Abortion is a sensitive topic when it comes to religion. Many religions consider abortion to be a crime, a killing of a sacred human life, and an unruly murder. Abortion was made legal in the U.S. on January 22nd, 1873, in the UK, 1967. Women seeking abortions could now do that procedure safely and legally, but not so much morally. Many religious texts like the Bible, the Hebrew Bible, and Qu’ran feature scripts that are anti-abortion. In the Didache, a Catholic document written in the 2nd century, states “You shall not kill the embryo by abortion and shall not cause the newborn to perish.” (BBC, 2009) Because of such statements, many women who are religious are put in an uncomfortable place between their own health and their morals. Most religions …show more content…
such as Catholic, Islam, and Judaism are accepting of abortions but only under certain circumstances. These circumstances include: when the pregnancy is a threat to the mother’s life, uterine cancer, ectopic pregnancy (Religious Tolerance, 2011) if the mother has mental distress, (BBC, 2009) and if the fetus suffers from a birth defect. (BBC, 2009) In the Catholic religion, they acknowledge that the followers of the religion may have different views on the controversial subject, and they take these arguments into consideration when developing the “laws” of the religion.
The Catholic religion claims that “deliberately causing an abortion is a grave moral wrong.” (BBC, 2009) Many of the Catholic religious officials stand behind this statement, Pope John II stating in his encyclical that “I declare that direct abortion, that is, abortion willed as an end or as a means, always constitutes a grave moral disorder, since it is the deliberate killing of an innocent human being.” While the Catholic religion has negative views on abortion, according to a research survey conducted by the Guttmacher Institute shows that 28% of women obtaining abortions identify as Catholics. (Guttmacher Institute, 2009) On September 1st, Pope Francis announced that all Catholic priests would be empowered to offer absolution for the “sin of abortion” during the church’s Holy Year of Mercy. (The New York Times, 2015) Pope Francis states that “I have met so many women who bear in their heart the scar of this antagonizing and painful decision, what has happened is profoundly unjust; yet only understanding the truth of it can enable one not to lose hope.” (The New York Times, 2015) Although Pope Francis is allowing religious acceptance of abortion for the Holy Year of Mercy, the Vatican states that Pope Francis is not changing his views on abortion …show more content…
and the church is not either. In the Catholic religion, abortion is considered a “reserved sin” which means that if you are seeking forgiveness for this sin, that permission to grant forgiveness must come from a bishop. (The New York Times, 2015) If permission is not granted, the abortion can still be accepted under some circumstances. If the woman was raped, had an ectopic pregnancy, or develops uterine cancer, her abortion is still not as morally acceptable, but is understood throughout the religion. (Catholic Education Research Center, 2015) Although the Catholic religion does not offer many circumstances in which abortion is considered justified, the religion has a pretty developed idea on the subject of abortion. Islam has similar views to the Catholics.
Overall, abortion is seen as forbidden in the Muslim community but like the Catholics, there are exceptions. While the Qu’ran does not mention the forbiddance of abortion directly, it does mention similar situations that could be applied to abortion. In the Qu’ran it states “Whoever destroys one life is as if he destroyed a whole world, and whoever preserves a life is as if he preserved the whole world.”(BBC, 2015) This could be used to reference abortion, telling the followers of the Islamic religion that destroying a life is a direct comparison to destroying a whole world. While the Islamic religion as a whole has not been very official on where they stand on the topic of abortion, there is a well-known idea that is spread in the Islamic religion. On December 5th, 2012 a Nation of Islam leader warned Dominican audiences about abortion. He states “The act of abortion should never be an option.” (Dominica News Online, 2012) He began to tell the students of the Dominica State college that while the age of consent is 16, that these students should be very careful when considering partners and the end result of the choice of sexual activity. Louis Farrakhan continues to tell students that despite the fact they have options, that they should reconsider the act of abortion because that child could be the next person to significantly change the world. (Dominica News Online, 2012) His exact words were, “Once you get pregnant, this womb of
yours, sisters, is sacred. That’s where God operates, in your womb…..the next scientist to overcome disease, the next leader to lead the people to their destiny will come from your womb….so the protection of your womb is critical for the future of Dominica and the world.” While Dominica’s dominant religion is Roman Catholic, Farrakhan had no problem warning the students of DSC. (Dominica News Online, 2012) Farrakhan expresses his opinion of no exceptions towards abortions, but the Islamic religion states that abortion is acceptable if the mother’s life is at risk and if there are potential birth defects to the baby, that the process of abortion has to take place before the 120th day of the pregnancy. The Qu’ran says “Kill not your offspring for fear of poverty; it is We who provide for them and for you. Surely, killing them is a great sin.” (BBC, 2009) This text is stating that the act of abortion cannot be done if the family fears they don’t have enough money to provide for the baby or if the baby interferes with the mother’s education or career. Much like the Catholic and Islamic religions, Judaism only permits abortion under serious circumstances. According to the Mishnah, “If a woman has difficulty in childbirth, one dismembers the embryo within her, limb by limb, because her life takes precedence over its life. However, once its head has emerged, it may not be touched, for we do not set aside one life for another.” (BBC, 2009) This text states that if the mother begins to experience life-threatening difficulties during childbirth, that they are allowed to abort the child. But once the head has emerged, it is a human being and cannot be killed. There are few exceptions when it comes to Judaism and abortion, many of the reasoning being like the others. If the mother’s life is in danger, you are allowed to abort the child but only towards the end of the pregnancy. While there is no exact amount, if the pregnancy caused the mother to be mentally distressed, most rabbis would agree that abortion would be allowed if it brings the mother to thoughts of suicide. (BBC, 2009) In Judaism, pregnancies caused by rape and incest can only be aborted if it caused the mother enough mental distress. Between the Catholic religion, the Islamic religion, and the Jewish religion, they all share very distinct views on abortion and provide exceptions to the mother. While not all religions share the same views, the general idea between Catholicism, Judaism and Islam is that a valid reason has to be provided to perform the medical procedure.
Abortion is one of the most debated topics, some people believe it is immoral while others support this issue. Abortion is define as termination of pregnancy before birth. This article was published by Dennis Prager, who wrote a story that was titled, “Jews and Abortion”. I decided to review this article because most of the world religions are anti-abortion but some religions do allow it. For example, Judaism does not prohibit abortion, it’s one of the many religions that does not perceive abortion as murder, and rather they see it as a need if the mother's life becomes at risk due to the pregnancy. In Judaism an abortion can only be perform only if the child will directly cause the mother to die if it is not aborted.
Abortion, which is defined as a deliberate termination of a human pregnancy, is one of the most controversial issues in society. Many people believe that abortion is unethical and morally wrong, while others believe that it is a woman’s right to decide what to do with her body. According to www.census.gov, “the number of abortions performed annually in the U.S. has leveled off at 1.2 million a year” (1). This statistic supports how many women are choosing abortion. Although abortion is legal in the United States, many people continue to voice their opinions on how it is a human rights violation and should be illegal everywhere.
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.
In the mainstream Christianity, abortions are not considered in the bible, but it is not viewed as something good. However, the Catholic and Orthodox Church oppose late-term abortion in almost any situations. Hinduism has many varied views towards it, but the original and traditional text condemns elective abortions. In the Islamic faith, late-term abortion is not permissible because it is over four months of pregnancy. Sikhism interdicts late-term abortion because it states that people shall not interfere in the...
As one knows, some unwanted pregnancies could often be harmful and distressing for a woman. Women should have the right over their body to choose to sustain the fetus or not. In the past decades, women did not have their freedom of abortion in many countries of the world. There have always been controversies going on about abortion. Each individual has dissimilar views on the legality of abortion. Some people are against abortion for personal religious purposes and beliefs. For those who don’t believe in abortion, it is because they see it as killing a fetus, which is a human being. Others support abortion because they believe in women’s rights. Laws of abortion vary in each country, and abortion is not legal all over the world. It is illegal under any conditions but only permitted to save woman’s life if in countries such as Brazil, Nigeria, United Arab Emirates, and Ireland. However, abortion is legal without any restrictions in countries like Canada, Albania, and Italy. It the past decades Abortion was considered as criminal act in Canada. “If an abortion was carried out without such approval, the woman was liable for imprisonment for 2 years, an...
Pope John Paul II’s Argument: This argument is very adamantly against abortion. It is also a religiously based argument. He uses exerts from the Bible and other religious documents and quotes many different clergymen and priests to help defend his position. He starts by explaining how you must follow the ten commandments to live a good life and have eternal life. “Jesus replied, ‘If you would enter life, keep the commandments’” (Mt 19:17). The first of these ten commandments is “You shall not kill”. On the contrary, you should ‘love respect and promote life’ (The Gospel of Life, Paul II). In order to do this, one must carry out God’s plan of procreation with love and intentions to multiply. By having an abortion, one is doing the exact opposite. Not only are they killing an innocent human being, but they are killing a child of God. Also, man is not the final judge in matters such as life and death, he is only a ‘minister of God’s plan’ (Humanae Vitae, Paul VI). Paul II goes on to explain how human life is ‘sacred and inviolable’. Life is sacred because it is a gift from God and man was created in the image of God. God overlooks our lives from birth to death, and no one else has the right to destroy an innocent human being, especially one as innocent as an unborn child. Man is suppose to be the defender of the innocent, not the destroyer. He explains how the man who kills the innocent is one who has been deceived by the Devil, because only Satan delights in the death of the living. “You shall not kill” represents the extreme limit which cannot be exceeded. It is meant to encourage man to see life with respect and lead to the promotion of life with love. Along with the teaching that one shall not kill another,...
On Thursday May 7th Pope Francis and the Catholic Church had announced that they would forgive anyone how has had aborted. However still sticking to the belief that abortion is a sin Pope Francis and the Vatican bid on this to catch up with modern times. He would be sending out his Missionaries of mercy to pardon any women how have aborted a child. In addition to that he would also be reaching out to the doctors and the nurses who help perform abortions. Which will start in the so called Holy Year of Mercy which will be acknowledged on December 8, 2015 through November 20,215. However some think doing this would cause misperception among the Catholic community. But, others like Italy’s Cardinal Velasio de Paolis has said he’s the pope of mercy
Christian Attitudes to Abortion For Christians there are many sources of authority; leaders of the church, religious teachers, and even their own conscience. The main source however is the Bible; it helps guide Christians, and affects their attitude towards everyday life. Abortion, the act of terminating the life of a foetus (unborn child) before it has had a chance to live, was legalised in England in 1967 (The Abortion Act), however many Christians are still undecided on whether the act is morally correct.
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 is a voluminous topic today all around the world. Differing viewpoints on abortion are recognized in politics, religion, and throughout the general population. There is a small amount of people who are nonchalant on the subject. Women have abortions for many different reasons and according to certain groups these reasons are either justified or not. Everyone tends to have their own articulated opinion, and many vocalize tenaciously what they believe. Pro-life individuals along with religion are sanguine that abortion is ethically and morally erroneous. Whereas those who are pro-choice say that abortion is inconsequential and the mother’s choice is more important than the fetus. Reasons to not get an abortion include risks involved in receiving an abortion. In some cases death can occur. However, there are other alternatives to abortion. For example, raising the child and adoption.
In her article, “The Pope’s Unforgiving Message of Forgiveness on Abortion,” Jill Filipovic argued that the Pope’s announcement that women who have aborted fetuses will be given forgiveness during the churches Holy Year of Mercy is actually an act of cruelty rather than mercy. Although Jill Filipovic presented sufficient evidence to support her position, she did have biases and other aspects of her writing that also weakened her argument. Throughout the article Filipovic employed emotional appeals, logical appeals, and emotionally charged diction to strengthen her argument. On the other hand Filipovic also displayed clear
Abortion is not a particularly new issue or practice and is not exclusively concentrated on American culture. The first record of abortion dates back to 2600 BC, where the first abortion-causing drug was produced. Sometime after this recipe was created the Egyptians used it for contraceptive pessaries. This abortion recipe was neither healthy, nor effective; one of the main ingrediance in this very unscientific recipe was crocodile dung. After some time the Egyptians and many other cultures perfected the process of abortion, and in the 4th century AD St. Augustine laid down catholic rights allowing abortion up to 80 days for female fetuses, and up to 40 days for male fetuses. St. Augustine’s decree is very significant in the history of abortion because it is the first time that the church has gotten involved with the issue of abortion and actually gave their own opinion. In 1564, the Italian anatomist Fallopius, founder of the fallopian tube, publicized condoms as a disease-avoiding device. In 1564, Pope sixtus forbad all forms of abortion. Directly after the decree of Pope sixtus Pope Gregory XIV withdraws Pope sixtus’s decree and allows abortions to be performed freely. In 1803 Some time after the Catholic Church’s rain, Great Britain decreed that abortion would now be charged as a misdemeanor.
Throughout this paper I hope women realize that abortions in any aspect is wrong. I also hope that I persuaded people in saying that abortions are against the Bible and that abortion is morally
In addition, the Bible doesn’t mention anything that explicitly condemns abortion. Abortion will not stop. Limiting female access to legal procedures or adequate public health service, will only cause death of females. If abortion becomes illegal or is restriction, it may result in back-alley abortions or unsafe procedures will then, not only threatens the mother 's life, but also her unborn child. Unwanted children are severely abused and often are abandoned, which then will cause a strain on society as a hold. Mishell, Jr., MD, say that, before abortion was legalized in the 1970’s, women would frequently try to induce abortions by using coat hangers, knitting needles, or radiator flush. By restricting proper abortion procedures, put women in
When the topic of abortion comes up people refer to the bible’s sixth commandment “thou shall not kill” and they feel that having an abortion is killing a baby no matter what stage of the pregnancy it is in. People feel that abortion should not be legal. Professor of law at the University of Colorado, Paul Campos said, “Whether or not abortion should be legal turns on the answer to the question of whether and at what point a fetus is a person. This is a question that cannot be answered logically or empirically. The concept of parenthood is neither logical nor empirical. It is essentially, or quasi-religious idea, based on one’s fundamental (and therefore unverifiable) assumptions about the nature of the world.” People have different views on abortion, when it’s acceptable, when its not and some just think that no matter what the circumstances it is never okay. There are people that believe that abortion is only acceptable under certain conditions such as the woman was raped or she got pregnant due to incest. Some people feel that an abortion acceptable when the woman is in danger. People who are more about the choice of the woman feel that abortion is okay when it is done in the first trimester.