Playing God?

By Yvette Herrera
Features Editor

Economic status, race, religion and education vary between abortion rights opponents. Each person, however, has one thing in common — each believes in the concept that humans, especially the innocent unborn, have an inherent right to life.

Almost 30 years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Roe vs. Wade legalized abortion in all 50 states for social and economic reasons.

The courts said, “...in the light of all factors physical, emotional, psychological, familial and the woman’s age relevant to the well being of the patient. All these factors may relate to health.”

Jack Hill, assistant professor of religion, said there are many religions that oppose abortion. However, particular religions that have different sects within their religion might have opposing views in certain cases.

Although Jews in general are against abortion, they have different reasons for believing why a baby should not be aborted.

ill said Orthodox Jews, for example, believe an unborn child is innocent and defenseless. Therefore, abortion is forbidden by Jewish law in any circumstance because it is a violation of sanctity. He said Reform Jews, on the other hand, believe the fetus is a part of the mother’s body, and killing the baby would mean taking away a part of the mother’s body.

In 1968, the Catholic church officially forbade abortion. Pope Paul VI said the fetus is a potential human life, and therefore should not be taken away, Hill said.

Liberal Catholics believe the fetus is given a soul at some point, but it is solely tissue during the early stage of pregnancy. Whether a woman decides to abort the baby is up to her moral teachings, Hill said.

There are three general positions in the Protestant view — permissive, moderate and Southern Baptist.

The United Methodist Church is part of the permissive group, and they believe a person is not really a person unless someone loves and cares for them, Hill said. In some cases, it is better for a child not to be born if they are not going to be cared for.

Hill said the moderate group consists of American Baptists, and they believe that within the first 12 weeks, certain conditions can permit an abortion. If an unborn fetus might affect the life of the mother, mentally or health-wise, the mother has the right to abort. Another condition in which an American Baptist would allow an abortion is if an fetus was found to be defective, Hill said.

He said other instances in which abortion is OK is if the mother is raped or in any incestuous relation. The moderate group doesn’t necessarily support abortion, but they don’t prohibit it either, Hill said.

Southern Baptists, on the other hand, strongly oppose abortion under any circumstance. Hill said they believe there are many couples throughout the world who cannot have children, and therefore, unwanted children can be put up for adoption.

The Yoruba-speaking peoples of West Africa believe aborting a life is actually killing an ancestor who is trying to be reborn. Hill said the traditional African religious beliefs are such that when a person dies, the soul leaves the body and enters another one.

In general, Western religions are abortion rights opponents. The most conservative are the ones that are the most vocal and get the most media attention, Hill said.

There are, however, a variety of views within a particular religion.

Yvette Herrera
y.m.herrera@student.tcu.edu