Sanctity of Life

The word sanctity means purity or holiness. When it is used to describe life itself it expresses the idea of a preciousness worthy of the highest respect.

In the first chapter of Genesis it says that God was the creator of all life and that human beings were made in his image. The taking of another’s life is a sin against God. and the sixth commandment says, “do not commit murder”.

Christians believe that life is a precious gift from God and that each and every person is known to him. to them the purpose of life is to love and serve God. “Love your neighbour as yourself”(Mark 12:31) Jesus showed that everyone should be valued and treated with respect. Only God can give life and only God can take it away.

Muslims believe that life is a sacred gift from Allah and should be lived in obedience to him. Each person has a set time span on earth. “When there time expires they will not be able to delay for a single hour, just as they would not be able to predict it.”(Surah 16:61)

Taking your own life is considered to be wrong by Muslims, as life is a gift from Allah.

Abortion

The birth of a child should be a happy event, but pregnancy can have a devastating effect if the baby is not planned or wanted.

There are a number of reasons why unwanted pregnancies occur, but the main factor is probably a lack of contraceptive advice. Contraceptives or birth control devices prevent conception by artificial or natural means. They include 'barrier methods' such as the diaphragm and the condom, the intra-uterine device (IUD) and the contraceptive pill.

In 1968 the United Nations recognised that individuals have the right 'freely and responsibly to decide the number and the spacing of their children and to have the information, education and means to do so'.

Contraception is not simply about preventing unwanted pregnancies, but it allows women the freedom to plan their lives and make choices about when and if, they want to have children.

Sex education is commonly taught in schools throughout the Western world but in some cases the advice can come too late. Many young women are physically capable of having children at the ages of 13 or 14. The chances of pregnancy are increased if the individual has not received contraceptive advice. Many young women do become pregnant and although they are physically developed, they may be psychologically and emotionally unprepared for the stresses and demands of motherhood.

In the event of unwanted pregnancy, an abortion may be performed. This is a medical procedure to terminate pregnancy before the foetus is viable; that is, before reaching the stage of development at which it can live independently of the mother. In the United Kingdom an abortion can legally take place at any time up to 26 weeks after conception.

In the modern developed world, legal abortion is usually a safe and relatively uncompliated medical procedure. However, in some developing countries abortion is often a crude and painful operation and can result in infection and infertility or even death of the mother.

According to the charity, Population Concern, nearly 25 per cent of all pregnancies in developing countries end in abortion.


Islam and abortion

Some individual discretion is allowed in making decisions about birth control as the welfare of the woman is the most important issue in such a debate. As it is written in the Qur'an:

God intends every facility for you; He does not want to put you to difficulties. (Surah 2:185)

Some types of birth control are more acceptable than others dependent upon which stage of the woman's cycle and of the process of conception the method intervenes. The fear of not being able to afford to bring up the child is not an acceptable reason to use birth control as Allah is the ultimate provider.

Muslims believe that life is given and taken by Allah and therefore abortion is only permitted when the mother's life is in danger.