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Yr 10 Miss MGG
Year 10 ReligionPersonal Moral Responsibility
Part A:Response to Article
In the article ‘Doctor investigated for refusing abortion’ published in
The Sydney Morning Herald, on the 7th of October 2013, deals with the moral issue of abortion and sex selection. Abortion meaning the action of deliberately terminating of a human pregnancy, in simple words killing the unborn baby that is still inside the mother. Abortion has been an on going issue for a lot of Australians. Some Australians think abortion is right because its law, where some Australians believe abortion is a no no, due to moral responsibilities. Sex selection is the attempt to control the sex of the offspring to achieve a desired sex. Sex selection is ILLEGAL in Australia, but research shows that
50% of Australian adults would like to choose the sex of their baby. Dr
Mark Hobart a 55 year old Melbourne GP, may lose his medical license, after refusing an abortion of a couple who wanted a boy.
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Dr Mark Hobart revealed a couple had asked him to refer the couple to an abortion clinic after discovering at 19 weeks that they were having a girl, when the wanted a boy. Dr Mark Hobart said ‘ The parents were upfront and told me that that was the only reason they wanted an abortion’. ‘I was dumbfounded to get a request for abortion for that reason’. The Dr also told us that the husband did all the talking and was very insistent. Dr Mark Hobart refuses the refer them to an abortion clinic and said ‘I don't know any doctor in
Victoria that would be willing to refer a woman that wanted to have an abortion just because of gender at 19 weeks’. Dr Mark Hobart stated that the baby was very health. Dr Mark Hobart had refused to the abortion due to his religion morals and conscience. Dr Mark
Hobart’s conscience said it was the wrong thing to do as he was a devout catholic and also a former activist in the Democratic Labour
Party. He has since resigned. This demonstrates the problem with abortion law, that the doctors can’t use their consciences wether its wrong or right. The couple went ahead with the abortion despite being refused by Dr Mark Hobart. Vitoria’s abortion law reform act
Nijashree Shah
Yr 10 Miss MGG
2000 says if a women want a abortion and the doctor has a conscientious objection, they doctor has to refer the women to another doctor who doesn't have an objection.
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Catholic Belief
Today’s society has various different views on this particular topic.
Centuries ago the Catholic teaching on abortion was unclear, but now as modern times, the Catholic Church condemned abortion as a grave moral and social wrong. Even though Australia is predominantly
Christian the law still allows women to perform abortion. Catholic’s believe abortion is killing the creation of God. In Jeremiah 1:5, God says: "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” This verse shows that God has a plan for us even before he creates us in the womb. For man to thwart God's plan through the killing of His creation is an abomination.
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The Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2270 states that Human life must be respected and protected absolutely from the moment of conception. From the first moment of his existence, a human being must be recognized as having the rights of a person - among which is the inviolable right of every innocent being to life.
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Abortion does not only break the fifth commandment (Exodus 20:13)
‘You shall not murder’, but it also breaks the first commandment
(Exodus 20:4) ‘You shall have no other God against me’, because tinkling we are the ones who decide whether a child should be created is to say that God is not God because we are making the decision.
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Non-Christians don't believe in aborting without a strong reason.
Aborting because of the gender is a sin in the eyes of Non-Christians.
But aborting because the woman's health might be in danger or aborting due to rape, is not a sin. Where as aborting because of the woman's health in danger is a sin for Catholics, no matter what happens there are no reasons to abort.
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The Catholic belief says that deliberately causing an abortion is a grave moral wrong. It bases this doctrine on natural law and on the
Nijashree Shah
Yr 10 Miss MGG
written word of God. Christians believe that all life is sacred from conception until natural death, and the taking of innocent human life, whether born or unborn, is morally wrong. The Church teaches,
"Human life is sacred because from its beginning it involves the creative action of God and it remains for ever in a special relationship with the Creator, who is its sole end. God alone is the Lord of life from its beginning until its end: no one can under any circumstance claim for himself the right directly to destroy an innocent human being" ("Donum vitae," 5). The Catholic believe there should be no reasons to perform such a dreadful act. Even if the woman's health is in danger, they are not to perform abortion. But a lot of Catholics do perform abortion only if there is a danger to the woman. Even the horror and tragedy of rape it isn't a considered reason to kill an innocent unborn life. The Catholic belief state that there should be absolutely no reason to perform abortion.
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Secular Belief
Abortion is unacceptable even in a non-religious arena. It is plain murder of an infant, no matter how small it is. It goes to the basic moral principle, do not do to others what you do not want be done to you. But the secular belief differs as you may abort the fetus due to health problem or being a victim of rape.
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Nijashree Shah
Yr 10 Miss MGG
Part B:Personal Statement
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My belief
I believe abortion is a sin. It is the wrong action. For me aborting a fetus is the same as murdering a living human.In Luke chapter one, verses 36 and 41, we are told that Elisabeth conceived a "son" and that the "babe" leaped in her womb. God does not say that a "fetus" leaped in her womb! He says THE BABE leaped. This is the exact same word that God uses to describe Christ in the manger AFTER He is born (Luke 2:12, 16). In God eyes, an unborn babe and a newborn babe are the same. They are both living human being. I respect and salute Dr.Mark Hobart, for his action, I believe he did the right thing even if the couple performed abortion, at least he didn't go against his religious belief. I believe if Dr.Mark had helped the couple to perform abortion, he would've sinned alongside the couple. I believe abortion should not be performed in any circumstances except I believe it’s ok if you abort the baby if the life of the woman is in danger, but I disagree that it is fine to abort as the woman was a victim of rape.If the victim of rape does not want the baby, she should still give birth to the innocent baby and put it up for adoption. I think the rape has nothing to do with the unborn baby.
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To reduce abortion due to the sex selection we should wait to tell the sex of the fetus. We should only be able to tell the sex after 20 weeks.
Therefore there will be a decline in abortion due to sex, as you can’t get an abortion after, the 20th week.
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In conclusion, for me abortion is a sin, only when its performed without a strong reason e.g rape, can’t afford. There should be no reason other than the pregnancy creating danger for the women. My moral conscience will never allow me to perform such immoral act. If for some reason I had to perform this act, there will always be guilt.
My conscience will always remind me that I murdered a innocent child. !
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Nijashree Shah
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Yr 10 Miss MGG
Bibliography
http://www.news.com.au/national/dr-mark-hobart-who-refusedcouple-abortion-for-wanting-a-boy-believes-abortion-is-murder/ story-fncynjr2-1226631861565 !
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http://www.medicalobserver.com.au/news/gp-may-be-struck-offafter-objecting-to-abortion
! http://www.christianbiblereference.org/faq_abortion.htm ! http://bible.oremus.org !
http://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/ p3s2c2a5.htm !
http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/resources/abortion/ catholic-teaching/abortion-catechism-of-the-catholic-church/ !
http://www.catholicplanet.com/information/Catholic-Teachingon-Abortion.pdf
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