Religious studies
As an individual, you will imagine that you have been invited to submit an editorial piece to the St. Paul Pioneer Press laying out
your policy argument using at least your religious arguments. Limit yourself to 500 words and try to be convincing!
#### Debate on Changing Minnesota State Legislation: Whether or not it is constitutional to limit Heartbeats is 6 weeks after
conception (time at which the heart begins to beat) except in cases where it would create medical complications for the mother.
Religious Arguments
Different institutions hold varying views on abortion. This paper only focuses on the opinion of the secular world and in Islam. To
begin with, Muslims view abortion as a wrong action and one that is forbidden (haram). However, many of them agree that it can be
allowed in certain cases. On the other hand, the secular world embraces the principle of “it depends,” where the prevailing
circumstances determine the action taken.
Those that have studied the Qur’an and Muslim faith argue that abortion is not allowed. The Quran does not come out clear to talk about
abortion in black and white but it offers guidance concerning related matters. One major argument against abortion is that it is wrong
because Muslims should observe the sanctity of life. To them, life is given a high priority since it is above the human making. As
such, Muslims argue that life is begun by a supernatural being greater than people and is also responsible for terminating it.
Therefore, anyone that participates in murder is in the wrong. Additionally, life is highly esteemed as it is above their control.
According to the Quran 5:32 “Whosoever has spared the life of a soul, it is as though he has spared the life of all people. Whosoever
has killed a soul; it is as though he has murdered all mankind” (Johnson 38). From this view, Muslim scholars argue that the foetus is
recognised as human life and, therefore, aborting equates to a religious wrong.
Further, Muslims believe that the life of a human being is sacred. As such, no one has the power to terminate the life of another
person. The idea of killing is taken as a serious matter and is highly punishable. According to the Quran 5:32 stated above the
importance of life and the magnitude of murder is amplified(Johnson 77). It is in such a way that by killing one person one ends up
interfering with the lives of a whole society. On the other hand, when one preserves life of a baby or another person, they bring
benefit to humanity. From that view, those who kill have already booked their judgement in the final day. According to the Quran 81: 8
-9 those parents that killed their children will be exposed to trial on the Day of Judgement and on that case, the children will act as
witnesses against their parents(Johnson 76). Therefore, women who procure an abortion are only piling up their wrong counts and Allah
will punish them for it. Basing on that argument, Muslims feel that abortion is wrong, should not happen, and should never be
mentionable among the faithful. They argue that as much as there will be a punishment for those who abort, the importance of life is
the primary point of focus.
Muslim scholars argue that one of the reasons abortions services in the religion are sought is because the mother or the family fear
that providing for the child will be a big task. Muslim leaders discourage such an act by urging members to trust on Allah for the
provision of whatever they may require. According to the Quran 17: 32, “Kill not your offspring for fear of poverty; it is We who
provide for them and you. Surely, killing them is a great sin” (Johnson 109). From the text, it is clear that killing an offspring
whether alive or dead is wrong. Therefore, Muslims argue that the saying that a pregnancy was not planned for and that the baby will
end up interfering with the activities of the parents, for example, education and career is wrong. From the verse, it is not only
abortion on the grounds of provision that is prohibited, but any form of offspring killing.
In the secular world, several arguments about abortion are in place. One of these arguments is the body as a sovereign zone argument.
Based on this argument, women have the right to decide to procure an abortion because they are autonomic. Proponents of this argument
feel that a woman has the right over her body and as such can opt to do whatever they deem right with their bodies or with that which
is inside them (McDanell 45). Though it is categorical on the woman’s body being sovereign to her, the argument brings forward the
discussion that an abortion should only be done within a particular time of the pregnancy. When one argues that pregnancy in the late
stages can be aborted and the foetus preserved in an incubator, then they end up implying that a prematurely born baby can be returned
in the mother’s womb at least to end the pregnancy time. Therefore, the argument advocates for abortion only at the early stages of
pregnancy. As the expectant mother enjoys body autonomy, the foetus should also be enjoying the same and it is at this point that this
theory loses credibility. However, it does not support legal abortion since the type of sovereignty that one person deems to enjoy
might differ with the other person.
To follow the topic, the secular world also holds an argument that a woman may not do anything she may want with her body but she
enjoys the right to refuse her body being used to support the survival of another person. The argument, commonly known as right-to-
refuse does not major on the time of abortion but an individual decision to deny supporting the life of a foetus. Those that embrace
this argument feel that abortion varies from woman to the next but should never be done in the late stages of pregnancy, it should be
within the first 180 days (McDanell 156). When a particular woman feels that her body is in a way special and should not be used to
support live of another person, who in this case is the foetus, then she will abort. On the other hand, if the other woman feels that
she is kind enough to support continuity of life for another being, then she will maintain the pregnancy. Those that object the
argument believe that every woman who becomes pregnant engages in sex with full knowledge that it might end up bringing a helpless
person and so, they should own up the pregnancy and not abort.
Another group in the secular world feels that a woman just as they have the right to other earthy things has the right to object the
use of their organs. As such, a woman can procure an abortion as a way of refusing the use of her uterus for the growth of the baby
(McDanell 53). However, the proponents argue that a woman should note early in advance that their uterus is ‘important than the child’
and carry out the abortion within the first not more than 120 days of pregnancy. Those opposed to this argument feel that pregnancy is
an ordinary event I women just like adolescence and menses, and menopause and hence the argument is not satisfying. In a nutshell,
abortion in the secular and religious world is not highly advocated but is debatable.
Bibliography
Johnson, Georg F. Abortion from the Religious and Moral Perspective: An Annotated Bibliography. Westport: Praeger Publishers, 2003.
Print
McDanell, Kyle. A Reasonable Faith in an Unreasonable World. Eugine: Resource Publications, 2011. Print
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