Abortion presented by Lalremruata
TAHAN THEOLOGICAL COLLEGE
2017-2018 Academic Year
Assignment on
Christian Ethics
Introduction
Abortion is the ending of pregnancy due to removing an embryo or fetus before it can survive outside the uterus. According to the Webster dictionary and abortion is defined a miscarry, something misshapen or unnatural. In discussing the religious aspects of abortion, this paper will focus on the Christian and theologian views of Abortion. When discussing the political controversy regarding abortion will discuss the abortion laws in Myanmar.
Abortion
The ethics of abortion turns on several central factors: (1) procreation a potential outcome of sexual activity; (2) the status, value, or rights of unborn human life; (3) the welfare of pregnant women including self-determination of reproductive capacity and protection from physical, mental, and social harm; and (4) the interests of others, such as the father, the family, and the religious and civil communities in the numbers, timing, and outcomes of pregnancies and births. Few deny that each factor represents a value to be respected, all other things being equal.
Biblical and historical resources
Scriptural references to abortion are all but nonexistent. The Old Testament (Hebrew Bible) stipulates merely that if men quarreling cause a woman to miscarry, the guilty one shall pay a fine to the woman's husband. If the woman herself be killed, then the attacker must "give life for life" (Ex. 21:22-23). Other texts, which do not mention abortion, demonstrate the ancient Israelite reverence for God's intimate formation of every life (Gen. 4:1; Job 31:15; Isa. 44:24; 49:1, 5; Jer. 1:5) and hope for descendants (Gen. 15:5; Deut. 7:12-14; Psalm. 127:3; 128:1-3. Clement of Alexandria associates abortion with sexual immorality and prohibits abortifacient drugs (the Pedagogue). Tertullian of Carthage also repudiates abortion to hide pregnancy (the Veiling of Virgins), and counters a charge of infanticide made against Christians by pointing out that they even regard it as wrong to kill what has been conceived in the womb (the Apology). In one ambiguous passage, Tertullian does refer to abortion to save a woman's life as a "necessary cruelty," but his primary aim in the text is to show that the fetus is alive before birth (On the Soul).
Thomas Aquinas did not hold that ensoulment occurs at conception, but, following Aristotle's estimates of time of formation, at 40 days for the male and 90 for the female (Commentary on Book III of the Sentences of Peter Lombard). Aquinas says that one who causes an abortion by striking a pregnant woman commits the sin of homicide only if the fetus is formed. Placing the lives of mother and fetus on a par, he rejects killing the mother in order to baptize the fetus, even though its eternal life may be at stake.
They are interested in the status of the fetus mainly in relation to God's creation of the soul and predestination, with Luther and Calvin holding that both soul and body exist immediately at conception, and Melanchthon that the soul is given by God only after the body has been formed. Although Martin Luther speaks of the child in the womb as having a soul.
In his Commentaries, at Gen. 38:10 John Calvin calls abortion "an inexpiable crime," and in response to Ex. 21:22 he adds that "the fetus enclosed in its mother's womb already is a man." Seventeenth century Anglican and Puritan authors shared in condemning abortion, usually associating it with sexual immorality, and sometimes reviving the distinction between the formed and the unformed fetus.
Abortion and the law
Restrictive or permissive public policies on abortion fall under the rubric of social ethics. The key ethical issues in the legalization of abortion are: (1) whether and when the fetus has a valid moral claim on social protection; (2) whether and when the pregnant woman has a legally protectable claim to decide to abort and to be guaranteed that the competence of abortion practitioners will be supervised; (3) whether certain laws regarding abortion are enforceable and nondiscriminatory and prevent more harm than their alternatives. Those who minimize fetal in favor of maternal rights see abortion as a "private decision" which should not be curtailed by law; those who see the rights of the fetus as equivalent to or approaching those of its mother refuse to accept policies which make its destiny wholly subordinate to its mother's decision.
Feminism and abortion
A central target is the subordination of women within the family and the confinement of female influence to the domestic sphere. Women's role has long been defined primarily in terms of motherhood, and women have had limited freedom in deciding whether or not to fill this role. Christian feminists aim for shared male and female responsibility within domestic, economic, political, religious, and ecclesiastical spheres.
Four Arguments
Four arguments have been advanced by the older theologians in defense of direct therapeutic abortion.
First
It is lawful to accelerate the anyhow imminent death of the fetus somewhat, in order to save at least the life of the mother.
Second,
One can justly assume that in a crisis, where the mother's life is at stake, the fetus would be ready to sacrifice his life, if in this way the mother can be saved.
Third
Placed between two evils one may and even must choose "the lesser one, which in this case is the killing of the fetus.
Fourth
The fetus is an unjust aggressor and may be killed as such in order to save the mother's life.
Bible and Tradition
Different evaluations of abortion in Christian history and in the present arise from different interpretations of the values at stake. Scriptural references to abortion are few. The Hebrew Bible stipulates merely that if men quarreling cause a woman to miscarry, the guilty one shall pay a fine to the woman’s husband. Only if the woman herself is killed must the attacker give "life for life" (Exod. 21:22-23). The NT makes no specific reference to abortion, but does reject drugs and potions which may include abortifacients (Gal. 5:20; cf. Rev. 9:21; 18:23; 21:8; and 22:15). In biblical, patristic, medieval, and Reformation Christianity, avoiding reproduction was seen as sinful, the life of the unborn was accorded high value, women were thought to have few rights of independent self-determination in family or society, and abortion was associated with sexual immorality.
Abortion Law: Myanmar
Abortion is only permitted to save the life of the woman.
Abortion Law
Under the Penal Code of Myanmar, abortion is generally illegal and any person performing an abortion is subject to up to three years’ imprisonment and/or payment of a fine. A woman who induces her own abortion is subject to the same penalties. However, a pregnancy may be legally terminated in good faith to save the life of the pregnant woman.
Method of Abortion
Abortion is a very significant issue from the Christian view of life. There are several irresponsible feticides and abortions. People detect the gender and 'kill off' the female foetus. There are clinics run legally and illegally to do this procedure. It is aIso done in the guise of Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP). Following are the methods of abortion -
a) Dilanon and Curettage
b) Suction Method
c) Salt Poisoning Salting Out
d) Hysterectomy
Conclusion
Even though the Bible does not mention abortion specifically, it is clear by implication that abortion is murder. The Bible also forbid killing human we can see in Ten Commandments. "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart," (Jeremiah 1:5) appears to show that God has a plan for us all, and abortion therefore goes against God's plans and so is an evil act against God.
Bibliography
Cahill. L. S. Dictionary of Pastoral care and Counseling, edited by Rodney J. Hunter.Bangalore: Theological Publication in India, 2007.
Cahill, Lisa Sowle. The Westminster Dictionary of Christian Ethics, edited by James F. Childress and John Macquarie .Philadelphia: The Westminster press, 1973.
International Campaign for Women’s Right to safe Abortion, 13 Oct
2017<https://www.womenonwaves.org/en/page/4884/abortion-law--Myanmar> (July 9, 2018).
Stephen, M. Introduction Christian Ethics. Delhi: ISPCK press, 2003.
2017-2018 Academic Year
Assignment on
Christian Ethics
Topic: Abortion
Presented to:Miss Vanengthangi Preseted by:Lalremruata (B.Th IV)Introduction
Abortion is the ending of pregnancy due to removing an embryo or fetus before it can survive outside the uterus. According to the Webster dictionary and abortion is defined a miscarry, something misshapen or unnatural. In discussing the religious aspects of abortion, this paper will focus on the Christian and theologian views of Abortion. When discussing the political controversy regarding abortion will discuss the abortion laws in Myanmar.
Abortion
The ethics of abortion turns on several central factors: (1) procreation a potential outcome of sexual activity; (2) the status, value, or rights of unborn human life; (3) the welfare of pregnant women including self-determination of reproductive capacity and protection from physical, mental, and social harm; and (4) the interests of others, such as the father, the family, and the religious and civil communities in the numbers, timing, and outcomes of pregnancies and births. Few deny that each factor represents a value to be respected, all other things being equal.
Biblical and historical resources
Scriptural references to abortion are all but nonexistent. The Old Testament (Hebrew Bible) stipulates merely that if men quarreling cause a woman to miscarry, the guilty one shall pay a fine to the woman's husband. If the woman herself be killed, then the attacker must "give life for life" (Ex. 21:22-23). Other texts, which do not mention abortion, demonstrate the ancient Israelite reverence for God's intimate formation of every life (Gen. 4:1; Job 31:15; Isa. 44:24; 49:1, 5; Jer. 1:5) and hope for descendants (Gen. 15:5; Deut. 7:12-14; Psalm. 127:3; 128:1-3. Clement of Alexandria associates abortion with sexual immorality and prohibits abortifacient drugs (the Pedagogue). Tertullian of Carthage also repudiates abortion to hide pregnancy (the Veiling of Virgins), and counters a charge of infanticide made against Christians by pointing out that they even regard it as wrong to kill what has been conceived in the womb (the Apology). In one ambiguous passage, Tertullian does refer to abortion to save a woman's life as a "necessary cruelty," but his primary aim in the text is to show that the fetus is alive before birth (On the Soul).
Thomas Aquinas did not hold that ensoulment occurs at conception, but, following Aristotle's estimates of time of formation, at 40 days for the male and 90 for the female (Commentary on Book III of the Sentences of Peter Lombard). Aquinas says that one who causes an abortion by striking a pregnant woman commits the sin of homicide only if the fetus is formed. Placing the lives of mother and fetus on a par, he rejects killing the mother in order to baptize the fetus, even though its eternal life may be at stake.
They are interested in the status of the fetus mainly in relation to God's creation of the soul and predestination, with Luther and Calvin holding that both soul and body exist immediately at conception, and Melanchthon that the soul is given by God only after the body has been formed. Although Martin Luther speaks of the child in the womb as having a soul.
In his Commentaries, at Gen. 38:10 John Calvin calls abortion "an inexpiable crime," and in response to Ex. 21:22 he adds that "the fetus enclosed in its mother's womb already is a man." Seventeenth century Anglican and Puritan authors shared in condemning abortion, usually associating it with sexual immorality, and sometimes reviving the distinction between the formed and the unformed fetus.
Abortion and the law
Restrictive or permissive public policies on abortion fall under the rubric of social ethics. The key ethical issues in the legalization of abortion are: (1) whether and when the fetus has a valid moral claim on social protection; (2) whether and when the pregnant woman has a legally protectable claim to decide to abort and to be guaranteed that the competence of abortion practitioners will be supervised; (3) whether certain laws regarding abortion are enforceable and nondiscriminatory and prevent more harm than their alternatives. Those who minimize fetal in favor of maternal rights see abortion as a "private decision" which should not be curtailed by law; those who see the rights of the fetus as equivalent to or approaching those of its mother refuse to accept policies which make its destiny wholly subordinate to its mother's decision.
Feminism and abortion
A central target is the subordination of women within the family and the confinement of female influence to the domestic sphere. Women's role has long been defined primarily in terms of motherhood, and women have had limited freedom in deciding whether or not to fill this role. Christian feminists aim for shared male and female responsibility within domestic, economic, political, religious, and ecclesiastical spheres.
Four Arguments
Four arguments have been advanced by the older theologians in defense of direct therapeutic abortion.
First
It is lawful to accelerate the anyhow imminent death of the fetus somewhat, in order to save at least the life of the mother.
Second,
One can justly assume that in a crisis, where the mother's life is at stake, the fetus would be ready to sacrifice his life, if in this way the mother can be saved.
Third
Placed between two evils one may and even must choose "the lesser one, which in this case is the killing of the fetus.
Fourth
The fetus is an unjust aggressor and may be killed as such in order to save the mother's life.
Bible and Tradition
Different evaluations of abortion in Christian history and in the present arise from different interpretations of the values at stake. Scriptural references to abortion are few. The Hebrew Bible stipulates merely that if men quarreling cause a woman to miscarry, the guilty one shall pay a fine to the woman’s husband. Only if the woman herself is killed must the attacker give "life for life" (Exod. 21:22-23). The NT makes no specific reference to abortion, but does reject drugs and potions which may include abortifacients (Gal. 5:20; cf. Rev. 9:21; 18:23; 21:8; and 22:15). In biblical, patristic, medieval, and Reformation Christianity, avoiding reproduction was seen as sinful, the life of the unborn was accorded high value, women were thought to have few rights of independent self-determination in family or society, and abortion was associated with sexual immorality.
Abortion Law: Myanmar
Abortion is only permitted to save the life of the woman.
Abortion Law
Under the Penal Code of Myanmar, abortion is generally illegal and any person performing an abortion is subject to up to three years’ imprisonment and/or payment of a fine. A woman who induces her own abortion is subject to the same penalties. However, a pregnancy may be legally terminated in good faith to save the life of the pregnant woman.
Method of Abortion
Abortion is a very significant issue from the Christian view of life. There are several irresponsible feticides and abortions. People detect the gender and 'kill off' the female foetus. There are clinics run legally and illegally to do this procedure. It is aIso done in the guise of Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP). Following are the methods of abortion -
a) Dilanon and Curettage
b) Suction Method
c) Salt Poisoning Salting Out
d) Hysterectomy
Conclusion
Even though the Bible does not mention abortion specifically, it is clear by implication that abortion is murder. The Bible also forbid killing human we can see in Ten Commandments. "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart," (Jeremiah 1:5) appears to show that God has a plan for us all, and abortion therefore goes against God's plans and so is an evil act against God.
Bibliography
Cahill. L. S. Dictionary of Pastoral care and Counseling, edited by Rodney J. Hunter.Bangalore: Theological Publication in India, 2007.
Cahill, Lisa Sowle. The Westminster Dictionary of Christian Ethics, edited by James F. Childress and John Macquarie .Philadelphia: The Westminster press, 1973.
International Campaign for Women’s Right to safe Abortion, 13 Oct
2017<https://www.womenonwaves.org/en/page/4884/abortion-law--Myanmar> (July 9, 2018).
Stephen, M. Introduction Christian Ethics. Delhi: ISPCK press, 2003.
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