Morals Of Abortion

“The emphasis must not be on the right to abortion but on the right to privacy and reproductive control. ” (Ginsburg). In today’s society, abortion is a highly diverse and debated topic in politics and religion. This paper will show how Christianity interprets and handles the moral dilemma of abortion in today’s society versus how it was handled in the past and how it may evolve in the future.

Abortions have been around since ancient times, the first one dating back to the Egyptian era, around 1500 BC (Gorman 55). Previous techniques of abortion included chemical and mechanical means. Women often ingested poisons that would kill the fetus and expel it from the body. Abortions in the 21st century include removing the fetus limb by limb, cracking the skull while still in the womb, then vacuuming out the uterus to make sure no remains are left behind. Abortions were highly dangerous, yet were still sought out due to financial reasons and the pressures of society against premarital sex. Religions also have had an impact on why women seek out abortions. Women are often ashamed with the sin they have committed by having premarital sex and are so distraught by the thought of facing the church and family that they seek abortions to avoid the potential fallout of their confessions. These are some of the main reason’s women are still having abortions today. Medical advances in the 1800s made abortion safer for women and more available, and because of this, regulations and laws have been put in place. The United States began in 1820s to put laws in place against abortion. By 1965, abortions were banned by all 50 states in America, with the exception in some states of rape, incest, and to save the life of the mother. One of the most altering events in the history of abortion was the Roe vs. Wade decision. On January 22, 1973, the Supreme Court overturned a Texas interpretation of abortion law, which in return, made abortion legal in all 50 states. The Supreme Court’s decision allowed a woman and her doctor to be able to choose an abortion without any restrictions in the early months of pregnancy. While numerous “pro-choice” groups celebrated the decision, conservative Christians, the Roman Catholic church and other “pro-life” groups were not pleased. This decision lead to the start of protest from both sides and now is a huge political topic discussed between politicians and law makers.

There are multiple types of abortions, a eugenic abortion is used to avoid the birth of a retarded or deformed child, social abortion is to help ease the financial burden on a family, and an ethical abortion is for cases of incest and rape. Another type of abortion is referred to as a therapeutic abortion, this is the termination of a pregnancy for the health of the mother’s physical well- being. The type of abortion that draws the most attention is the abortion-on-demand, which is having an abortion for no reason. Miscarriages are considered an accidental abortion, but do not receive the consequences abortion-on-demand does. “Pro-life and pro-choice” groups all argue at what point does life begin, conception, or at birth. A fetus’s heartbeat begins 21-22 days after conception (USNW Embryology 2010). According to the Catechism in the Roman Catholic branch of faith, “From its conception, the child has the right to life. ” Another focus in the Christian faith is early term abortion versus late term abortion. Christianity views abortion as murdering someone whose purpose in life is to glorify God. In Christianity it does not matter whether the fetus is nine weeks old or nine months old, abortion is considered murder. Christians use The Bible as a reference to decide on what is considered life and uses these versus as guidelines and rules on what abortion is and how it is wrong. 'Thou shalt not kill' (Exodus 20:13) is one of the ten commandments that God provided in The Bible. In Christianity, abortion is considered murder and a woman, and everyone involved would be held accountable for the sin. Roman Catholics use the Catechism to also set guidelines and explain consequences for having abortions. The Roman Catholics believe that whoever in the church is involved in the abortion, faces being excommunicated from the church itself. Mother Teresa from the Catholic faith stated, “I feel the greatest destroyer of peace today is 'Abortion ', because it is a war against the child. . . A direct killing of the innocent child, 'Murder ' by the mother herself. . . And if we can accept that a mother can kill even her own child, how can we tell other people not to kill one another? How do we persuade a woman not to have an abortion? As always, we must persuade her with love. . . And we remind ourselves that love means to be willing to give until it hurts. . . ” This quote shows how humans debate the moral dilemma of an abortion. If humans can murder a child in the womb, how can society tell humans to not murder adults.

Abortion’s impact on society goes beyond politics and population, but it effects families and the women who face the decision to choose Many Christians stand against abortions, but there are a number of “pro- choice” Christians. “Pro- Choice” Christians are often referred to as Carnel Christians, they seek Jesus for salvation, but still live in the ways of the world. Carnel Christians are usually new to the Christian faith and are still heavily influenced and persuaded by the opinions of the world. These “pro- choice” Christians may hate the idea of abortion, but still support the woman’s right to choose and believe this decision is between the woman, her God, and doctor. Most Carnel Christians who believe in being “pro- choice” have not allowed God’s message to renew their mind like they should according to (Romans 12:12).

Christians believes very child is a gift from God and because every child is born to glorify God, even if the child is handicapped, his or her life will still have an impact in the world, and therefore deserve a chance at life. Christians believe God has a plan for everything. God may be gifting a family with a handicapped child for a purpose and if an abortion is performed, they may lose the opportunity to experience the blessings from God. More than 95% of abortions committed in today’s society are because the women simply do not want a baby and women often try to justify their actions. Justifications for abortion are debated, there are situations that often include miscarriages due to an accident, maternal aggression, and psychiatric abortion. Psychiatric abortion is often a loose term when trying to justify abortion, it can be easily used to justify abortion in all circumstances. Rape and incest are also argued as being justifications of abortion, only five percent of abortions today are due to rape or incest conditions. The Bible clearly gives guidance to help with these types of cases, Jeremiah 1:5 states, 'Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations. ' This verse explains that God has a plan no matter how the individual was conceived. The fetus is innocent and should not be punished because of the actions of his or her father. God knows each individual before they enter the world, even if it is through a rape or incest situation, they will have a purpose. The women have options, the child could become a blessing to a family unable to conceive, or the mother could raise the child herself. This would allow the child to be born into the world and live out the plan God has for him or her.

As abortion continues to become a more prevalent topic in today’s society across the world. Religions, including Christianity may be facing an evolving future as far as what the beliefs are. Medical technology may advance in the future and make abortions more available and desired, but God has provided guidance through The Bible to help humans make the right morale decisions despite what the world’s influence may be. Future research may include how abortions will impact Christianity and generations to come.