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Abortion
Abortion is a difficult
decision for any
women to make,
there are many
cultural influences
which effect the
decision made by the
woman, in many
cases religious
beliefs influence the
outcome.
THE BIBLE AND ABORTION
There is no direct
teaching about
abortion in the
Bible, although
there are
references to the
sanctity of life
which would act
as a framework
within which a
Christian could
make their
decision about
abortion.
 I knew you and
knitted you in your
mothers womb.
Psalm 139
The Lord said to
me, `I chose you
before I gave you
life, and before
you were born I
selected you to
be a prophet of
the nations.’
(Jeremiah 1 :4 - 5)
Do not commit
murder (Exodus
20 :13)
THE DIVIDED CHRISTIAN VIEW
ON ABORTION
Christians are divided
on the issue of
abortion because
some believe that
because God created
life, no one should
ever destroy it,
others however have
different views.
The Catholic View
1.The Pope has
declared that
Catholics should
not have
abortions in any
circumstances as
every pregnancy
is planned.
2.The Pope believes
that life begins at
conception
therefore abortion
is murder.
A foetus is not a
potential human
being – it is a
human being.
Separate egg and
sperm are
potential human
beings
3.Some Catholics
do believe that
abortions must
be allowed in
some
circumstances.
But this is not the
norm.
4. In the event of
either the mother
or the child dying
in child birth the
mother is
expected through
agapeunconditional
sacrificial love to
give up her life
for the baby.
The Church of England View
1.The Church of
England do not
agree with
abortion.
This is because
they believe that
life is sacred and
God given.
2.They do however agree
with abortion in certain
circumstances;
a) if the pregnancy is a
result of rape,
b) if the pregnancy will
endanger the life of the
mother.
c) if the child is to be
born severely
handicapped
3. In some cases
The Church of
England refer to
abortion as
being in some
cases the
‘lesser of two
evils’.
The Methodist View
1.Methodist do not
agree wholly with
abortion they do
however agree
with it in certain
circumstances.
For example;
a) if the pregnancy will
effect the life of the
mother.
b) if the child is to be
born handicapped.
c) Social conditions :
e.g if the birth of
another child would be
detrimental to the lives
of existing children.
Although the
branches of
Christianity have
different views on
abortion, in many
circumstances a
Christian would try
to be guided by the
principle of love.
"Then we developed the drop into
a hanging (embryo), then
developed the hanging (embryo)
into a bite-size (fetus), then
created the bite-size (fetus) into
bones, then covered the bones
with flesh. We thus produce
(Anshaa) a new creature. Most
blessed is GOD, the best Creator."
[Qur'an 23:14]
"Kill not your
children for fear of
want; it is We who
provide
sustenance for
them as well as for
you; for verily
killing them is a
great sin". (Chapter
17, Verse 31)
"Losers are those
who killed their
children foolishly,
due to their lack of
knowledge, and
prohibited what
God has provided for
them, and followed
innovations
attributed to God.
They have gone
astray, they are not
guided." (6:140)
"Say: Come, I will rehearse
what God has really prohibited
you from: Join nothing as equal
with Him; be good to your
parents, kill not your children on
a plea of poverty; We provide
sustenance for you and for
them; approach not shameful
deeds, whether open or secret;
take not life, which God has
made sacred, except by a way
of justice and law" (Chapter 6,
Verse 151).
The name God
chose for His first
revelation was
"The hanging
embryo" 'Al-'Alaq',
Sura 96.
This hanging embryo
stage starts about
6 days after the
fertilization of the
ovum.
Islamic Teaching :
The Qur'an clearly
condemns both the
killing of born and
unborn children. The
first quote is actually a
celebration of God
creating life, forming
an embryo a short time
( a matter of days)
after its conception.
However, Muslim
scholars agree that
the foetus becomes
a human being after
120 days of
conception.
According to them,
the whole period of
pregnancy can be
divided into two
stages:
the first 120 days,
and the remaining
period before
childbirth. Most
traditional Muslim
jurists claim that it is
permissible to have
an abortion for valid
reasons during the
first stage. This is
largely based on this
famous Hadith:
The Prophet (pbuh)
said, "Each of you is
constituted in your
mother's womb for forty
days as a nutfah, then it
becomes an 'alaqah for
an equal period, then a
mudghah for another
equal period, then the
angel is sent and he
breathes the soul into
it."
A modern Muslim female
writer puts it like this:
In Islam abortions are
encouraged only if the
pregnancy threatens the
well-being of the mother.
It is forbidden to sacrifice
the mother's life for the
fetus. Here again the
practice of abortion is
prescribed with
limitations.
The soul in the Islamic
tradition develops after
the fetus moves in the
womb. The
distinction between
movement and life in
Islam is very clear. The
fetus moves, during
the second trimester
(precisely after 120
days of pregnancy).
Abortion, as a
result, is permitted
during the first 120
days, i.e. before
the soul develops.
(By Nawal H.
Ammar, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Kent State
University/Trumbull
. See
Exceptions?
It is a grave sin to
take the life of
children for fear of
want (poverty) as
was the habit
during the period
before Islam in
Arabia.
Neither is it
allowed to do so
for any other
reason unless a
great evil is
caused by the
presence of the
foetus that may
cause the death
of the mother.
Women who get
divorced have an
interim of three
months before
getting married
again.
This is done
MAINLY to see if
they are pregnant
or not.
God then orders them to
forget their own wishes
and plans and respect the
new life created in their
wombs. If the first three
months of pregnancy
were not important God
would have told these
women not to wait and to
have abortion and keep
their life plans as they
wish.
God named his
first revelation after
the hanging
embryo, not by
accident. This
hanging embryo, is
a stage that starts
in 6 days after the
fertilization of the
ovum.
There has always,
therefore, been a
debate in Islam
over this question.
The majority of
orthodox Muslims
(following the
Hanafi school) in
later centuries,
allowed abortion
until the end of the
four months.
According to them,
a pregnant woman
could have an
abortion without
her husband's
permission, but
she should have
reasonable
grounds for this
act.
Most of the Maliki
jurists (legal scholars)
described abortion as
completely forbidden.
In their view, when the
semen settles in the
womb, it is expected to
develop into a living
baby and it should not
be disturbed by
anyone.
According to Ibn
Jawziyyah, when the
womb has retained
the semen, it is not
permitted for the
husband and wife, or
one of them or the
master of the slavewife, to induce an
abortion.
After en soulment, however,
abortion is
prohibited
absolutely and is
akin to murder.
Conclusions:
Some Muslims today
stand by the Qur'anic
commands never to kill
children or - by
interpretation- unborn
children. For them, the
Qur'an's celebration of
life in the womb as an
embryo is enough.
Abortion is a sinful act.
'Take not life, which
Allah has made
sacred...'
However, even for most
Muslims who believe
this, the exception to
this rule is when the
mother's life is
threatened and an
abortion is necessary.
(This exception has
always been
encouraged in Islam
as the mother's life
takes precedence).
The Qur'an
explicitly
forbids
exceptions
like killing a
child for
economic
reasons or for
convenience:
"killing" a
child for fear
of food (rizq).
Many Muslims today
follow the Islamic
tradition (Hadith
and Legal rulings)
and argue that
abortion is an evil
but is permitted up
to 120 days when
Allah 'ensouls' the
foetus. After this
time it is forbidden.