Abortion
What is abortion?
Abortion is the deliberate terminating of a foetus inside the womb before it is viable.
Give two situations in which abortion is legal in Britain
Abortion is legal in Britain if there is concern that the woman could die, or that there is a risk to
the woman’s physical or mental health.
‘It is right to abort an unwanted baby.’ What do you think? Explain your opinion
I disagree with the above statement because religious believers would use the Sanctity of Life
argument to express their views, including adoption or fostering as moral alternatives. Religious
believers against abortion could use Jeremiah 1:5: ‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew
you, and before you were born I consecrated you’ to support their arguments. However, other
religious believers accept abortion in some circumstances, such as rape or incest or a serious
threat to the mother’s health, as it is viewed as the ‘lesser of two evils’.
However, Pro-Choice groups would argue that the woman carries and gives birth to the
child; therefore, she should decide whether to keep it. In addition to this, Pro-Choice groups
believe that circumstances are important; for example, if the woman was raped at a young age
with the rest of her life ahead of her, and the rape culminates into a pregnancy, the young woman
should consider abortion. Furthermore, Pro-Choice argue that adoption is not easy as the mother
becomes attached to the child.
Pro-Life groups argue that abortion is wrong and constitutes murder. In addition to this,
Pro-Life groups believe that life begins at conception and that any attempt to end that life is
wrong. Furthermore, Pro-Life argue that depression and guilt could follow an abortion, and that
abortion is not just a way of avoiding responsibility for getting pregnant; moreover, the quality of
an unborn child’s life cannot be decided on the grounds of possible defects such as a cleft lip, as
disabled people can lead full and happy lives. Unwanted children can also be adopted or fostered
into a loving family. In addition, Pro-Life argues that each person is unique and we should not
end that.
In conclusion, I do not agree with the above statement because religious believers would
use the Sanctity of Life argument to express their views, including adoption as an example as a
moral alternative. Religious believers against abortion could use Jeremiah 1:5 to support their
arguments. However, other religious believers accept abortion in some circumstances, such as
rape. Pro-Choice groups would argue that the woman carries and gives birth to the child;
therefore, she should decide whether to keep it. In addition to this, Pro-Choice groups believe
that circumstances are important; for example, if the woman was raped at a young age, the young
woman should consider abortion.
Pro-Life groups argue that abortion is wrong and constitutes murder. In addition to this,
Pro-Life groups believe that life begins at conception— any attempt to end that life is wrong.
Furthermore, Pro-Life argue that depression and guilt could follow an abortion. Moreover, the
quality of an unborn child’s life cannot be decided on the grounds of possible defects such as a
cleft lip, as disabled people can lead full and happy lives. Unwanted children can also be adopted
or fostered into a loving family.
Explain why some religious believers are against abortion. Refer to religious teachings in your answer
Some religious believers are against abortion because they believe that is it murder. Religious
believers against abortion could use Jeremiah 1:5: ‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew
you, and before you were born I consecrated you’ to support their arguments. In addition to this,
religious believers believe that life begins at conception and that any attempt to end that life is
wrong. Furthermore, religious believers against abortion argue that depression and guilt could
follow an abortion, and that abortion is not just a way of avoiding responsibility for getting
pregnant; moreover, the quality of an unborn child’s life cannot be decided on the grounds of
possible defects such as a cleft lip, as disabled people can lead full and happy lives.
Additionally, religious believers against abortion would use the Sanctity of Life argument
to express their views, including adoption as an example as a moral alternative. Religious
believers could also use 1 Corinthians 3:16: ‘Do you not know that you are God’s temple and
that God’s Spirit dwells in you?’ to support their arguments; moreover, they could also argue that
unwanted children can also be adopted or fostered into a loving family.
In conclusion, some religious believers are against abortion because they believe that is it
murder. Religious believers against abortion could use Jeremiah 1:5 to support their arguments.
In addition to this, religious believers believe that life begins at conception and that any attempt
to end that life is wrong. Religious believers against abortion could additionally use the Sanctity
of Life argument to express their views, including adoption as an example as a moral alternative.
Furthermore, Scripture such as 1 Corinthians 3:16 could also be used to support their arguments.