|
|
This is only a preview of the paper
Click here to register and get the full text.
Existing members click here to login
|
|
|
“An acceptance of the practice of abortion is incompatible with Christian beliefs in the sanctity of life, but not with the attitudes of some medical practitioners and some ethical philosophers. ...
Abortion is when a pregnant woman has an unborn child terminated before birth. The definition of abortion found in the English Dictionary states that abortion is the “induced termination of pregnancy to destroy a foetus. ... Whether the foetus has rights, and if so, how they are balanced against the rights of the mother
Abortion is legal in most western countries, up to a certain date after conception. The date is currently 24 weeks in the UK, after which, abortion becomes illegal.
Although abortion is legal, the British Medical Association (BMA) has not set viewpoint, no standard to go by. ...
What is not allowed, is for a members individual beliefs to stop them from having an abortion if the reason is judged valid.
This statement from the BMA shows where they stand, “The BMA does not consider that abortion is unethical but as with any act having profound moral implications, the justifications must be commensurate with the consequences. ... Patients are, however, entitled to receive objective medical advice regardless of their doctor’s personal views for or against abortion. ... ”
In order to be given a legal abortion, a woman must get the sanction of two doctors, but some people, mainly pro-choice feminists, ask why a woman must ask a doctors permission.
Some doctors take the utilitarian approach to abortion, as stated by John Stuart Mill and Jeremy Bentham, which works on the principal of, “the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people”. ... Or that a young teenager would have a higher quality of life if her education were completed.
Unfortunately Utilitarianism is extremely weak on this area, as it is impossible to judge the happiness a child will bring throughout the course of his life, which may be more than 70 years. ... In this way it is similar to Utilitarianism, but it differs in that people should act in a way that brings the most Christian love, or agape, rather than the greater good. ...
As applied to abortion, followers of Situation Ethics say that an abortion is clearly not the most loving thing to do if the abortion is for a frivolous reason, accidental pregnancy, and simple inconvenience, but admits that in some cases abortion is the most loving thing to do
Both Situation Ethics and Utilitarianism have the same problem in dealing with such cases as abortion - relativity. ... All Christians believe that life is sacred as God made us in His image, Gen1: 26 ‘And God said “Let us make this man in our image, after our likeness”’
The Roman Catholic Church holds this to the maximum, and its official stance on abortion is that it is wrong in any situation.
Approximate Word count = 2098
Approximate Pages = 8.4
(250 words per page double spaced)
|
|
|
|
|
|