Abortion And Church Essay, Research Paper

Scott Noerr

Genesis and Evolution

Dr. Margaret Grey Towne

February 13, 2001

The Beliefs and Actions, Past and Present, on Church and Abortion

For as long as there has been recorded history, there have been recordings of the procedure now known as abortion. The Bible appears to be silent on the topic, which is of no support to Christian groups, especially Catholics, who believe that abortion is a mortal sin. In his book, “The Morality of Abortion: Legal and Historical Perspectives,” John T. Noonan (1970) states that “The Old Testament has nothing to say on abortion” (6). John Connery (1977) agrees with Noonan in his book “Abortion: The development of the Roman Catholic Perspective” where he writes, “If anyone expects to find an explicit condemnation of abortion in the New Testament, he will be disappointed. The silence of the New Testament regarding abortion surpasses even that of the Old Testament” (34). This is a difficult silence to understand when one considers the fact that abortions were widely practiced during the New Testament era in the Middle East. There were few recorded legal prohibitions against abortion in antiquity, and even fewer ancient laws protecting the practice (Gilbert 1).

Although abortion was not a big issue at the time, infanticide, or killing the baby outside the womb after delivery, was a prominent subject of debate, much like abortion is today (1). At the time, this seemed to be a safer way to deal with an unwanted pregnancy. Both Hippocrates, the “father of modern medicine” and Soranos, the “Greatest of the ancient gynecologist,” both opposed abortion, but their reasons for opposition are unclear and could have been for either the protection of the mother or the fetus (1). The more sophisticated medical methods for abortions became, the more they were met with criticism, because they were more common and less secretive. The Catholic Church, which still today is extremely anti-abortion, felt compelled to condemn the practice rather early. For much of their history, Catholics viewed abortions performed prior to the point that the fetus first moves as permissible and tolerable (Flanders 29). It was not until 1960 that Pope John Paul VI forbade all abortions, therapeutic or otherwise (30). Only surgery to save the mother’s life is morally sanctioned by the Catholic Church (30). By doing this, the Catholic Church believes it is defending the lives of millions of powerless fetuses (31).

Due to the fact that they changed their minds, it causes the main debated in the battle over whether abortion is morally acceptable. At times in church history, the point at which life was thought to begin varied. Some thought human personhood began at conception, while others believed in the Aristotelian concept that life began 40 to 80 days after conception when the soul enters the body (Childress and Macquarrie 2). Today, science shows that although the human ovum, or egg, is alive when it enters a woman’s fallopian tubes, it is not considered a human being until it meets with a sperm causing conception and the beginning of life as a diploid.

Although science an tell us that an egg and a sperm come together to become and embryo and eventually a fetus, it can not tell us whether the fetus has a soul, and has a full set of human rights, or if an abortion itself causes pain to the fetus (ReligiousTolerance.org 2). This is one of the most fundamental and perplexing issues in abortion. Views on abortion vary greatly among Christian communities. The weighing of fetal, maternal, familial, and social goods does not depend on religious opinions (Childress and Macquarrie 4). The doctrines of Christianity on both creation and redemption hold favor in both preserving life and of enhancing its quality (4). Roman Catholics in particular place a high value on the unborn, even early in pregnancy, but are becoming more understanding and sensitive to the problems that an unexpected pregnancy can cause a woman and families (5). Mainstream Protestants vary greatly with the opinions of the Catholics and tend to see each case as a unique circumstance in which it is the pregnant woman’s decision to either keep the baby or abort it (5). Catholics could quell some of their problems if they allowed the use of birth control, which would obviously lessen the occurrence of unwanted pregnancy.

Christianity, for the most part, yields a generally negative view on abortions, but more contemporary Christians are divided on whether it can be justified in cases such as rape, incest, or extreme health risks to the woman (5). As for Judaism, it is believed that the fetus has great value because it is potentially a human life. Abortions can only be done on the terms that the mother would be in grave danger if she were to give birth, and can not be performed because of any imperfections the child might have or any financial stress it might put on the mother of the family. Most authorities do not permit abortion in the even that the fetus is genetically defective or will probably pick up a disease from its mother. The rationale is that even though the child will be malformed, disabled, or diseased, it would still be formed in t he image of the creator (ReligiousTolerance.org 1). Abortions can also be done in the case that the woman was suicidal because of the pregnancy or that the woman was raped. Unlike in Christianity, where there are different beliefs of when a fetus becomes a person, in Judaism there is a defined time when the fetus becomes a person. It occurs when the forehead of the fetus emerges from the birth canal, or, in the case of a breech birth, when the feet emerge from the body (1).

Also, unlike in Christianity, Conservative, Reconstructionist and Reform Jews are formally opposed to government regulation of abortion. They feel that the decision should rest with the woman, her husband, doctor, and clergyperson. Some Orthodox authorities agree with this stance. This varied from Christianity in the fact that although the church might be strongly against abortion, it is ultimately the woman’s choice on whether or not to bring the child into the world.

I disagree with the Catholic policy on abortion. I am very pro-choice and believe that a woman, under certain circumstances, should be allowed to have an abortion with without the fear of discrimination or harm to her, either physical or metal. I would want my wife to have this opportunity as well. I feel that abortions should not be prohibited by laws in such cases as rape, incest, teen pregnancies (under 16 ), and extreme complications that could cause the mother to die. In cases that a woman becomes pregnant simply because either she or her partner did not use protection a woman should not be allowed to have an abortion. If she does not want the baby to keep for her own, she should have to carry it and give it up for adoption. Every child could be given to a family that perhaps cannot conceive, and they would love it as their own.

Many of these situations could be easily avoided today. Of course, hundreds of years ago, there was not an effective method of birth control, other than abstinence. In today’s society however, there are many forms of almost foolproof control. The problem with today is that if the woman gets pregnant simply due to irresponsibility, has the baby, and cannot support it, what does the child have to hope for? Certainly not a life where they will get everything they need such as proper clothing, nutrition, and health care. Perhaps more women, and men, need to be educated on their choices and options before they become sexually active and perhaps pregnant. This could prevent church persecution and the need for abortion.

Childress, James F. and Macquarrie, John (1986). The Westminster Dictionary of

Christian Ethics. Philadelphia: Westminster Press. 1-6.

Connery, John. (1977). Abortion: The Development of the Roman Catholic Perspective.

Chicago: Loyola Press. 34.

Flanders, Carl N. (1991). Abortion. New York: Facts on File. 29-31, 18-20, 219, 51-52,

213, 16, 46.

Gilbert, Jeff. (2001, 2/8). Abortion Perspectives. [email protected].

Introductions. Available: http://www.pottersschool.com/abortion/bible.html.

Noonan, John T. (19700. The Morality of Abortion: Legal and Historical Perspectives.

Cambridge: Harvard University Press. 6.

Robinson, B.A. (1997-2000). Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance.

[email protected]. What the Bible Says About Abortion.

Available: http://www.religioustolerance.org/abibl.htm.