A really interesting, serious and emotive subject. I shall follow the tradition above.
vooke
Before you get on DB, what is your position on Abortion
hi mya88,
No abortion unless under strict medical prescription, reason being, the fetus is as human as the mother.
The word abortion is used in different senses, so I'm not sure I agree/disagree with either one of you. I believe in the principle of "double effect" my church recognizes: that is, if taking an action that saves a mother or otherwise helps her in a serious condition results in the pain or even the death of the baby, I do not consider that murder/evil/abortion. So I do support it in those circumstances. But from what I've read on the subject, it's never necessary to directly target the baby for killing per-se as if the baby is some sort of virus/bacteria or disease. It's only that some procedures/medication intended to save/help the mother might be harmful or even fatal to the baby, but the death of the baby is not the targeted goal of the procedure/medication, even though it is foreseeable. So with this exception, I agree with you two.
....What is your church's position?
The closest church I can call 'church' is Presbyterian though I differed with them on many points. I have never read the official position but they are basically pro-life not unlike Catholicism.
My church's position I think is widely known in a general sense, though the technicalities/intricacies are a different matter.
There are laws that govern such issues in the best interest of those affected. What if the circumstances for such was rape......Does your position then change?
No it doesn't.
Neither does mine change. Though asking the woman to bear the pregnancy is asking a mountain of a sacrifice. However, I see the baby born of such circumstances as being as much a victim as the woman forced into that situation. Sad situation whichever way you look at it.
Abortion is not mentioned in the scriptures but sanctity of life is very much there. Debates of when life starts are as old as man. Some like SDAs reckon it starts at birth, I think it starts much earlier, at conception.
Here are the verses I use to arrive at my position
Exodus 21:22-23 (KJV)
If men strive, and hurt a woman with child, so that her fruit depart from her, and yet no mischief follow: he shall be surely punished, according as the woman's husband will lay upon him; and he shall pay as the judges determine. 23 And if any mischief follow, then thou shalt give life for life,
Two suckas duke it out and hurt a pregnant woman causing miscarriage, the offender pays whatever the hubby demands. IF it was malicious, death. This means the unborn is regarded as fully human and miscarriage as murder. For this reason am pro-life.
Flipping the question(s) back to you. Please answer them.
I believe life starts at conception. Only then do you have biologically distinct organisms from the mother/father, and these organisms if uninterfered with, will become you and me. Any other demarcation given to determine the humanity of the baby is arbitrary and unscientific, not to mention immoral. If we don't know when a human life starts, we shouldn't be playing Russian-roulette guessing-games with it.