GROUP 2 | CRUZ, DIONCO, MISSION, MONSERATE, TOLEDO
STEM 29
ABORTION: Science, Religion, and Real-world Experiences
Abortion, one of the most controversial issues society faces, has certainly changed how
individuals perceive life. Due to this, various branches of knowledge, such as science, religion,
and even the encounter or opinion of intellectuals, have established their own principles
concerning the said issue. The positions of each field of study on abortion have proven to be
outright intriguing and life changing.
Over the century, there have been numerous accounts of women that have undergone
an abortion. Some have confidently stated that undergoing the said medical procedure has been
certainly helpful to them while others have expressed their unfathomable remorse over what
has been concluded.
For the women who had experienced an abortion, all have said that choosing to make
that decision was never easy because all abortions were never a goal of women in the first place.
However, due to reasons such as economic constraints, relationship problems, young and
unmarried, mental health, and physical health of the mother; they said that they did not have
any better choice than to abort their child. After undergoing an abortion, some of them felt a
sense of great relief, while others felt indescribable shame and regret, realizing that they have
taken the life of an unborn child. As time went on, all of them had experienced great shame and
guilt for the injustice they have brought terminating the right of a child to live. Though some may
have been better at coping up with their grief, all of them had stated that deep within, an
emptiness remains.
When it comes to the opinion of the youth, many choose pro-choice. These people point
out that abortion is a woman’s right because it is her body. There are also other reasons such as
the incapability of the mother to raise her child, the possible threat that a woman might go
through if she will continue the growth of her child, the possibility of her child having a disorder,
and more. Pro-choice states that women should not be forced to not do something just because
of what other people perceive. On the other hand, people who are pro-life point out the sanctity
of life. This is mostly due to their religious beliefs. They view abortion as the act of killing a
voiceless child. They say that it should not be all about the mother, but about the child. If the
reason for an abortion is the incapability of raising the child, then there remains the option that
other parents may adopt the child.
SCIENCE
Medical Science defines abortion as a procedure done to end a pregnancy. The procedure
makes use of medicine or surgery to remove the embryo/fetus and placenta from the patient’s
uterus. Abortion may also be called spontaneous abortion or miscarriage. Miscarriage happens
for varied reasons such as genetic defects or the biochemical incompatibility of the mother and
the fetus. There are also some instances when the fetus dies inside the uterus but cannot be
retrieved which is called a missed abortion.
Abortion is a controversial topic, both sides have their own opinions on whether abortion
should be legalized or not. There have been some claims regarding the effects of abortion on the
carrier and to the fetus itself which is questionable. Some claims by pro-life advocates are the
following: abortion leads to depression, the fetus does indeed feel pain, and that it has a right to
life. Pro-choice, on the other hand, claims that a fetus is not a person therefore, it has no right to
live, and it is not wrong to kill it, in addition, they also argue that the fetus is a part of its mother’s
body, hence, the mother has the freedom over her own body.
As mentioned earlier, both sides have their own claims but looking at it from a scientific
perspective, it is known that science relies on facts and evidence. Evidence should be clear,
strong, authentic, and reliable. According to Baran, Goldman, and Zelikova (2019), abortion bans
that claim to be supported by science are fraudulent. The Heartbeat bill is a law that bans
abortion as early as six weeks into pregnancy. The bill bans abortion once a fetal heartbeat is
detected. But Science says otherwise, as a heart does not yet exist in an embryo at six weeks. In
addition to this, Science would prefer to legalize abortion as this would lead to fewer women’s
lives at risk of illnesses or even death at the hands of unsafe abortion practice.
RELIGION
Roman Catholic Church has disapproved of abortion or the direct and purposeful taking
of the life of the unborn child. According to Catholic Christians, they believe that all life is sacred
from conception until natural death, and the taking of innocent human life, whether born or
unborn, is morally wrong. The Old Testament revelation, which the Church inherited and
accepted, gives unambiguous evidence that life in the womb was considered as sacred. Roman
Catholic Church has consistently upheld the sanctity of the life of the unborn child and
condemned the act of direct abortion.
There are religions that are not in favor of abortion but there are some that have more
flexible rules that made them permit abortion. As for Islam, they divided pregnancy into three
main periods: first 40 days (about 1 and a half months), 40-120 days (about 4 months), and after
120 days (about 4 months). On the first 40 days of pregnancy, abortion is quite flexible, and they
do have a choice if the parents or the mother wanted to abort the child as they are physically or
mentally unable to raise the child. It is also allowed if it is a case of rape. The same goes after 40120 days (about 4 months) of pregnancy as there may be complications to the child that may
prevent him or her from having a reasonable life and to the health of the mother. Lastly, after
120 days (about 4 months), in this period, abortion is forbidden as the child is already given a
soul and it is only allowed if the fetus died in the womb of the mother or there are dangers to
the life of the mother. So, Islam is one of those existing religions that value children but are also
understanding to the factors or the complex cases of being pregnant or conceiving a child. Islam
is a practical religion that is “pro-life,” but not in a sense that completely disregards the individual
circumstances of each mother and couple.
Going back to the Catholic Catechism believed in, human life must be respected and
protected absolutely from the moment of conception. THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT; You shall not
kill; is what they are pertaining to when they said that "killing is a sin." According to the Catechism
of the Catholic Church, the fifth commandment forbids doing anything to indirectly bring about
a person's death. The moral law prohibits exposing someone to mortal danger without grave
reason, as well as refusing assistance to a person in danger. That statement showed their strong
belief that a human being must be recognized as having the rights of a person - among which is
the inviolable right of every innocent being to life.
To sum it all up, even if there are some beliefs about abortion from different religions, it
is considered morally wrong to kill a baby intentionally because by doing that, you are depriving
their rights to live.
Chosen Digital Medium: Video
The group will be administering the online retreat via a short video. Given the nature of
this electronic platform or medium, it is certainly suitable for presentation purposes within an
online environment.
References
Suleiman, O., (2017). Islam and the Abortion Debate. Politics & Practical Theology/ Islamic Ethics.
https://yaqeeninstitute.org/omar-suleiman/islam-and-the-abortion-debate#ftnt_ref8
Saunders W., Church Has Always Condemned Abortion. Arlington Catholic Herald
(www.catholicherald.com/).
Baran, N. & Goldman., G. (2019). Abortion Bans Based on So-Called "Science" Are Fraudulent.
Scientific American. https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/abortion-bans-basedon-so-called-science-are-fraudulent/
Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopedia. "Abortion". Encyclopedia Britannica, 27 Dec. 2019,
https://www.britannica.com/science/abortion-pregnancy. Accessed 31 May 2021.
Grimes, D. (2015). A Scientist Weighs Up the Five Main Anti-Abortion Arguments. The Guardian.
https://www.theguardian.com/science/blog/2015/aug/12/five-main-anti-abortion-argumentsexamined
Head, Tom. (2020, August 27). The Pro-Life vs Pro-Choice Debate. Retrieved from
https://www.thoughtco.com/pro-life-vs-pro-choice-721108
Jubilee. (2019, July 21). Pro-Choice vs. Pro-Life: Can They See Eye to Eye? | Middle Ground
[Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/yRA0KMCEP2o
BBC Newsnight. (2018, May 26). Two Women's Stories of Abortion - BBC Newsnight [Video].
YouTube. https://youtu.be/thXev9aP2p8
Medline Plus. Abortion. U.S Department of Health and Human Services. Retrieved April 22, 2021,
from
https://medlineplus.gov/abortion.html#:~:text=Patient%20Handouts-,Summary,a-
%20pregnancy%20is%20very%20personal