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Christian attitudes towards abortion
Debates over abortion rights
Christian attitudes towards abortion
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Some people compare abortion, a widely controversial topic, to murder because it is ending a life. Although there is actually no way to pinpoint when life begins. Some believe that life begins at conception, while others do not. Some say that when a baby first moves it is given the right to life, while others do not support this claim. Therefore, there is no true way to dictate whether abortion is murder or not.
Abortion is seen to some as being “murder” due to the idea that a fetus has the right to live when it becomes a sufficient human. The phrase “sufficient human” refers to when a fetus meets the standards to be considered to have a life. Different people have different opinions on when this life begins. The Catechism of Catholic
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Going back to the view of the Catholic Church, conception could be seen as a starting point. Conception marks the beginning of biological life, and this leads to the belief that biological life is not sufficient enough to give a fetus the right to life. Therefore, this is a view that can not be fully supported. Another development stage that is pointed out is implantation. Although this point is easy to identify, it is arbitrary. Life at implantation is an idea based on a random personal choice, not made with any reason or system. Thus meaning that implantation is another point that can not be supported. ‘Quickening’, the moment when a fetus first moves in the womb, is a more popular belief of when there is life. This is an idea that came from a now abandoned Christian theory that this was the moment when the fetus got a soul. Although this does seem like a logical point, medical evidence shows that the time of quickening is influenced by irrelevant factors, such as how many pregnancies that the mother has had or the health of the mother. For this reason, the idea of ‘Quickening’ is not a solid point that can be used to substantialize the liveliness of a fetus. Another point that many see as a start of life, the moment when brain activity is seen, is no more than a precondition. This does not demonstrate that the fetus is actually “conscious”, therefore meaning that it may not be given the right to life. Viability of the fetus, a view that is most commonly used in drafting laws regulating abortion, is unsatisfactory. This is due to the fact that fetus survival depends on the state of medical science, medical facilities available, willingness of the mother, gender of the fetus, and race of the fetus. There are just too many variables that make the concept of life at viability to be an unsteady point. The final, and
I believe that there in so way of knowing specifically when human life begins. I think people just go by their own personal opinions or by their religious belief. “Human life is a continuum---sperm and eggs are also alive, and represent potential human beings, but virtually all sperm and eggs are wasted. Also, two-thirds of human conceptions are spontaneously aborted by nature” (About Abortion, 1988). My least favorite phrase to hear from pro-life supporters is that abortion is the murdering of a person. Personhood is not a biological fact, and I know this. It cannot be proven, it is not a certainty, and it is not a fact. Abortion actually has positive benefits on a woman’s health and life. When people say that the fetus has rights too, I get what they are saying, but if fetal rights were protected in the law then women 's bodies, health and rights would be subordinated to the defense of embryos. The legal consequences of this kind of a law would be disastrous. The best way to protect the fetus is to endorse the health and well-being of the
...ice. While I value my experience, as I feel should be commonly held by others and the way in which we interact (killing adults is wrong), I don’t see a strong enough basis for that view to be held for a fetus. As Marquis summarized, the killing of a fetus is essentially arbitrarily choosing a human cell. Although fetuses in first trimester aren’t single celled organisms, they serve no cognitive function or purposes to themselves, so there are no features in which it is being deprived of if it is terminated. The potential life of a fetus is the same as saying there is a potential for any such biological thing, it is simply a scenario, which could happen if given the opportunity. But if an adult human possesses the ability to have goals and desires, they then should be allowed to make the discretion for their best interest to whether an abortion is permissible or not.
One of the biggest issue of abortion goes back to the controversial question of when human life actually begins. Many people will often argue that a fetus is a living being from the moment of conception and feel that it deserves the same legal protections as an adult, therefore making it immoral to kill it. Just like in our court system, we would not put an innocent person on death penalty. The fetus has done nothing wrong and has the right to live. As the editor of Christianity Today wrote, "abortion is one of those monumental issues of justice that comes along once in a lifetime. It is violence against children, a hideous act of poisoning or dismembering tiny bodies, then dumping them in a landfill or garbage disposal." On the other hand, those who are for abortion say that a fetus is only a "potential human being." The advocates for legal abortions want the mother to choose whether she keeps the baby or kills it, and the rights of a mother supersede the rights of a baby. John M. Sw...
Twenty-one percent of all U.S. pregnancies end in abortion (“Induced ABortion in the United States). Abortion is murdering defenseless babies who would‘ve otherwise had a happy life with a couple that is unable to have their own child. Is killing an innocent person ever moral?
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...
In order for the pro-life argument to be valid, it must have both a true premise and true conclusion. It falls short of validity by assuming that a fetus up to 22 weeks old is a person, and has its own rights independent of its host, or what we often refer to as its mother. First we must recognize the subtle, yet extremely important distinction between a human being and a person. It is obvious that a fetus is a member of the human ...
According to Don Marquis, the fetus is a person and has the right to live because it is a biological human being and a human being in a moral sense (Lewis,2013, pp. 320). A fetus is a person some may say because it possesses some of the personhood characteristics. In the woman’s womb, a fertilized sperm turns into a blastocyst after 5 days and later turns into an embryo (human fetus), which eight weeks later the fetus develops a brain, heart, and all the other body cells and tissue (Lewis, 2013, pp. 293). At that moment, the fetus is conscious and alive, because the brain is slowly functioning and is pumping blood throughout the whole body. Soon, the fetus would form into a human figure and kick the mother’s tummy, and when the mother places her hand on her tummy, the fetus stops kicking shows a communication or connection. So, it is a wrongful act to abort the fetus because it has the potential to develop into a person.
One of the most debatable topics even in today’s society is the right to abortion. Some people believe that life starts at conception and that even an unborn child deserves the same legal protections as an adult. Pro-life advocates argue that ending its life is similar to murder (POLS210, n.d.). Mean while, others also known as Pro-Choice believe it begins at birth and that with laws that restrict abortion it gets in the way with the right of a woman to make a decision of what is in her own best interest (U.S. History, n.d.).
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.
Is there really a difference between abortion and murder? If a doctor killed a child one minute after it was born it would be murder, but if a doctor killed a child one minute before the child was born it would be the mothers choice. 52% of abortions occur before the 9th week of pregnancy, 25% happen between the 9th & 10th week, 12% happen between the 11th and 12th week, 6% happen between the 13th & 15th week, 4% happen between the 16th & 20th week, and 1% of all abortions happen after the 20th week of pregnancy. (The Alan Guttmacher Institute.) You could have a baby that's born at week 22 and still have a 15% chance of living. (Siegel, Reva) If the mothers didn't want the babies she could have always put them up for adoption.
Abortion is one of America’s most controversial subjects. The participants in this debate have fixed beliefs on the matter at hand. On one side of the debate are people who believe in pro- choice. They argue that choice of a woman is more important than an unborn fetus. They point out that an unborn child is not on the same level of importance as the mother. Also, the pro-life group declares that choice is the sole purpose behind their argument. They believe that if a woman cannot chose to abolish a pregnancy, then she looses one of her basic human rights. The other side of the debate is the pro-life group. Their main concern is that the fetus is a person; therefore, having the same human rights as the mother. As a result, when states pass laws that enable abortions, these states are legalizing murder. When considering an individual’s ethics and values, killing is morally wrong. Therefore, the termination of unborn children is wrong, as well. Abortion, the unethical expulsion of an embryo or fetus, in order to purposely end a pregnancy, should be forbidden because human life begins at conception, economics is not a justification for abortion, and an unwanted child does not justify abortion.
In my argumentative coursework I am arguing that abortion is wrong and not to be mistaken with 'Abortion should be made illegal.' I will explain later why I have made this statement. Abortion is the termination of an unborn child in its mother's womb for up to twenty four weeks of the pregnancy or in special circumstances e.g. Disability diagnosis a termination right up until the mother goes in to labour. I think the above definition is an easier and less harsh way of saying that abortion is the murdering of a human being. There are several reasons why abortion is legal and several reasons why it shouldn?t be.
Pro – life groups believe that from the point of fertilization, a new life is being carried by its mother. According to the Central Illinois Right to Life, a baby develops a heartbeat at eighteen days. Though it is not yet a physical human, the beating heart...
Abortion has been one of the most talked about topics in society just about anywhere from television, magazines, whether or not it should be the right or wrong thing to do. Abortion is a very sensitive issue to discuss, because of its nature. Many people have said that abortion is a very bad thing to do and it should not even be choice whether or not to abort a living fetus. People think that abortion is committing murder as it is killing the human fetus. However, others feel that a woman should have a voice and have the right to choose to keep the child or not and that it is not murder until the baby is born. Majority of individuals who believe that abortion is bad say that the fetus is human who is partly being formed and to have an abortion is considered to be murder. For the people who think an abortion is ok, say that it’s not considered murder unless the child is born. I believe that abortion should be seen in which the stage the fetus is in. if the fetus is in an early stage of pregnancy it is not considered murder, but if the fetus has already began to develop into a larger fetus then it is indeed considered to be murder. There are times when abortion can be accepted, if the mother is having complications due to pregnancy. For example if the mother is enduring complications in her pregnancy that can harm her, because of the child in that case it is ok to perform an abortion to help save the mother’s life. It is also very important to understand this type of situation. The mother has the right to have an abortion and it is her decision because a mother knows best about her health conditions.
Abortions have always been a very controversial topic. Over the years we continue to fight for or against it. One can say that is one of the most talked and argued topic in the United States. An abortion is when a woman terminates her pregnancy before the fetus is viable using various of methods. Some argue that abortions should be illegal and considered murder, while others, from a religious point of view, say that no one has the right to take away the life of a person, in this case the fetus. However, others insist, that abortions are a basic women’s right.