Roman Catholic Churches View On Abortion example essay topic

Abortions are quite common, there are eighty thousand performed each year in Australia. According to the Encarta 1999 an abortion is the expulsion of a foetus (naturally or by medical induction) from the womb before it is able to survive independently. There are two types of abortions one being a surgical abortion, which ends pregnancy from the uterus with special instruments before it is mature enough to live on it's own and the other is a medical abortion whereby medications consumed will end a pregnancy. There are numerous controversial arguments both in favour and against the act of abortion.

Pro-choice are those in favour of women to have the option and right to terminate a pregnancy before foetal viability and later if it is to harm the life of the mother. The main arguments in support of pro-choice: . It is believed it is the mothers right, whether to have an abortion... The foetus is not yet a baby and only becomes one after the mother has given birth, which therefore means the mother will not be killing a baby if an abortion takes place... If it is in the best interest of the mother, then the baby should be aborted...

If the mother could lose her life, then the act of abortion should be undertaken. Pro-life are those in support that all human life is sacred from fertilisation through to the end of adulthood. The idea that some lives are not worth living and believe that we should protect all human life in this instance is rejected. The main arguments in support of pro-life include: . Every foetus deserves and has the right to life, whether it is short or long-lived...

Some religions do not condone abortion and see it as a wrong act... There are alternatives than killing a foetus, such as adoption and family parenting, if the mother does not think raising the baby is in her best interest... The act of aborting the foetus to save the mother's life is considered wrong and therefore the foetus should be given as much right as the mother to live. The role and Responses of Religious Traditions in the political debate of abortion vary depending which religion is examining the issue. Many religions recognise and acknowledge the right for a woman to decide if the conditions surrounding her pregnancy warrant an abortion, but there are many other patriarchal religions which continue to prohibit abortions. The Roman Catholic Churches view on abortion involves the fifth of the Ten Commandments 'Thou shalt not kill' as governing in all instances where the life of a foetus is artificially and directly terminated.

The fertilized egg, embryo and foetus are considered by the church as full human beings, and has the equal right to live as the mother does, and therefore the mother, nor the medical practitioner, nor any other human being can take that life away. For example When a delivery goes bad, and the attending physicians have the choice of either killing the foetus, and saving the life of the women or allowing nature to take it's course, and watching both the foetus and the woman die, the only moral decision in the eyes of the Roman Catholic Church is the latter. Within Judaism, the Halacha (Jewish law) does define when a foetus becomes a person. It is believed that this occurs when the forehead of the foetus emerges from the birth canal, and in the case of a 'feet first' delivery, human life is considered when most of the foetal body is outside the mothers body.

Modern day Judaism, do not fit perfectly in matching the 'pro-life' or the 'pro-choice' points of view. Judaism believe that abortion are not an answer to genetic imperfections, but believe that the abortion may be done to save the mother. In Judaism, there is Jewish law that states that there is an absolute right to life, but there is no absolute right to be born. In the Talmud there is a passage which state that the foetus is considered to be part of the woman, and not a separate entity, this passage states that when a pregnant woman converts to Judaism, that her conversion also applies to her foetus. The Protestant Churches believes in freedom of conscience without coercion from secular or religious authorities. Many Protestant churches have an official position on liberalism on the issue of abortion, although as a continuing debate the position is constantly shifting slightly.

The Protestant Church's views are less reluctant than other Christian variants such as Catholic. It accepts that there are certain situations when abortion is an unavoidable consequence of deciding between the lesser of two evil circumstances, for example accepting that a woman who becomes pregnant after being raped might want an abortion. The Protestant Church has therefore formed 'situation ethics' whereby believers know if abortion in a certain circumstance is wrong. In conclusion, most religions base their moral teachings on the belief of the nature of the foetus, and when the foetus is a considered human life whether it be at conception of the baby or when the mother gives birth. All religions do not agree together on the nature, and therefore is no agreeing decision on whether abortion is a wrong act.