Making a decision:
Exploring moral, ethical and religious values
This may be the first time you have needed to examine
closely what your deeply held moral, ethical and religious values
are. Some questions that have assisted women to think about what
their moral, ethical and religious beliefs and values are ...
Q. Is the foetus a person?
A. There is no agreement in society when the foetus becomes a person.
Some wide ranging beliefs exist for deciding on this issue. Some people
believe that the foetus becomes a person when conception takes place; others believe that the
foetus becomes a person when
the act of birth has taken place.
Q. Is abortion not the same as murder?
A. For abortion to be murder you have to believe that the prenatal
life is a human person with the same values as someone who is already born
and that there were no reasons that justified the taking of that life. If
you do not believe the foetus is a human person and therefore has less
value than a born person abortion is not murder.
Q. How do the different religions view the question of abortion and
when the foetus becomes a person?
A. Christian beliefs on the
issue of personhood are varied and include:
- When fertilisation takes place
- When the prenatal life has gone through various stages of
development until it more resembles born persons
- When the woman welcomes the life in her uterus and consents
to the pregnancy
- When the foetus is viable and God infuses a soul into the
body, or God breathes into the body of the foetus and it becomes a person.
Judaism is divided on the issue. Under traditional Jewish law, a life is not
considered separate from the mother until its head is out of the uterus.
The different Jewish traditions have conflicting views on abortion with
some supporting abortions in cases of rape, incest or the certainty of
foetal deformity when the mental and physical health of the woman is
jeopardised. Others who adhere to the Jewish faith permit abortion when the
spiritual, psychological or physical health of the woman is threatened by the
pregnancy.
Islam is also divided on the issue when the foetus becomes a person, with
some groups believing that abortion can be performed as late as 120 days
whilst others only allow abortion in the first 40 days. Those who allow
abortion in the first 40 days believe that a foetus is like a seed that
has not yet received the breath of life.
Hinduism
and Buddhism – both believe in rebirth so abortion is not
necessarily a barrier in achieving a higher level of existence for
someone. Traditional Hindus
believe that the soul enters the foetus at the moment of conception and
therefore do not permit abortion except in the cases of rape, incest and
to save the woman’s life. Many
Buddhists believe that consciousness arises at the moment of
conception, and that abortion is killing and is wrong. Other Buddhists
believe that consciousness cannot arise in a foetus until it develops a
brain, facial organs and a nervous system and that the decision to have an
abortion belongs with the woman. Whilst they do not condone any killing they consider that the situation surrounding each pregnancy is
different and no rigid rules can be made about this issue.
Zen
Buddhism emphasises the decision making process rather
than the abortion decision itself.
Shintoism – a religion widely practised in Japan believes that the decision is
personal and that a woman and her priest should make the decision together
with the priest acting as her mediator between her personal concerns and
the will of God.
Sikhism - Sikhs believe in rebirth and that abortion is not necessarily
the end of life for a soul, but they do believe that the purpose of human
life is to have a chance to meet God and that abortion means denying
someone a chance to discover God. Younger Sikhs believe that abortion is
the choice of the family involved and draw on their religion’s ancient
tradition of women’s rights.
Q. Isn’t abortion evil, immoral and a sin?
A. When a woman, through a serious process of self-reflection,
concludes that she is not able or ready to bring a child into the world,
she makes a moral decision. Children deserve to be loved and wanted and
women need to be trusted with the
decision to make this choice for themselves.
Q. Wouldn’t it be better for a woman to adopt the child out rather
than have an abortion? So many couples want children and can’t have any?
A. To force a woman to continue with a pregnancy so that she can adopt
the child out to a couple who are childless is to ignore her right to make
a decision about her body.
Q. Shouldn’t women delay having sex unless they are prepared for the
consequences – pregnancy?
A. Whether you agree with this statement or not depends on your view
of sexuality. For some, having sex is not a positive thing in itself if it does not include an
openness to children. Others may consider sex to be the expression of
love, physical urges or both. When a woman makes a decision to have an
abortion because she is not ready or able to have a child for whatever
reason, she is making a response to the consequences of being sexually
active. Children should be the result of a freely made decision. Children
should not be punishment for having sex.
Q. Shouldn’t the man have just as many rights as the woman to decide
whether the pregnancy is continued or not?
A. Couples in a loving permanent relationship may want to work
together and support each other in making a decision, however it is
ultimately the woman who bears the risks and responsibility of pregnancy
and giving birth, in most cases she will do most of the childrearing and
it is therefore in the end her decision.
Q. Am I a bad person if I have an abortion?
A. No woman can become a bad person for deciding to have an abortion.
If you have considered all your options and have considered all the
aspects of each option you have done everything anyone can do to make a
serious choice. Good women have abortions and they are still good women
after the abortion.
Q. Am I selfish for having wanting to have an abortion?
A. There
is a difference between being selfish and exercising good self care. Being selfish means wanting
everything to go one’s way and being pre-occupied. Being concerned about
yourself and your own development and future means you can acknowledge
your own hopes and dreams and strive to make the decision that is best for
you and your circumstances.
Q. Will I feel guilty after I have an abortion?
A. You may feel guilty after you have an abortion but that does not
mean you are guilty. Before you have an abortion take some time to
consider what influence your parents, your upbringing, your peer group and
your church has on your decision making process. It may be that your
decision to have an abortion goes against what these people or these
groups have told you about what is right and what is wrong. An unplanned
pregnancy is an opportunity to examine these values, ask yourself whether you still hold the same values or not and make decisions about changing or sticking to your values.
The right to consider abortion is yours, no matter what
others may say. If you have decided to have an abortion it is better to
end the pregnancy as soon as possible.
A woman-centred approach to making a decision...
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