Abortion is one of the most common problems in the modern world. This problem causes fierce opposition in society and includes religious, ethical, medical, social, and legal aspects. The essay is going to discuss the ethical dilemma around abortion and apply Christian ethics to the problem. According to Christian ethics, abortion should be considered the same as the murder of a human being, however, at the same time, there is controversy regarding the presented issue.
Two opposing points of view have developed around such a complex and delicate topic in bioethical literature. Abortion is a purely personal, intimate problem that does not concern anyone except the woman herself, in which no one should interfere (Faúndes & Miranda, 2017). It is simply one of the medical operations, and as with every surgical operation, all problems are solved by the doctor and the patient. In short, this point of view can be said as follows: abortion is a medical problem. The second point of view is the opposite pole: abortion offends a moral feeling. Therefore there is a moral, ethical problem, and a very complex one. After all, before she comes to a doctor, a woman solves a moral problem – the life or death of a future person – and even after she turns to a doctor, the ethical meaning of the problem not only does not disappear but becomes even more complicated. A third person is involved in it – the doctor, and if they do their job, they become an accomplice in the murder.
The main argument of opponents of abortion is the following: the fetus is a human being. Therefore, it has the right to life, so abortion is murder. There are several additional arguments to support this basic argument. Among them are indications that the mother is biologically and socially responsible for her child since he or she is a helpless creature in need of a mother, non-autonomous (meaning unable to survive in any other way). Before this creature, the mother, however, like the father, also has a special responsibility, since it is not a creature alien to them, but flesh from their flesh, blood from their blood. Therefore, there is a biological and moral duty of the strong to protect and take care of the weak (Zulu et al., 2018). As for the rights and interests of the mother, when comparing them with the rights and interests of the child, there is a possibility of an axiological preference for the goods of the latter. After all, no one knows what will become an unborn human being, and maybe it will be the greatest genius.
The fire of criticism is focused on the main argument of the opponents of abortion that the fetus is a human being. More precisely, not on this statement itself, but on the understanding of what meaning is put into the concept of “human being.” It is possible to agree that the embryo is a human being. However, at the same time, it is proposed to think about the question if this means that the human embryo and man are the same. Similar differences are recognized even for the plant; seed germinated sprout and adult plant. Even in the case of the plant, it is recognized that the acorn and the oak are not the same things. And if some farmer feeds an acorn to his piglet, no one will condemn him for this act.
Christian ethics, or the moral teaching of Christianity, determines the moral guidelines of human behavior. Human behavior is based on the Christian concept of the nature and purpose of man and his relationship with God (Thomas, 2016). Christian ethics can be called a theory of Christian action. While maintaining the same basic values, each era and different Christian denominations offer their understanding of specific ways to translate Christian ethical principles into practice. Changes in social reality, attitudes and value systems, assimilation of the philosophical heritage of antiquity, and the development of theology can contribute to further identification and the discovery of the meaning of Christianity moral teaching.
The main difference between Christian ethics and other ethical systems stems from the fact that determines all the main features of the Christian worldview: God descended from heaven, suffered for people, was crucified, and resurrected. It is the actions and behavior of Christ that is an example and standard for his followers (Thomas, 2016). Christian ethical principles are based on the teaching of the Bible as a book that expresses God’s will towards man. As sin can be both an individual and a social phenomenon, so grace can manifest itself in the individual and in society. Christian ethics has a theological aspect – it is focused on the ideal of society, the Kingdom of God, where everyone will live in harmony with God and nature.
Traditional church arguments against abortion rely mainly on non-canonical texts from early Christians, such as the Didache or the Epistle of Barnabas, and the texts of many church fathers, both Eastern and Western (Werpehowski, 1985). Many of these texts compare abortion to murder, and this thesis of equalizing abortion and murder has become the main argument of conservative Christians against abortion and the modern pro-life movement. However, it raises the objections of those who do not consider the embryo as a person, especially since there are disputes in the history of Christianity about when the embryo becomes a person. This question is not unambiguous even for traditional Christian theology.
Another difficult fact for condemning abortion is the absence of any direct mentioning of abortion in the canonical books of the Bible. Neither the Old Testament books nor the books of the New Testament contain any explicit commandment prohibiting abortion. There is one passage in the Bible that is historically considered relevant to abortion: Exodus 21: 22-23. It says: “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” (Common English Bible, n.d.). Although this text in the traditional version refers to miscarriage resulting from fighting, Jewish and Christian traditions apply it to abortion.
However, Conservative Protestants who are part of the pro-life movement offer a different version of the translation and understanding of this text. In their opinion, the text is not about miscarriage but about premature birth due to a fight, which can lead to the birth of a living child, in which case the perpetrator will only pay a fine. If the baby dies, then the culprit, according to this interpretation, should be punished as a murderer. Thus, conservative Protestants defend the concept that the unborn child should be treated like a human being. This Bible text is often used to condemn abortion in contemporary American evangelicalism.
To conclude, abortion has been a critical question among human beings for a long time. However, there is still a lot of discussion and debate around the ethical side of abortion. Christian ethics mostly rely on the text of the Bible, which mentions abortion not directly once only. Hence, there are different interpretations of the text, which leads to varying points of view. However, most of the various flows of Christianity believe that abortion is the same as the murder of a human being. As there is controversy about the issue, I believe it is the mother who should decide the fate of the fetus and act accordingly.
References
Common English Bible. (n.d.). Biblegateway. Web.
Faúndes, A., & Miranda, L. (2017). Ethics surrounding the provision of abortion care. Best Practice & Research Clinical Obstetrics & Gynaecology, 43, 50-57.
Thomas, D. (2016). Better Never to Have Been Born: Christian Ethics, Anti‐Abortion Politics, and the Pro‐Life Paradox. Journal of Religious Ethics, 44(3), 518-542.
Werpehowski, W. (1985). The Pathos and Promise of Christian Ethics: A Study of the Abortion Debate. Horizons, 12(2), 284-302.
Zulu, J. M., Ali, J., Hallez, K., Kass, N., Michelo, C., & Hyder, A. A. (2018). Ethics challenges and guidance related to research involving adolescent post-abortion care: a scoping review. Reproductive health, 15(1), 1-10.