illegal.”
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.
Warren, Mary A."Abortion,” in: A Companion to Ethics, " 38.6 Oxford: Blackwell Publishers(1997): 303-314. Academic Search Premier. Web. 3 Feb. 2014.
Nowadays, in this world, there are a lot of problems that can make tremendous conflicts for human beings. They are very complicated and bring a lot of argument and nobody knows what the exact answer is. They also have pros and cons. One of the most complex problems is abortion. This is due to moral and ethical values which we all have. The majority of us are Christians or are brought up in that kind of ambiance which means that as small children we were taught values that are based on the bible such as that famous phrase “Thou shall not kill”. This phrase relates to this topic because an abortion is the murder of a human being.
Joseph Farah wrote an article about abortion in The Human Life Review. In this, she quoted Steven Pinker, a professor of psychology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology saying, " Babies aren't really people, because they don't have an ability to reflect upon (themselves) as a continuous locus of consciousness, to form and savor plans for the future, to dread death and to express the choice not to die. And there's the rub: Our immature neonates don't posess these traits any more than mice do.
As stated multiple times; Psalm 139:13-16, speaks of God’s active role in or creation and formation in the womb, therefore this states God makes all fetus/ people for a certain reason and this means God does not want abortion otherwise why would he make them. Exodus 21:22-25, prescribes the same penalty, death, for someone who causes the death of a baby in the womb as for someone who commits murder, this clearly indicates that God then considers a fetus/ baby in the womb as to be the same as a full-grown adult, this then means God indicates abortion is wrong. Christian’s beliefs of abortion is it not a matter of a woman’s right to choose, it is a matter of the life or death of a human being made in God’s image, Genesis 1:26-27, 9:6. The first argument that fights against the Christian stance on abortion is “What about cases of rape and/or incest?” two wrongs do not make a right. The child who is born of rape/incest could be given in adoption to a loving family and are unable to have children on their own. The baby is innocent therefore should not be punished for the acts of its father. The Roman Catholic Church says abortion is a grave moral wrong. As based on the written word of God and natural law, as they prohibit abortion under any circumstances, "You shall not kill the embryo by abortion and shall not cause the new born to perish". As