​

​

​

​

 

Christianity and abortion has a long and complex history, and there are a variety of positions taken by contemporary Christian denominations on the topic.

​

Protestant Christianity

Many Protestant and Evangelical Christians are against abortion. In Northern Ireland, Catholics and Protestants have united against abortion. However, some denominations are more pro-abortion. The Church of England states that the unborn child is alive and created by God. However, the Church of England also believes that abortion is sometimes morally acceptable such as when a baby is suffering from a serious disability. (Anglican website)

​

Catholic Christianity

The Catholic Church opposes abortion because it believes that life is sacred and inviolable. In 1995, Pope John Paul II wrote an encyclical letter called Evangelium Vitae (the Gospel of Life) in which he spoke of "the sacred value of human life from its very beginning" and of the struggle between the Culture of Life and the Culture of Death.

 

For all Christians, human life is sacred and is a gift from God which is to be respected and protected. This teaching is called The Sanctity of Life. The Bible teaches that human beings are created in the image of God and that murder is forbidden. Jesus reminded his followers that each person is precious to God, so much so that God has counted every hair on their head.

​

What does this mean in practice?

Christians understand and apply the guiding principle of the sanctity of life in a variety of ways to the issue of abortion. Within the same church, views may differ. The four main positions are as follows:

• Pro-life - some Christians, including many Roman Catholics and Orthodox Christians, believe that abortion is morally wrong because of their belief that human life begins at conception. They may make an exception if an abortion is essential in order to save the life of the mother (the 'principle of double effect'), assuming all efforts have been made to save the fetus.

• Pro-choice - it is up to the woman to decide whether it is right for her to have an abortion because it is her body. Some Christians believe that a woman has a right to a safe abortion, and that it shows compassion if the law allows this.

• Absolute moral - abortion is wrong in every circumstance.

• Relative moral - abortion is permitted in certain circumstances.

​

SOURCE: BBCBitesize