Christianity on Abortion
Generally speaking,
Christianity teachers
that abortion should not be
encouraged and every effort
should be made to support
women through the
pregnancy. Adoption is often
encouraged as an alternative.
There is diversity amongst
Christians over such issues
as when life begins.
However, once life begins,
that life is considered to be
sacred (holy and precious)
because God has created it
and loves it. This is known
as the sanctity of life.
BUT many Christians argue
that the quality of the
foetus’s (and mother’s)
future life should also be
taken into account. Many
Christians believe that
abortion should always be a
last resort but
compassion should still be
shown to the mother.
The Bible contains many
passages which can be used
to argue that abortion is
wrong. These are mostly
found in the Old Testament
and therefore do not come
directly from the teachings
of Jesus.
One of the 10
commandments given by
God to Moses (recorded in
the book of Exodus, chapter
20) states Thou Shalt Not
Kill and this is often used to
argue that abortion is sinful.
Other passages suggest that
all life is planned and
therefore loved by God.
There is no specific teaching
in the Bible about abortions
but there are many verses
that a Christian might use
to oppose abortion. Some of
these are on the next page.
The Church of
England teaches that
abortion is a “great moral
evil” with “very few
exceptions”. However,
under some
circumstances, abortion
may be “the lesser of two
evils” e.g. if the woman
has been raped, the
mother’s life is at risk
or if the baby was going to
be born severely
disabled. In such cases
as these abortions may be
considered morally
allowed.
There are no official
Church of England
teachings on when life
begins so the question of
when abortion is ‘murder’
is a little unclear.
The Roman Catholic Church
teaches that the intentional
killing of an unborn child is
morally wrong in all
circumstances. The Church
accepts that sometimes it may
happen as a side effect of a
medical treatment to save a
woman’s life but it should never
be the intention, e.g. an
operation to save the mother
because of an ectopic pregnancy.
(Doctrine of Double Effect)
The RC Church teaches that life
begins at conception and
therefore abortion is the murder
of an innocent human being.
Many Popes have spoken out
against abortion and the
catechism (series of fixed
questions and answers)
specifically forbids it.
Furthermore, any person
involved in an abortion will be
automatically ex-communicated.
Famous Christians such as
Mother Teresa (Roman
Catholic nun) and Joanna
Jepsom (Anglican chaplain)
have been outspoken on the issue
of abortion.
Rev. Jepsom took legal action to
show that a late term abortion (28
weeks) had been unlawful because
she did not agree that the baby
(which had a cleft pallet) should
count as ‘severely handicapped’.
She argued that such views would
mean that she and her brother
(who has Down’s Syndrome) may
well have been aborted.
Mother Teresa used her
acceptance speech for the Nobel
Peace Prize in 1979 as an
opportunity to speak out against
abortion. She argued that it was a
selfish action and showed a lack of
love. She believed abortion is the
worst crime as it is murder by the
mother herself.
Biblical Teachings
Bible passage
“Thou Shalt not Kill”
Exodus 20
“God created them in his image; male and female, he
created them”
Genesis 1
“Even if a mother should forget her child, I will
never forget you. I have inscribed your name on the
palms of my hands”
Isaiah 49
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before
you were born I set you apart”
Jeremiah 1:5
“You created every part of me; you put me together
in my mother’s womb…when I was growing there in
secret, you knew that I was there. You saw me
before I was born”
Psalm 139
“He who is without sin, cast the first stone.” John
8:7
“Love thy neighbour.” Mark 12:31
Meaning of Bible passage
This is one of the 10 commandments. Christians still value the 10
commandments as these are amongst the oldest laws given by God to
humans (around 4,000 yrs ago). Using this law, it could be argued
that abortion is killing and therefore sinful. Worse still, in abortions
the life hasn’t even begun and it is therefore a truly innocent life.
This passage suggests that each individual life is sacred because God
chose to create each life in his own image. It could also be used to
argue that any disabilities etc are all reflections of God and cannot be
considered flaws or mistakes.
The prophet Isaiah claims that he was told this by God (i.e. it is God
speaking). This passage is sometimes used to argue that life is so
precious that God will never forget a child that has been aborted, even
if the mother has the abortion feels no guilt or remorse.
The prophet Jeremiah claims that he was told this by God (i.e. it is
God speaking). The second passage is the Psalmist addressing God.
The passages suggest that God knows each human that he creates and
has a purpose for them in life. They can be used to argue that all
humans, whether disabled or the product of rape, have had their
whole life planned by God and have a purpose to fulfil.
Furthermore, the Jeremiah passage suggests that God knows each
person from the moment of – or even before – conception and can be
used to support the claim that this is where life truly begins.
These two verses are sometimes used to support a woman’s case for
abortion. John 8:7 is saying that no one is perfect and others should
not judge someone or less they themselves are perfect. Mark 12:31
encourages people to show compassion for those around them.