Ethics: Religion vs. Abortion

Not every woman was meant to be a mother. Not every couple is meant to have a child. So what happens when an unprepared couple becomes pregnant? The first thoughts are not to carry a baby to full term for it to be adopted or to grant temporary custody. People look for the easiest way out which is to get rid of the baby. Our society has become so accustom to instant gratification that there are no thoughts that run through our minds when making such decisions. Our biggest concerns are how much it will cost and who will find out. At what point is the weight of this decision realized? When do we realize that we are taking a life? For this specific reason there are people who boldly stand against abortion. Truly children are a gift from the Lord; the fruit of the womb is a reward (Psalm 127:3 KJV). There are many verses in the bible that explains how children are great gifts and should be cherished and welcomed into the world. The church has stepped in to remind us how gracious the gift of life really is. The religious war on abortion cannot be easily defined. Although people are religious and may fear God, the issue is that there are no consequences during life. There is only a threat that people who have or perform abortions will go to hell in the after life. The churches only weapon is excommunication where they limit a person’s membership or exile them from the church. Originally Catholic Church’s position on excommunication was limited to the abortion of a formed fetus. The theory of a formed fetus came from Aristotle's concept of ensoulment which was adopted by Christian philosophers. Aristotle believed that fetuses were conceived in a vegetative or animalistic state and that between 40 and 90 days a fetus undergoes “ensoulment” in which the fetus actually received its human soul. So it was this concept that made abortion a homicide after the 90 period. Church councils usually grouped abortion earlier than the ensoulment with other sex crimes. After 1869