Top Religious Positions About Termination of a pregnancy Explained
There are many different opinions in modern-day society surrounding abortion. Many stem from political parties and their general viewpoints regarding religious beliefs and tax dollars. Others have individualized viewpoints based on their personal experiences. No matter what your opinion is, it is valid and you should stay true to it.
Here are some of the religious and ethical positions regarding the termination of a pregnancy.
The National Library of Medicine, in correspondence with World Med Health Policy, published a study that consisted of interviews with women at abortion clinics. Many women with religious affiliation described how their Church evaluated the act and how they should feel for them. Some expressed how the worst part of an abortion may be the guilt they feel attending Church services after their abortion, claiming they feel as though they can no longer attend or bring their children to Church. Some wonder what will happen to them in the afterlife because of the decision they made.
Here is a more specific look into women’s opinions, broken down by religion:
Christian (31% of the Population)
This section incorporates non-denominational Christians, as well as any religious subsets under Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Anglicanism, and Protestantism. Though Catholicism is a subset of Christianity, they are addressed separately below because they practice with a different version of the Bible.
Job stated, “Did not he who made me in the womb make him? Did not the same one fashion us before our birth?” (Jb 31:15). This quote implies that the same God created all humans, and he fashioned us in his liking before we were born. (This is a quote from the King James Bible. This version of the Bible is rejected by the Catholic Church due to some of its anti-Catholic additives and supposed inaccuracies due to more modernized translations. Some have even accused the King James Bible of having edits in favor of political propaganda.)
Psalm 139:13 states, “you knit me in my mother’s womb,” describing how we were all hand-woven by our almighty God himself.
Non-denominational Christians also abide by the same Catholic Bible verses listed below. And just like many Catholics, there are also many Christians who are pro-choice and believe in every person’s right to access careful and affordable healthcare.
Catholic
Many Catholics are pro-life, meaning they do not support abortion by any means. Here are some of the specific literature verses on which they stake their claim, according to Catholic News Agency:
In Genesis, the first book of the Bible, it is written: “And Isaac besought the Lord for his wife, because she was barren: and he heard him, and made Rebecca to conceive. But the children struggled in her womb…” Bible study on this verse argues that God considered these unborn babies “children” from the moment of conception – not fetuses that could be or would become children.
Other Bible verses that utilize this same argument include:
- “Hosea 12:3: In the womb he supplanted his brother, and as a man he contended with God.”
- “Romans 9:10-11: For when the children were not yet born, nor had done any good or evil…”
Other Bible verses acknowledge that life begins at conception because God purposefully formed each and every one of us with purpose. Verses that coincide with this message include:
- Jeremiah 1:4-5: “The word of the LORD came to me: Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I dedicated you”
- Isaiah 44:2: “Thus says the LORD who made you, your help, who formed you from the womb”
Lastly, there are many Bible verses that explain how murder is a sin. Many Catholics believe abortion is murder, as they believe life begins at conception (see above) and killing life is a mortal sin. The stable belief is that God values life above all else. Some verses regarding this belief include:
- Deuteronomy 30:19: “Choose life, then, that you and your descendants may live”
- Exodus 20:13: “You shall not kill.”
- John 10:10: “I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly.”
The Catholic beliefs on abortion are supported by other pieces of literature besides just the Bible. For example: “…no one can under any circumstance claim for himself the right directly to destroy an innocent human being” (“Donum vitae,” 5). The Donum Vitae was a book published in 1987 that is considered the “Instruction on Respect for Human Life in Its Origin and on the Dignity of Procreation.” It explains the correlations between biological research and the Catholic Church’s views on modern day medicine.
However, there is a dedicated group of Catholics who are pro-choice; they have named themselves “Catholics for Choice.” They argue: “When navigating Catholic teachings on abortion, your conscience is the ultimate authority.” Though this still takes the religious stance of listening to your conscience to know right from wrong and avoid a feeling of guilt, it is certainly a more progressive viewpoint.
Catholics for Choice state that St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Augustine, who were both doctors practicing under the Catholic Church, believed an unborn fetus did not become “ensouled” until later on in the pregnancy. They claim that Catholic popes continued to make the distinction between “ensouled” and “un-ensouled” fetuses until 1917, when the Vatican full ban on abortion was codified.
Muslim (23% of the Population)
Traditional teachings in the Qur’an proclaim that God creates a number of souls and puts them into fetuses to be born and to grow. Therefore, abortion is generally considered murder of a child. Some Qur’an quotes that support the foundation of this belief include:
- “Kill not your offspring for fear of poverty; it is We who provide for them and for you. Surely, killing them is a great sin.” -17:32
- “They are lost indeed who kill their children foolishly without knowledge, and forbid what Allah has given to them forging a lie against Allah; they have indeed gone astray, and they are not the followers of the right course.” -6:140
- “…and do not slay your children for (fear of) poverty– We provide for you and for them.” -6:151
- “Whosoever has spared the life of a soul, it is as though he has spared the life of all people. Whosoever has killed a soul, it is as though he has murdered all of mankind.” -5:32
Muslim values oppose and often forbid abortion, though one exception includes if the mother’s life is in danger because of the pregnancy. Because all life is considered sacred, the mother’s life is valued just as much as the baby’s.
Some scholars believe that the stage of pregnancy when the abortion occurs correlates to the severity of the crime. For example, a very early-stage abortion may not be punishable, but a late-stage pregnancy may be forbidden for any reason.
Hindu (15% of the Population)
Although traditional Hindu sacred scriptures are against abortion, many people who practice Hinduism today have a looser viewpoint. Some even use scripture to defend some abortion cases.
There are opposing opinions regarding abortions and reincarnation. One group argues that an abortion sets a being back spiritually, as it deprives it of a lifetime of potential good karma. The other group argues that, because the spirit will be reincarnated, an abortion does not matter as much to the spirit as in other religious beliefs where the soul only gets one chance at life.
The Hindu principle of Ahimsa is a Sanskrit word meaning “non-injury.” This is an ethical principle in which all people practice non-violence. Because traditional Hindu literature explains that life begins at conception, some believe abortion to be murder and is therefore violent. However, still in accordance with nonviolence, common exceptions include if a pregnancy would harm a mother or if the child would be born with abnormalities that would cause great suffering. In some countries, it is also a cultural phenomenon to abort female fetuses as there is a preference to give birth to sons.
Another opposing viewpoint about abortion includes the traditional value placed on creating a family. This is considered sacred and necessary, and abortion hinders that creation.
Buddhist (7% of the Population)
Buddhists, especially those who live in Japan, often perform a religious ritual after an abortion is performed. Buddhists believe that life begins at conception and that murder is wrong, but in modern-day Japan, abortion is commonplace. There is sometimes a ritualistic tradition afterward that involves leading the unborn child to the land of the dead.
Buddhism is rooted in the belief that each person is responsible for their own individual decisions, so women are encouraged to explore the ethical implications and their emotions on the subject before partaking in an abortion. In 1993, the Dalai Lama publicly claimed: “I think abortion should be approved or disapproved according to each circumstance.”
Jewish
Jewish people do not believe that life begins at conception. Jewish law states that the unborn child is a part of the pregnant woman’s body until, during the birthing process, it takes its first breath of oxygen and the soul is able to enter the body. The Talmud says that prior to 40 days, the fetus is “mere water.”
However, the Torah does prohibit the killing of all human life, regardless of if the soul has entered or not. It says: “Whoever sheds human blood, By human [hands] shall that one’s blood be shed; For in the image of God Was humankind made.” This verse tells us that God made us all in His image, and therefore we belong to him and are simply loaning our bodies for Earthly life. This means that suicide and other means of harming a body are also prohibited, and some consider abortion to fall under this category.
It is important to note that in the Mishnah (traditional code of Jewish law), abortion is permissible, and some even argue it is mandatory, when the mother’s life is in danger. However, once the delivery process has begun and the baby is being born, Jewish law does not permit killing one life to save another.
Besides the act of saving a mother’s life, abortion is not explicitly allowed for any other reason. The Jewish community, as with every other religion, remains divided on their opinions on this subject because of this.
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