Abortion, Gentic Editing, And IVF (pg 313-318) Flashcards
Abortion
A termination of pregnancy
Christianity teaches that…
Life begins at contraception
As soon as the sperm meets the egg, the fertilised is a sacred God-given life
People think that fertilisation isn’t a good point to mark the beginning of life because…
70% of fertilised eggs do not become implanted in a woman’s womb, and 25% of those that do are lost naturally via a miscarriage
Rights of a foetus
Some people think that a foetus’s rights should increase as it develops
Others think that only after the moment of birth does the baby have its rights
Most Christians are…
Pro-life (against abortions)
The Catholic Church believes that abortion…
Is never acceptable
It does however accept that it’s ok if done to save the mother’s life
They believe the foetus is a human being from the moment of contraception
The Church of England believes that abortions…
Can be justified in certain situations, such as if the mother’s life are in danger, or the foetus is so badly disabled that after being born it won’t survive
Alternatives to abortion, such as adoption, are encouraged
Genetic Editing
Adding, replacing, or removing any genetic material
Roman Catholics are against genetic editing because…
It teaches that life begins at contraception, so the deliberate destruction of embryos for stem cells is wrong
The Church of England are more lenienton genetic editing because…
They acknowledge that the embryo hasn’t become a human just yet
Artificial Insemination
Injecting semen into the uterus by artificial and non-sexual means
Beliefs about AI
Church of England:
Conception should occur in a loving sexual relationship, but if that’s not possible then AI is acceptable
Roman Catholics:
Conception should happen sexually, so AI is unacceptable
In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF)
A procedure that has the mother’s egg(s) be fertilised outside of the body and then implanted back into the uterus for development and birth
Beliefs about IVF
Church of England:
Accept IVF treatment
Roman Catholics:
Against IVF, they believe conception should take place through an act of love
