Introduction
“Among the issues of today that are conflict-ridden and inflammatory, none is so great as the battle over abortion. It has increased over the years, and seems it will become even greater in the days ahead (Stoll, 1994-2007)”.
Main text
Two warring movements the “pro-life” and the “pro-choice” endlessly voice out their support on each ideal. The “pro-lifers” (Robinson, 2007) feel that abortion should be restricted to special cases or prohibited completely. They believe that human life begins at conception. Thus abortion murders a baby. Many of them promote support services for women in crisis pregnancies and or seek legal restrictions on abortion. While “pro-choicers” believe that each woman should be free to follow their own ethical beliefs concerning the termination or continuation of pregnancy. They believe that human life begins later in pregnancy. They promote better comprehensive birth control education in schools and greater access to contraceptives.
Even Christians are divided over how to address the issue from the Biblical perspective. We know that Christians are composed of three congregations: the Protestants, Roman Catholics, and Those who believe in the Bible, it is clear that the Bible is straightforward on life, that is that God is the giver of life, and the taker away of life. Only God has the authority over the creative act and its demise. Anything less than this principle is against Biblical injunctions.
In countries like the United States, pro-life and pro-choice are both powerful and active. Pro-life groups are particularly active at the state level and have successfully influenced legislators into creating many laws that restrict abortion. In Canada, pro-life movement has lost most of its funding after some groups started to harass abortion providers in the vicinity of their homes. They also terrorized the families and neighbors of the providers.
However, in Australia, the FPWA a pro-choice organization supports women’s right to safe, legal and affordable abortion and believes that appropriate medical services for advice on pregnancy and for the provision of termination of pregnancy are essential components of effective health services for women. They believe that surgical termination performed by qualified health professionals should be removed from criminal code in all states and territories of Australia. In May 1998 an Act to amend the abortion laws in both the WA Health Act and the Criminal Code was passed, and Western Australian women can now safely and legally obtain an abortion without the threat of prosecution (FPWA, 2007).We are aware that there are many conflicting beliefs about abortion.
A minority of public believes that a woman should be free to terminate her pregnancy at any stage and for any reason that she feels to be valid. Some feel that she should be able to choose to terminate the life of the pre-embryo, embryo, or fetus for any reason up to a certain point in gestation but not afterward.
Some would only allow legal abortions in one or more of the following situations:
If an abortion is needed to save the life of the woman; to prevent the woman from experiencing permanent disability; to prevent the woman from having serious health problems; when the fetus is so malformed that the woman will only live after a matter of hours after; when the fetus has chromosomes abnormality that cause Down Syndrome; where the pregnancy was the result of rape or incest. There is a small minority that believes that abortions should be banned, even if needed to save the life of the mother.
We all know people are held back from murder at times only by the law and force. Abortion is murder in which the government does not intervene and we all know it…some of us don’t even care. We all know the issue isn’t that the woman’s life might be at risk (Joffe, 2008). Women who experience subsequent emotional problems tend to be those who were coerced into the operation. Some women, particularly young and older women, are pressured by partners, family and the medical profession to have an abortion. If a woman wants to have the child, or feels unsure about her pregnancy, a coerced abortion can result in a negative emotional outcome for her, including long-lasting grief, depression, anxiety and guilt (Abortion: Emotional Issues, May2006).
Now in order for us to come to a proper conclusion, I believe the Biblical principles that are plain and clear must be considered. While it is true that non-Christians do not accept the moral imperatives of the Bible except as it may affect them selfishly. She may be wrong according to the principle, but it is still her choice. Mankind can legislate morality but he cannot legislate righteousness. That has to come from within the individual out of conviction. The law legislates that a person should not lie and cheat, but people choose to do those things every day. Thus, it is also true of a woman seeking an abortion; she makes an abortion out of her personal will.
For Christians to impose Biblical principles upon a non-Christian, especially on such an emotionally loaded situation as abortion, and to try to stop her through protesting, is not the way to go about it.
God’s laws are holy and righteous they are also absolute and equal. He does not put sins on a vertical plain with some worse than others, but on a horizontal plain; lying, abortion, cheating, greed, are all equally wrong in His sight. Therefore, as to abortion, we need to withdraw from protests, placards, etc., and work at persuading people who choose as to the moral wrongness against God by virtue of their choices.
“There is an old saying that says: the good often becomes an enemy of the best. It is good that a person refuses to abort, but when a woman has an abortion we should not allow our abhorrence of that to overcome what is best, by setting an example of Christian behaviors, love and helpfulness before others (Stoll, 1994)”.
To quote The Tribunal of the Holy Office ruled on 1894-May 28 and 1889-Aug-19 that: “It cannot be safely taught in Catholic schools that it is lawful to perform any surgi-
cal operation which is directly destructive of the life of the fetus or the mother. The fertilized ovum, pre-embryo, embryo, and fetus are considered by the church to be full human persons. Thus they have an equal right to its life with its mother, therefore neither the mother, nor medical practitioner, nor any human being whatever can lawfully take that life away (Robinson, 2007)”.
The State cannot give such right to the physician, for it has not itself the right to put an innocent person to death. No matter how desirable it might seem to be at times to save the life of the mother. Common teachings and all nations accepts the saying, that evil is never to be done that good may come of it; or which is same thing, that’s a good end cannot justify a bad means (Robinson, 2007).
The Catholic Church regards the fifth of the Ten Commandments (“Thou shalt not kill”) as governing in most instances where the life of an embryo or fetus is artificially and directly terminated.
An author in Touchstones Magazine wrote: There are no cases in which the Church condones abortion, the act is murder, and it is always murder, and there are no circumstances, whatever, in which murder is a legitimate moral option. The deliberate, directly intended killing of innocent life is a sin that screams to heaven for vengeance, in all circumstances, and with no exceptions.
Among important issues involving the dignity of human life, abortion necessarily plays a central role. Abortion, the direct killing of an innocent human being, is always immoral, its victims are the most vulnerable and defenseless members of the human family.
Summary
Abortion should not even be considered a dilemma. Abortion is essentially the murder of a child that was only conceived because of a decision that was made out of selfishness. Woman who has an abortion show immaturity, they know the consequences of the dirty deed, so why do it if they aren’t ready for a child or don’t ever want one? (holly@finditt’s, 2007).
When a woman chooses to have an abortion, the unborn child is killed. Different methods can be used but the end result is always the same. The government should ban all methods of abortion and for no reason should any woman be allowed to have one. Some women argue that it is their right, their choice, to have an abortion, but abortion is murder and murder is a criminal act that is punishable by law.
Works Cited
Abortion: The Central Pro-Life Issue. (1996-2008). St. Anthony Messenger Editorial. Web.
Abortion. (2007). Sexual Health Services. Family Planning Association of WA (Inc.). Web.
holly@finditt’s. (2007). Abortion: Unsolvable Dilemma? Web.
Joffe, C. (2008). The Republican Candidates’ Abortion Problem. RH Realty Check. University of California. Web.
Robinson, B.A. (1997-2007). Current Church Policy. Current Roman Catholic Teaching. Religious Tolerance.org. Web.
Stoll, J.H. (1994). Abortion: The Issue That Won’t Go Away. Leadership U. Web.