Abortion and Euthanasia
The Roman Catholic Church teaches that Human life is sacred. Explain how this teaching influences its attitude to abortion and euthanasia, showing that you understand other points of view. ... In today’s society many practices undermine this teaching daily, through the likes of contraception, abortion, bullying, terrorism, war, euthanasia and drugs etc…
You only have to look at recent atrocities in the United States or the increase in advertisements for contraception, to see examples of such practices. ...
When the bible was written, the practices of abortion and euthanasia were not widely available. ... ”
Euthanasia is the intentional ending of a life with the purpose of relieving suffering. Euthanasia can be voluntary (at the request of the individual) or involuntary, (without the consent of the individual). ... ” Romans 5:3-4
The Presbyterian Church chooses to emphasis care for the dying as opposed to practising euthanasia. ... The Catholic Church condemns euthanasia ‘morally unacceptable’.
In Holland euthanasia isn’t illegal, but is only acceptable under certain guidelines; the request may come only from the patient and must be entirely free and voluntary. ... There are no open supporters of involuntary euthanasia, though supporters of voluntary euthanasia argue that it is a humane act as it prevents a dying person from losing their dignity through suffering and it can also be a relief to families, they also say that it is an abuse of human rights to deny a person control over his or her own life. People who oppose euthanasia argue that doctors should preserve life not destroy it under the Hippocratic oath, and that euthanasia presents several dangers to society. ... A patient might request euthanasia simply because they are depressed or put under pressure by relatives. ...
Traditional Christian teaching places the highest value on human life, and therefore condemns abortion. One of the earliest Christian writings outside the New Testament the Didache says this: “You shall not kill by abortion the fruit of the womb and you shall not murder the infant already born.” Views on abortion have changed today compared to the teachings in the bible, mainly because; Christians are often influenced by the society around them as well as by their faith. ... Some Christian denominations today do not give very clear teaching on abortion. ... The Church of Scotland came to the conclusion that abortion has no moral justification and represents the unwarranted destruction of human life that is made in the image of God, but it was careful to say that this was only in the great majority of cases. The general view of the Protestant church is that abortion is undesirable but that it may be acceptable under some circumstances. The Roman Catholic teaching can be explained in the declaration on procured abortion (1974), because it did three important things:
It re-stated the traditional teaching of the church, and pointed out as well that everybody (not just Christians) should have proper respect for human life and human rights.
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