1. RELIGIOUS ATTITUDES
TO EARLY LIFE

2. THE MIRACLE OF LIFE WHY IS A BABY CONSIDERED A BLESSING?
WHEN DOES LIFE BEGIN?
Gift from God
Has a bit of God inside it (Body is a temple of the Holy Spirit)
Not everyone can get pregnant naturally, therefore those who can are lucky
The chance of miscarriage is quite high
This is an important question because once life has begun, a person has rights, these rights include the right not to be killed. We need to understand when life begins so that we can decide when, if at all, abortion can be acceptable.
At conception because all the DNA needed as there are this point
At 3 weeks when the spinal column start to develop
At 4 weeks when the heart starts to beat - traditionally been associated with being alive
VIABILITY
At 24 weeks because at this stage it has more than a 50% chance of survival and can no longer be legally aborted (except for severe disability or harm to the mother)
At birth because at this point it is no longer dependent on the mother’s body for survival. Legally considered a person
WHAT WOULD
CHRISTIANS
SAY?
Christians believe that a life begins from the moment of conception.
AUTHORITY
In the Bible it says
BELIEF
This suggests
CONTEXT
Therefore
Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you
Life begins before birth
Babies are considered to be alive long before they are actually born and as such are entitled to protection

3. IDEAS ABOUT LIFE SANCTITY OF LIFE QUALITY OF LIFE PRESSURE GROUPS
The idea that all life is a special gift from God – it is up to God to give and take life away
STRENGTH
Values and respects all life – recognises that disabled people can live full and happy lives
WEAKNESS
Ignores that some people live with painful illnesses that mean they cannot live enjoyable independent lives
The idea that it is what you are able to do with your life that is important, eg can you do things for yourself, are you in pain etc
STRENGTH
Looks at each situation individually and means that people do not have to have a baby if it is only going to suffer
WEAKNESS
No clear rules to follow, what some people see as a serious disability others may see as acceptable
Jessica Cox was born with no arms yet lives a full and happy life, doing actually more than most able bodied people
Jonny Kennedy was born with an incurable skin disease that left him in constant pain and unable to do most things independently
PRO-LIFE
Believes that the foetus has a right to life because…
1, The foetus can feel pain after a certain point in pregnancy
2,All life is special and everyone has something to offer the world
3, Unwanted children could be adopted
PRESSURE GROUPS
PRO-CHOICE
Believes that the mother has the right to choose because…
1, It is her body that is put at risk during the pregnancy and birth
2,If a child will have a poor quality of life, it is not fair to make it suffer
3, If she has been raped, it could be too traumatic for her to carry the baby
A pressure group is a group that campaigns for changes in society.
Pro-choice and Pro-Life are both pressure groups that campaign for changes in the law to abortion.

4. WHAT WOULD CHRISTIANS SAY?
ABORTION
WHAT WOULD CHRISTIANS SAY?
ROMAN CATHOLICS
CHURCH OF ENGLAND
In the Bible it says…
This suggests to Christians that…
Therefore…
Do not kill
Taking life is wrong
Abortion is wrong because it is the taking of a life
Your body is a temple of the holy spirit
Everyone has a bit of God inside them
Abortion is wrong because it is killing a bit of God
Before I formed you in the womb I knew you
Babies are alive long before they are born
Abortion is wrong because it is killing something that is already alive
Stick closely to the rules in the Bible (Do not kill) and only accept harming a foetus if it is as a result of doing something to save the mother’s life.
Follow the example of Jesus who broke the rules if he thought it was the kindest thing to do.
SANCTITY OF LIFE VIEW
QUALITY OF LIFE VIEW
Would abortion be acceptable if…
The mother’s life was at risk
The baby would be severely disabled
The pregnancy was caused through rape
The mother is very young*
The mother is very poor
The mother just doesn’t want the baby
YES – better to lose one life than risk losing 2
NO – all life is special and has value to God
NO – its not the child’s fault how it was conceived
NO – she can be given support or have it adopted
NO - she can be given support or have it adopted
NO – she can have it adopted
YES – not fair to make the baby suffer
YES – too traumatic for the mother
Roman
Catholic
Church of England
*This is assuming that her age does not put her life at risk and she has not been raped

5. WHAT WOULD CHRISTIANS SAY?
RIGHTS AND THE LAW
TOO SOFT?
Some people believe the law is too soft as although on paper we do not have abortion ‘on demand’ it is very easy for a woman to have one before 24 weeks, all she has to do is say that her mental health will suffer
THE LAW
LEGAL UP TO 24 WEEKS
If the baby will be disabled
If having the baby will affect the mother’s physical or mental health
If having the baby will compromise the welfare of any existing children
LEGAL AT ANY TIME
If the baby will be severely disabled If the mother’s life is at risk
Abortion was made legal in1967 because women were dying in unsafe at home abortions
TOO LATE?
Some people are concerned with the law as it allows foetuses to be easily aborted up to 24 weeks when babies born as early as 22 weeks have survived.
Amillia Taylor survived after being born at 22 weeks
WHAT WOULD CHRISTIANS SAY?
In the Bible it says…
This suggests
Therefore…
The body is a temple of the holy spirit
Everyone has a bit of God inside them
Christians would be keen to protect the right to life of the baby and the bit of God inside it. Christians do however believe that in the case of a pregnancy threatening the life of the mother, she has the right to abort the baby to protect her own life.

6. ALTERNATIVES TO ABORTION WHAT WOULD CHRISTIANS SAY?
STRENGTH
WEAKNESS
Keeping the baby with financial support
Can help people who want to keep their baby
Does not help in cases of rape, disability or if the mother’s life is at risk
Adoption – baby legally belongs to someone else
Means that a baby does not have to be aborted because it can go to someone who wants it
Fostering – baby is temporarily looked after by someone else
The baby can be cared for by someone who is willing to
Not a long term solution
WHAT WOULD CHRISTIANS SAY?
In the Bible it says…
This suggests
Therefore…
The body is a temple of the holy spirit
Everyone has a bit of God inside them
Christians would be keen to promote alternatives to abortion where possible as it would mean that the bit of God inside the baby was not being destroyed. Christians do however believe that in the case of a pregnancy threatening the life of the mother, she has the right to abort the baby to protect her own life.