Biblical Interpretations and Abortion Controversies

As stated before, the Bible doesn’t have any clear set position on abortion. All Christian abortion controversies come from different interpretation of biblical passages. Exodus 21:22-25 best shows this possible confliction. The passage reads, “If people are fighting and hit a pregnant woman and she gives birth prematurely but there is no serious injury, the offender must be fined whatever the woman’s husband demands and the court allows. But if there is serious injury, you are to take life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise.” A pro-life Christian could form the position that by causing the premature birth, and probable death, of an infant, there are

The Code of Canon 1398, a legal principle created and enforced by the church hierarchy, beginning in 1983, states that "a person who procures a successful abortion incurs an automatic (latae sententiae) excommunication." Although abortion isn’t mentioned in the Bible, Catholicism has gone to the lengths of excommunicating Catholics for aborting a fetus. While this Canon may represent the church’s position on abortion, but does not display Catholic opinion. According to the Guttmacher Institute, of all religiously affiliated abortions in the United States, 28% of those are Catholic, and 37% are Protestant (broader Christianity). This statistic shows that 65% of religiously affiliated abortions in the United States are Christian. If Canon 1398 in Catholicism states that abortion leads to excommunication, how are all of these Catholic women not getting excommunicated? Most keep it secret, but abortion is also a reserved sin. A reserved sin means that bishops have permission to forgive the sin. Pope Francis has witnessed firsthand all the pain that these abortions cause women. In 2015, he announced that the Holy Year of Mercy would allow priests to offer absolution to the parents of aborted

One example that can be seen in everyday life is the wrongfulness to murder. However, some laws don’t agree with religious views or are debated in religious frameworks, such as abortion. Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, and Christianity have set positions on abortion, but the majority of these religions do not specifically state such ideals in the religious scriptures. Instead, indirect evidence from the religion’s scriptures and other religious beliefs must be applied to the case of abortion. The paper discovers that Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism and Christianity are all generally against abortion, however, Hinduism, Buddhism, and especially Judaism, have exceptions that allow abortion. These typically include health risks that could inflict damage on the mother. In modern times, Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, and Christianity have made slight modifications that seem contradictory to their positions. Depending on the culture, many Hindus are participating in sex-selective abortions, while Buddhists have created a ceremony called Mizuko Kuyo for unborn or deceased children. In the more western religions, Conservative Judaism have expanded the boundaries of abortion with the Committee of Jewish Laws and Standards, and the Catholic denomination of Christianity has designated this Holy year to allow priests to offer absolution for parents who have aborted a