“We [the Islamic and Catholic faiths] share a special reverence for life. For Catholics this is often summarized under the expression ’the sanctity of human life’, which includes respect for the life and dignity of every human being...Muslims fully agree with this…” (Extract from the Joint statement on the Cairo conference on population and development by the American Muslim Council and the United States Catholic Bishops Conference.) The sanctity of human life is the belief that life is precious and must not, under any circumstances, be damaged or destroyed, but respected, protected and preserved. The Catholic Church and Islam have an almost identical concept of the sanctity of life where life is seen as a fundamental gift from their god. The protection and respect of human life has been a very controversial issue and is a matter of concern to the Catholic Church and Islam. Bioethics is one of these issues related to the sanctity of life where this belief is constantly being violated, causing much debate and a need for a spiritual solution. Bioethics is defined as “the study of the ethical, social, legal, philosophical and other related issues arising in health care, biological sciences and from biotechnology” (Healey, J. 2009). Subtopics under bioethics where the Islamic faith and the Catholic Church have some similarities are surrogate motherhood, organ donation and euthanasia. They also have differences in their positions on in-vitro fertilisation (IVF), contraception and abortion. Catholics make decisions about such issues using the teachings of Jesus, the Bible and the authority of the Pope. Muslims base all their decisions on the words of Allah which were revealed to the Prophet Muhammed in the Holy Qur’an, Islamic scholars ...
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...eir basic principle of the sanctity of life truly matter. Although the Catholic Church and Islam have almost identical concepts of the sanctity of human life, each religion has similar views on surrogate motherhood, organ donation and euthanasia but also have different positions on the practices of in-vitro fertilisation, contraception and abortion. These issues have definitely caused some conflict, but “spelled out clearly in the teachings of both traditions is the right of every individual for the true development in all dimensions, social, cultural and spiritual, with justice and equality for all so that every person will have the opportunity to experience the divine gifts of dignity and peace.” (Extract from the Joint statement on the Cairo conference on population and development by the American Muslim Council and the United States Catholic Bishops Conference.)
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.
Christian's Beliefs in the Sanctity of Life Christians believe in the sanctity of life. This means that God
Thou shalt not kill; one-tenth of what may arguably be the most famous guidelines of morality in the western culture, and also the main driving force for pro-life advocates. The argument supporting their beliefs typically starts with the premises that a fetus is a person, and to destroy or to kill a person is unethical. Therefore abortion, the premeditated destruction of a human being, is murder, and consequently unethical. I deny the fact that the fetus, what I will refer to as an embryo up to 22 weeks old, has the right to live. The opposing argument is invalid because a fetus, although perhaps a part of human species, is not formally a person. This leaves it simply to be a part of the woman?s body, whose fate lies solely in the hands of the pregnant woman alone, no different from a tumor she might have. By proving this, the abortion debate then becomes an issue of women?s rights, something that is most controversial indeed. Furthermore, it is fair to question the credibility of many people against abortion because of obvious contradictions in the logic of their belief systems. The fact that this debate is relevant in modern society is ludicrous since there is a simple and plausible solution to this problem that could potentially end the debate for good, leaving both sides satisfied.
Roe v. Wade and Morality. Michael Pearce Pfeifer in "Abandoning Error: Self-Correction by the Supreme Court," states the impact of Roe v. Wade on morals. Seldom, if ever, has a single Supreme Court decision so decisively transformed American constitutional history or so altered the relationship between law and morals - both public and private. Roe v. Wade established within the Constitution a doctrine that has entirely legitimized what had previously been almost universally condemned: the practice of abortion on demand throughout the nine months of pregnancy.
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 Francis states, “May God help us respect all life, especially the most vulnerable.” (“Abortion is a war against children”). Abortion is a highly controversial issue, and the final choice of life or death is up to the individual. However, pro-life should be the most ethical, humane, and healthy choice. Many factors contribute to the choice to be pro-life, such as being ethical and moral, physical and mental health, and varying options other than abortion, for instance, adoption.
This issue of abortion also belongs to larger issues such as religious and ethical. People with the religious background have a set of values based on the Bible and believe that pro-life should be the only stand people take into consideration in order to protect human life and keep the baby alive. The other class is ethical. From this stand people can choose whether or not they believe abortion is the right thing to do and can make their own choice based on their values, regardless of what religion they are. Because abortion is such a widespread issue, it is crucial that we come up with an agreement on what is best and what steps are necessary in getting to that agreement.
Sanctity is an important word. (“ Sanctity: (2) ultimate importance and inviolability.”) It literally means important, but the word sanctity has no true meaning alone. Actually, so does humanity.
In 1990, the number of abortions in the U.S increased in number to 1.55 million a year and remained at this level for about 10 years(NRLC 2). After all this time, it seems that mankind has finally started to realize the dignity of a human person. The Catholic Church teaches formal participation in the act of an abortion is a grave offense and that since the time of the First Century, the Church has declared righteous evil of every performed abortion(Catechism of the Catholic Church 548). The Catholic moral law of the church is that "You shall not kill the embryo by abortion and shall not cause the newborn to perish. God, the Lord of Life, has entrusted to men the noble mission of safeguarding life, and men mus...
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.
Activist say that abortion is murder, having scientist to prove human life becomes real as soon as the fermentation process beings. One of God’s commandments states “you shall not kill”, which is extended to unborn children. Church continues to teach the results or procreation from the moment of the child’s existence including body and spirit as well. Women are apparently conflicted when choosing to get an abortion, feeling psychologically forced to have an abortion, that the people who are responsible for the peer pressure fall on people who encourage the spread their attitude toward sexual permissiveness and their lack of esteem towards motherhood, and not only is the mother of the child being aborted responsible but the father as
Death is something inevitable which all human beings must have to face today or tomorrow, or some part of their life.There are many people around the world sinking their lives in the darkness of dignity. Each and every day individuals all throughout the U.S. are diagnosed with terminal illness. They are compelled to wait until they die naturally, at the same time their bodies deteriorate by their sickness that will eventually take their lives. Some of the time, this implies living excruciating pain ,and that most states in our nation cannot do anything about it legally. People should have the will to live or die as the death of dignity is one of those acts that promotes this behavior , as a result it should be legalized all over the states,
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).
One of the most debated subjects throughout the world is abortion. Abortion is the premature termination of pregnancy by spontaneous or induced expulsion of a nonviable fetus from the uterus (Dictionary). In certain circumstances, abortion could be beneficial for the mother with factors such as: age, rape, financial stability, and complications that could long-term harm the potential mother and child. Women of all ages are entitled to their right to abort regardless of how morally right or wrong it may be. Some people believe abortion goes against their religious and cultural backgrounds. However, other people believe because it is the woman’s body they should be liable to do as they please. Whatever the situation