Abortion is a common topic among several religions as there have been controversies surrounding the subject. Specifically, the Roman Catholic church is vocal in condemning abortion and regard it as a vice. The primary argument of those against the act is that human life is sacred and that no one has the authority to take it away. In some situations, such as ectopic pregnancy, doctors may argue that abortion is rightful to protect the mother from any danger and complications that may arise. However, Christians and other religions may argue on the importance and the need to preserve both lives of the mother and the unborn child at all costs. The primary argument why the Roman Catholic church and other religions are against abortion is that it violates the rule of protection of life that only a supreme being has authority to take.
Christians’ Stance on Abortion
The Roman Catholic church persistently condemns abortion, an act of directly and purposefully taking an unborn child’s life. Catholic Christians’ principle is that life is sacred from the time of conception until death and that it is morally wrong to take away the life of an individual, whether born or unborn. The Catholic Church teaches its believers that God is the creator of human life; hence a special relationship with him and there is no circumstance that an individual takes it away (Mavuso & Chiweshe, 2017). The teachings of the Old and New Testament guide Christians in the preservation of human life. The Roman Catholic Church emphasizes the fifth commandment which states that one should not commit murder. Therefore, the primary argument for the Roman Catholic’s church fight against abortion is that it is an act of murder as one destroys an unborn child’s sacred life.
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Over the past years, several teachings in the Roman Catholic Church revolve against abortion, and these go back to the first three hundred years of the church. The teachings of the Apostles, known as Didache, warned against procuring an abortion and destroying an unborn child (Milavec, 2016). The lessons emphasize that women who take medicines to procure abortions are murderers, and further insisted that preventing childbirth is murder. Additionally, the teachings show that murdering an unborn child is killing someone who would be a man. Legalization of Christianity occurred in 313, and during this time, condemnation of abortion continued. According to St. Basil, there was a mandated penalty for murder for those who destroyed the fetus. Furthermore, he stated that those who administered and received drugs that lead to abortions are murderers. In this case, it is evident that the Roman Catholic church has condemned the act of abortion since the legalization of Christianity.
Christian faiths such as Methodists, Presbyterians, and others; apart from the above; uphold the sanctity of the life of unborn children; hence are against the act of abortion. The primary reason for this originates from the Old Testament revelation as shown in most readings. "The word of the Lord came to me thus: Before I formed you, in the womb I knew you, before you were born I dedicated you, a prophet to the nations I appointed you" (Jeremiah 1:4-5). Hence, human life since the conception in the womb is sacred, and no individual should take it away. Several teachings from the Old Testament show how human life is essential since conception. Several prophets such as Isaiah and other leaders taught their followers that life in the womb is valuable. Therefore, the teachings of Christianity on the sacredness and sanctity of human life dates back to the Old Testament.
Furthermore, the New Testament, through the mystery of the incarnation, shows the sacredness of human life. Early Christians, as well as the current ones, believe in the Immaculate Conception of Jesus Christ as they believe that Mary conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit. They believe that through Mary, Jesus Christ, who is the second person of the Trinity, became a true man. Therefore, there is no faithful Christian who would deny that the life of Jesus Christ, who was an actual person, was sacred from the first time of conception in His Blessed Mother Mary’s womb. Another reason as to why Christians believe that life of an unborn child is holy results from the visitation when Mary went to visit Elizabeth after hearing of her conception. In general, faithful Christians’ views on abortion is that no one should take away an unborn child’s life because it is sacred.
Other Religions’ Stance on Abortion
Several religious groups have not provided their stand on the issue of abortion as they do not have any public opinion. For instance, Islamic law “Shariah” does not have a single organization authority that provides its stand on the issue. The absence of a religious body led to the formation of four groups namely: Hanafi, Shafii, Maliki and Hanbali (Ekmekci, 2017). The views of Muslims differ among scholars as to when life begins as well as circumstances where abortion is morally acceptable. The difference in Islamic ethics on abortion depends on the opinion on when the fetus should be considered alive. Most authorities argue that it takes one hundred and twenty days after conception for ensoulment of a fetus; hence abortion before those days is considered as ethical (Ekmekci, 2017). Hanafi argues that abortion is acceptable in the first trimester. However, other schools consider abortion as unallowable on the argument that the formation of a fetus to be an ongoing reflection of God’s creative purpose. Therefore, the Islamic religion does not have uniformity on their stance on abortion because of the differences in the stages before ensoulment.
The Moral Case for Abortion
The Roman Catholic Church has a firm stand regarding the topic of abortion and provides no room for the act. However, several religious groups have different views on the subject and offers various exceptions for the act. There have been debates in several countries on whether abortion should be legal. Those in favor of it argue that it is essential that every woman gets a right to decide on the future of their pregnancy based on their conscience o situations surrounding them (Goldbeck-Wood, 2017). For instance, some women may not in a position to provide for their child a better life; hence will prefer abortion. Those in support of abortion also argue that it is a means of birth control in modern society especially in cases of unplanned pregnancies. Furthermore, others argue that there is a need to allow women to exercise reproductive choice because of changes in external environmental factors such as political, social, economic, and legal issues Goldbeck-Wood, 2017). Finally, supporters of abortion argue that it is an essential part of women’s reproductive health care; hence they have a right to access supportive services. Therefore, regardless of the religious stand, abortion depends on one’s moral and ethics.
Conclusion
In conclusion, several controversies and arguments surround abortion. The Roman Catholic Church condemns abortion on the basis that human life is sacred and should be respected from conception. However, other Christian faiths support abortion rights and only allow for the act under extreme situations such as when the mother’s health is in danger. Other religious groups’ views on abortion such as Islam differ because of a lack of a single authority that represents them. As a result, they do not give a public opinion or stance on the topic because of the differences in views. Generally, an individual’s ethics and morals affect their stance on abortion regardless of their religious affiliation.
References
Craigie, P. C., Kelley, P., & Drinkard, J. F. (2018). Jeremiah 1-25 (Vol. 26). Zondervan.
Ekmekci, P. E. (2017). Abortion in Islamic ethics, and how it is perceived in Turkey: A secular,
Muslim country. Journal of religion and health , 56 (3), 884-895.
Goldbeck-Wood, S. (2017). The Moral Case for Abortion. J Fam Plann Reprod Health
Care , 43 (1), 69-69.
Mavuso, J. M. J. J., & Chiweshe, M. T. (2017). Good Catholics: The battle over abortion in the
Catholic Church Patricia Miller.
Milavec, A. (2016). The Didache: Text, translation, analysis, and commentary . Liturgical Press.
