is abortion sin/murder? looking at the medical and spiritual point of view?

Answer 1

Yes, abortion is the murder of the most defenseless of human beings.

Catholics believe that from the moment of conception until natural death, each human being is endowed by God with dignity and are entitled to all human rights.

You shall not kill. (Ex 20:13; cf. Deut 5:17)

Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you. (Jer 1:5; cf. Job 10:8-12; Ps 22:10-11)

My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately wrought in the depths of the earth. (Ps 139:15)

Early Church writings: You shall not kill the embryo by abortion and shall not cause the newborn to perish. (Didache 2, 2: SCh 248, 148; cf. Ep. Barnabae 19, 5: PG 2, 777; Ad Diognetum 5, 6: PG 2, 1173; Tertullian, Apol. 9: PL 1, 319-320)

With love in Christ.

Answer 2

To talk about abortion, one must adress the fundamental contract being spoken about: the one between mother and child. In those cases where the mother, however she got into that position, honestly does not believe she can care for that child, and does not have the strength or resources to carry it to term, then the abortion is not sinful. However, abortion does carry consequences for both mother, father and child. Depending upon the child's own feelings about the abortion (some souls choose to incarnate briefly as aborted fetuses for various reasons), the mother and father can be forgiven entirely, partially or not at all. In those cases, the contract is carried over until the baby/soul finds restitution. Sometimes, this comes about by denying the reincarnated mother/father/parents the ability to have children, forcing upon them the pain of realizing the preciousness of such a gift. This holds true for those who use abortion as a 'convience'. Very often, such women reincarnate sterile, but with a strong desire for children. The painful longing of their lives ingrains within themselves a precious respect for children, so much so that they can develop into very nurturing people who, although they can never have children, work tirelessly for their behalf. Sin exists as a method to balance 'debt' or suffering that one causes to another. For a parent and a child, permanent banishment (aka Hell) does nothing to instill in either party a respect or understanding of their error. Reincarnating and working through the consequences of one's actions does. In other words, just because people 'seem' to get away with murder doesn't mean they actually do.

Answer 3

I honestly think abortion is a hugely controversial topic you have to think about & then decide if it is right or wrong for you personally.

You can't close yourself off completely to something that could possibly touch your life at some point.

Personally I believe abortion is ok for the right reasons. That is, medical reasons. People using it as a form of contraception, well thats not sinning, its just pure laziness.

Answer 4

I personally couldn't do it..but then I've never been in a position of a rape victim or told my child has abnormalities. My mother's friend has a disabled daughter. Her daughter will never grow up and fly the nest, get a job, fall in love. Instead her mother will spend the rest of her life caring for her. It's very hard for her as her daughter is now the weight of a grown adult. She is not able bodied enough to walk or go to the toilet or even brush her own hair. It's very easy to sit there and judge but how many of you would be willing to live that life?

Answer 5

I PERSONALLY DO THINK IT IS MURDER AND A SIN. I KNOW BEING PREGNANT CAN BE A VERY SCARY AND EMOTIONAL SITUATION. I DO NOT SAY ANY OF THIS AS A JUDGMENT ON ANYONE BECAUSE I TOO HAVE FACED BEING PREGNANT AND IT WAS NOT PLANNED. I PRAYED MY WAY THROUGH IT AND GOD WORKED IT ALL OUT. MY SON IS NOW 23 AND HE'S BEEN MY GREATEST INSPIRATION. I LOOK AT HIM AND OFTEN REALIZE WHAT A WONDERFUL AND AMAZING LIFE I WOULD HAVE TAKEN IF I HAD GONE THROUGH WITH AN ABORTION.

Answer 6

It is a sin its called murder. It is in gods eyes another human being upon conception. Once that sperm penetrates that egg its a person. I suggest you read the bible on this it leaves no room for error.

Answer 7

i dont think this is something you can judge as a whole
there are many different reasons that someone may do this ... and sometimes it is the most difficult thing that anyone has to do
each person should be looked at individualy in the cases of abortion ... we cant judge someone when we do not know their reasons behind it

Answer 8

Personally I think it is murder no matter in what way you put it you are killing a innocent child.

Answer 9

According to the Catholic church, it is a sin, and it is murder.

Answer 10

I would like to clarify at the outset that the statement you refer to is not in the Qur’an. The Prophet (pbuh) is reported to have said that Allah gives the ‘Ruh’ to a foetus at a particular time, but this statement of the Prophet (pbuh) is not with reference to abortion.

Islam has not given any specific directions regarding the issue of abortion. It is therefore not a matter which has been clearly stated in the Shari`ah (Islamic law) but rather an issue pertaining to the application of our knowledge of the Shari`ah. Such application may vary in outcome with a variation in the basic premises of our arguments.


1.
For example, if we believe that a human being has taken form as soon as a woman conceives a child, we cannot then allow abortion on any grounds other than those which enjoy unquestioned moral and legal acceptance, as in such a case, abortion would be nothing less than taking a sacred life - a life absolutely clear of any sin or crime. Obviously, no person in his right state of mind can allow taking a life without adequate moral and legal justification. In such a case, I think we will be prone to allow such a grave act, only to save the mother’s life. That is, we shall allow abortion only if allowing the child to live endangers the life of the mother. This seems to be the basic reason why most (if not all) of the Muslim Jurists disallow abortion.


2.
On the other hand, if we believe that at the time of conception, it is not a human being but only ‘something’ with a potential of human life – like the human sperm or ovum, even when taken independent of each other -- that would cease to exist if abortion is carried out, we might have an altogether different view regarding this act. We would then try to determine the particular stage of development of the fetus at which it becomes a complete human being and not just 'something' which has a potential of human life, and then, in certain cases, allow abortion before this particular stage and be more strict about disallowing abortion if it is to be carried out after this particular stage.

Thus, the basic decision which, in turn, shall provide us the grounds to allow or disallow abortion is whether it is a human being that exists in its mother’s womb, immediately after conception or is it only ‘something’ which has a potential of becoming a human being at some later stage.

In my opinion, it is not a human being that exists in a mother’s womb immediately after conception, but ‘something’ which has a potential of becoming a complete human being at some later stage. The Qur’an says:


We first created man from an essence of clay: then placed him, a living germ, in a secure enclosure. The germ We made a leech; and the leech a lump of flesh; and this We fashioned into bones, then clothed the bones with flesh; then We develop it into another creation. (Al-Mu’minun 23: 12 - 14)

It seems from the above verse that initially it is only the vessel or the body that is developed. It is only at a later stage that this vessel or body is given the qualities of a human being. The words: "then We develop it into another creation" seem to imply a significant change in the development of the foetus at this particular stage. It seems that it is at this stage that the body becomes a complete human being. This process of development of the human being, in its mother’s womb is further elaborated in the following verse:


He who has made everything which He has created most good. He began the creation of man with (nothing more than) clay, and made his progeny from a quintessence of the nature of a fluid despised. Then He fashioned him in due proportion and breathed into him something of His Ruh. And (with this) He gave you (the faculties of) hearing and sight and understanding. (Al-Sajdah 32: 7 - 9)

It once again seems from the above verse that it is at a later stage in the development of a human being in the mother’s womb that the vessel or the body receives its part of the Divine ‘Ruh’ and subsequently the human faculties of hearing, sight and understanding are developed. In my opinion, it is at this stage that the body becomes a human being. My opinion is also substantiated by the another verse of the Qur’an where Allah orders the angels to prostrate in front of Adam. It is only after Allah breathes of His ‘Ruh’ into Adam that the angels are ordained to carry out the prostration. The Qur’an says:


Your Lord said to the angels: I am creating man from clay. When I have fashioned him and breathed of my Ruh into him, kneel down and prostrate yourselves before him. (Sad 38: 72)

Thus, it seems that it is only after the foetus receives its ‘Ruh’ that it becomes a complete human being. Obviously, we cannot ascertain, on scientific and observable basis, the exact time at which the fetus receives its part of the Divine ‘Ruh’, as it is not a physical phenomenon. But the Qur’an also tells us that at the time the fetus receives its part of the Divine ‘Ruh’, its faculties of sight, hearing and understanding are also developed. I suppose that modern medical and embryonic scientists can ascertain the particular time when these faculties are developed in the fetus. If this can be acheived, it would then become possible for us to say that a complete ‘human being’ can be said to exist in its mother’s womb at this particular time and not before it. Thus, if the process of the development of a human being is to be aborted, it should be aborted before this time.

The Prophet (pbuh) is reported to have said that the various stages in the development of the fetus till the time it receives the Divine ‘Ruh’ takes one hundred and twenty days (Bukhari). If this narrative is correctly ascribed to the Prophet (pbuh) and the narrators have correctly reported the saying of the Prophet (pbuh), then we can say that it is upto this time, after the initial conception, that only the vessel or the body is developed in the mother’s womb and not a complete ‘human being’. Thus, if there are any moral, ethical, social or medical justifications for aborting the process of the formation of a human being, it should be carried out before this time. After this time, in my opinion, abortion should be allowed on the basis of extremely pressing medical grounds only.

I hope this helps.