Ethical Relationships: Beginning and End of Life

"Induced abortion is the deliberate ending of a pregnancy before the fetus is viable or capable of surviving outside a woman's body ... "

""Respect for the sacredness of life means advocating for the needs of women as well as every unborn child." ...

"While the commandments “Do not kill” (Exodus 20:13) and “… do not slay the innocent and righteous” (Exodus 23:7) clearly prohibit direct actions which lead to the loss of human life, the Catechism of the Catholic Church also states that these commandments forbids doing anything with the intention of indirectly bringing about a person’s death, exposing someone to mortal danger without grave reason, and refusing to give assistance to someone in danger (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2269) ... "

"When does life begin? Examine what the Catholic Church teaches about when life begins and what that means in practice. Learn about the Church’s teaching on abortion and euthanasia ... "

The Catechism of the Catholic Church states: "Since the first century the Church has affirmed the moral evil of every procured abortion. This teaching has not changed and remains unchangeable. Direct abortion, that is to say, abortion willed either as an end or a means, is gravely contrary to the moral law"

" ... In preparing for this sermon, I did some reading around on the biblical perspective on abortion. The consensus is that no biblical text speaks to abortion directly ..."

Christians believe in the Trinity - one God, all-loving and all-powerful, in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. All were present at the creation of the world and they each fulfil different roles.

"Assisted suicide is a controversial medical and ethical issue based on the question of whether, in certain situations, medical practitioners should be allowed to help patients actively determine the time and circumstances of their death ... "

"Christians are mostly against euthanasia. The arguments are usually based on the beliefs that life is given by God and that human beings are made in the image of God ..."

"Rank-and-file Christians are at odds with religious leaders on euthanasia, with some denominations more supportive of voluntary assisted dying than others ..."

"The Melbourne Diocesan Synod has urged politicians in the Australian state of Victoria not to legalize medically assisted suicide and euthanasia ... "

"The focus of this consultation was to assist the Synod update its current position on voluntary assisted dying ... "

"This week the issue of voluntary assisted dying was brought into focus, with legislation introduced into the Queensland Parliament to allow the practice ..."

"Excerpts of the interviews conducted by the Anglican Journal about the Supreme Court ruling legalizing doctor-assisted suicide ..."

"Human life is the basis of all goods, and is the necessary source and condition of every human activity and of all society ..."

Euthanasia is a much-debated topic in Australia. Compassion for the sick and suffering is something which unites us all. Many of us have accompanied friends or family as they face the fear and uncertainty of a serious illness.

Contraception (birth control) can be used to prevent unplanned pregnancies. There are many different forms of contraception. No form of birth control is 100% effective, but some methods are more effective than others.

Christian ideas about contraception come from church teachings rather than scripture, as the Bible has little to say about the subject. As a result, their teachings on birth control are often based on different Christian interpretations of the meaning of marriage, sex and the family.

This article reviews the ethical and theological issues surrounding birth control, with an emphasis on hormonal methods.

Christian attitudes towards contraception have changed radically during the past century. As young women start to question its use, is it time for the Church to do the same?