Religion and Medical Ethics

Sample answers:

a) Describe Christian attitudes towards abortion. [8]

Not all Christians share the same belief about abortion. Christians do all agree in the Sanctity of Life, that life is given by God and only he can take it. However, Fundamentalist Christians such as Roman Catholics and Evangelicals believe that Bible is totally accurate and that the commandment, ‘do not kill’ is applicable in all circumstances. Furthermore, they believe that life started at conception because this is when ensoulment occurs and therefore having an abortion would be the same as murdering the baby. In contrast to this view Liberal Christians such as Anglicans believe that sometimes abortion is the most compassionate option, for example if the pregnant woman has been raped or if the life of the mother or baby is at risk. Liberal Christians don’t always agree that life starts at conception; some may think that life is life only when it is viable. Therefore this view can have a huge affect on someone’s view about abortion. In conclusion, all Christians acknowledge that life is sacred and therefore do not consider abortion as a form of contraception as acceptable.

b) Explain how a Christian might respond to someone who was thinking about committing suicide. [7]

Christians believe in the sanctity of life and as a result believe that suicide is wrong. However, Christians also realise that someone wanting to commit suicide is a result of desperation and they believe that this desperation needs to be addressed. They would want to help the person and they would show compassion and understanding, they may try to help the person see that their life is valuable to God and they would pray for that person. If the situation was very serious then a Christian might suggest that person speaks to a councillor or an organisation such as The Samaritans to help the person deal with their problems. Christians do believe that suicide is a sin but they would treat the individual with compassion in order to help them prevent committing this sin.

c) ‘Only God has the right to take away life.’ Do you agree? Give reasons to support your answer and show that you have thought about different points of view. You must refer to Christianity in your answer. [5]

I disagree that only God can take life away because people have free will and sometimes people are in such pain that it seems cruel to keep them alive. Whilst I agree that life is special and should be respected at the end of the day people should have the right to decide whether they live or die as it is their life. An atheist would also agree with me because he/she would not believe there is a God and therefore decisions about our lives can only be made by us. However, not everyone would agree with these ideas as some people including Christians believe that life is a gift from God and that it is wrong to end life just because it gets hard. Christians would also say that life is sacred and even when things get hard you are still valuable to God. They might also explain that even if someone is in great pain, their last days of life can be very valuable as they can spend this time saying goodbye to those they love and preparing to meet God in Heaven.