R.S.

REVISION
MEDICAL ETHICS
SANCTITY OF LIFE
Life is sacred and so shouldnt be taken - often the position of religion, Christianity
included because:
Genesis 1 & 2: God creates life
Not ours to take
A gift so should be thankful
Psalm 139: God has a purpose for all life and so everyone has value
Exodus 20: 6th Commandment You shall not murder
Job 1:21: The Lord gave and now he has taken away
Genesis 1: Man made in Gods image
Genesis 2: Man given a soul so human lives are sacred
Corinthians 3:16: You are Gods temple and that Gods spirit lives in you! So if
anyone destroys Gods temple, God will destroy him.

ABORTION
The law only allows abortion if:
2 registered doctors examine the woman and agree
Its before viability (24 weeks, some want 20 due to improved medical care)
The health of the woman or family is at risk if the pregnancy goes through
There is substantial risk the child would suffer severe abnormalities
The biggest issue with abortion is personhood: when do we become people?
ARGUMENTS FOR ABORTION
Its the mothers body - she should decide what happens (free will)
The woman, and her family, have rights
The birth of the child may lessen quality of life (situation ethics e.g. poverty,
rape, disability, education, unwanted) Ecclesiastes 4:3, Ecclesiastes 6:3-5
suggest its better not being born than suffering
With under-age pregnancy, the girl may not understand what she is doing
Life doesnt start until: birth, able to think, looks human etc.
There are natural abortions (miscarriages) abortion is natural and often
women dont even know they were pregnant
breathed into his nostrils the breath of life. Genesis 2:7 - not human until we
breathe
If some men are fighting and hurt a pregnant woman so that she loses her
child... the one who hurt her is to be fined... But if the woman herself is
injured, the punishment shall be [equal] Exodus 21:22-25 not same status
ARGUMENTS AGAINST ABORTION
Every child is a gift from God
Defenceless child has rights although it cannot stand up for them

The embryo is human from conception, left alone it will develop into a person
We cannot predict how it will affect quality of life (e.g. handicapped children)
Disability: tells disabled people they are worthless
Rape: shouldnt suffer for others crime
Abortion breaks the Hippocratic Oath
The foetus can feel pain and has intelligence.
Unwanted babies could be adopted
Gods knows us before we are born (Jeremiah 1:5, Galatians 1:15, Isaiah
49:1, Psalm 139:16) plan for our lives
Sanctity of life (see above)

ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH

Abortion is always wrong because life begins at conception and so is it murder.
"Life must be protected with the utmost care from the moment of conception;
abortion and infanticide are the most abominable of crimes." Gaudium et Spes
Human life is sacred Humanae Vitae, 1968
The unborn human beings right to live is one of the inalienable human rights Pope
John Paul II, 1985
"Abortion is a serious sin. Everyone, whether Catholic or not, should have a proper
respect for human life." Declaration on Procured Abortion, 1974
"From the time that the ovum is fertilised a new life is begun which is neither that of
the father or the mother. It is the life of a new human being with its own growth. It
would never become human if it were not human already" Declaration on Procured
Abortion 1974
CHURCH OF ENGLAND
Does not agree with abortion, but accepts it may be the only way forward. They dont
condemn someone who has an abortion, they help them move on. If Jesus forgives
people, then so should Christians.
Abortion is an evil to be avoided if possible, but can be justified if:
1. Risk to the mothers life or her mental and physical health.
2. Baby likely to be deformed and mother feels she cannot cope.
3. Rape or incest.
Although the foetus is to be specially respected and protected, nonetheless the life of
the foetus is not absolutely sacrosanct if it endangers the life of the mother.
Church of England - Board of Social Responsibility Report 1984
We affirm that every human life, created in the divine image, is unique... We
therefore believe that abortion is an evil... and that abortion on demand would be a
very great evil. But we also believe that to withdraw compassion is evil, and in
circumstances of extreme distress or need, a very great evil... In an imperfect world
the right choice is sometimes the lesser of two evils.
Church of England 1988
CHRISTIAN RESPONSES
Join a pro-choice/ pro-life organisation e.g. LIFE or SPUC
Seek help from religion (pray/ Bible/ priest/ teachings)
Campaign for proper sex education so fewer unwanted pregnancies happen
Organise talks for young people in the church

 Offer practical help to women if they choose to keep the baby

Offer support to those who have had an abortion
Propose alternatives e.g. adoption
Do the most loving thing depending on the circumstances
The Roman Catholic Church in Scotland project offers financial and practical help to
women who choose not to have an abortion.

EUTHENASIA
A good death from the Greek eu meaning good, and thanatos meaning death.
Voluntary Euthanasia: Assisted suicide, someone chooses to end their life
but needs help to do so
Non-voluntary euthanasia: Others decide if someones life ends as they
cant make that decision e.g. with persistent vegetative state (PVS)
Active euthanasia: Action is taken to bring a life to an end
Passive euthanasia: Stop giving treatment, even though death will result
(letting nature take its course)
EUTHENASIA AND THE LAW
1961 Suicide Act: Suicide became legal in UK, but it is still an offence to aid, abet,
counsel or procure such an act. Samaritans is an organisation which offers support
to those feeling suicidal. In the past, Christians who committed suicide were
condemned but now they often given sympathy.
Passive euthanasia is allowed, but permission must be obtained from the courts (e.g.
Tony Bland). Voluntary Euthanasia is not permitted in Britain and anyone who helps
someone end their life risks being charged with murder or manslaughter. Diane
Pretty, a woman with motor neurone disease, asked but the courts in Britain said no.
In the Netherlands euthanasia is now legal with the majority of the public in support.
The biggest issue with euthanasia is quality of life v sanctity of life.
ARGUMENTS FOR EUTHENASIA
Quickly and humanely end suffering, allowing them to die with dignity
Can help to shorten the grief and suffering of the patients loved ones
Can prepare and say goodbye
Everyone has the right to decide how they should die
Most people would have their pets put down if they were suffering
Keeping someone in pain is not loving (agape/ situation ethics)
Humans were given dominion over all living things by God (Genesis 1:28)
Quality of life (Jesus came so we could live life in all its fullness John 10:10)
God gave humans free will
Do to others as you would have them do to you
Frees up scarce health resources, practical and money-saving
Would naturally die without modern medicine (blurred between life and death)
Discriminating those who cant commit suicide or cant afford to
ARGUMENTS AGAINST EUTHENASIA

A dying patient may not be able to make a rational decision

They may change their mind but be incapable of telling anyone
Many people recover after being written off by doctors
Euthanasia makes life disposable the first step on a slippery slope?
Hippocratic Oath: trust between doctors and patients destroyed
Alternative of palliative care
People might be pushed into saying they want euthanasia
Sanctity of life (see above)
Our lives are not ours but a gift from God so should be used and respected
Have a duty to help others who are suffering (like Jesus)
Killing a life opposes Gods love for that person
Disguising murder?
Could be used as a cost-effective method to treat the terminally ill
Goes against quality of life as there is no life
Could discourage research into cures
Suffering might be for a reason (e.g. Nietzsche)
It is selfish (e.g. the doctors may get depressed)

ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH

Euthanasia is always wrong. It does accept using drugs to relieve pain but shorten
life (double effect) and although ordinary treatment must continue, Extraordinary
treatment such as a complicated operation that is unlikely to succeed need not - it is
also wrong to keep a patient alive at any cost. People should be allowed to die, but
only when nature or God decide.
Euthanasia is a grave violation of the law of God Pope John Paul II, 1995
CHURCH OF ENGLAND
Sanctity of Life is important, but you should not have to keep people alive for the
sake of it, regardless of the quality of life. God has given humankind the gift of life.
As such, it is to be revered and cherished. Those who become vulnerable through
illness or disability deserve special care and protection.
Church of England 1999
BAPTIST CHURCH
All human life is sacred and worth preserving as God created it. Baptists agree that
when a person is brain dead and there is no chance of recovery, then it is acceptable
to stop treatment and allow the patient to die naturally but not with actions that make
death come more quickly, e.g. a lethal dose of drugs.
CHRISTIAN RESPONSES
Palliative care (e.g. hospices)
Care for and support patients, relatives and friends
Pray
Raising money, goods, or other necessary items for charities/ hospices
Volunteering to do work at the Hospice/ Macmillan Nurses
Do the most loving thing depending on the circumstances

FETILITY ISSUES
Fertility treatment is used when people cant conceive naturally.
IVF In Vitro Fertilisation: Egg and sperm are brought together in a test tube
then the embryo is put inside the woman.
AI Artificial Insemination: Sperm is collected and placed in the woman
artificially. Can be by husband (AIH) or donor (AID).
Surrogacy Sperm is used to impregnate another woman who gives birth
and hands the baby back to the couple.
The biggest issue with fertility treatment is whether everyone has the right to a child.
ARGUMENTS FOR FERTILITY TREATMENTS
It brings happiness to people
If life comes from God, anything that creates new life must be good
God told Adam and Eve to be fruitful and increased in number
Judaism regards a family as the natural state
Most loving thing is to use use God-given gifts of healing (agape)
Do to others as you would have them do to you.
It is a medical problem so should be treated as one
ARGUMENTS AGAINST FERTILITY TREATMENTS
If a couple is childless, it may be Gods will.
May be chosen to devote themselves to other Christian work
God closes Hannahs womb I Sam 1:5
It goes against natural law to create a child not through sex
Life is a gift from God, not a privilege, a right or something we can demand
Its expensive and only available on the NHS in some places
It often takes many tries which can cause a lot of pain
OTHER ISSUES
Often, many embryos are frozen as it can take a number of attempts. These can be
used for research into fertility treatments and disease. Experimentation is allowed up
to the 14th day of development by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority
(HFEA) in England and Wales. The frozen embryos belong to the couple and can
only be stored or used with the consent of the two.
With IVF embryos can be selected on the characteristics they have. For example, if
someone with a genetic disease wishes to have a child. Some believe this can lead
to designer babies. This also means that, if you have a child with a genetic disease,
you can select an embryo without the disease and when the child is born it can be a
saviour sibling. Is it right to bring someone into the world to save someone else?
Therapeutic cloning is cloning an embryo and using it to grow cells to help someone
with a disease. Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer is taking a nucleus from someone,
placing it into an empty egg and shocking it to make it start growing. The egg
contains genetically identical stem cells which can grow into any type of cell. In the
UK reproductive cloning (making a genetically identical copy of someone) is illegal.

ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH

Fertility treatments are acceptable if:
No spare embryos are involved
No 3rd parties are used (e.g. with AID or surrogacy)
They do not replace sex within a marriage.
Pope Pius XII condemned AID because it is "mechanical adultery" (the donor fathers
a child yet has no responsibility to it) and isolating the sacred act of creating life from
the marriage is a violation of the marriage. However, if the marriage act is preserved,
then clinical techniques designed to help create new life are not to be condemned."
Adapted from Modern Catholic Dictionary
"Any use whatsoever of any method that stops the natural power of sex to generate
life is forbidden."
Pope Pius XI, 1930
Loving sexual relationships within marriage is the proper place for conceiving.
Children are a gift and a blessing from God.
Although science makes some things possible, it does not make them right.
Research must continue into the causes of infertility, but the morality of it
should be carefully considered.
Humans have a right to life from conception. Fertility treatments must respect
that.
Respect for Human Life and the Dignity of Procreation 1987
An embryo is a person so using it to simply save someone else is wrong as the end
doesnt justify the means but getting stem stems from other sources (e.g. umbilical
cord) is okay.
METHODIST CHURCH
It is right for scientists to try to learn more about causes and cures of infertility but
does not accept 3rd person involvement. It accepts using spare embryos in medical
research, but only up to 14 days after fertilisation.
CHURCH OF ENGLAND
The donation of eggs and sperm by third parties is a breach of the marriage
although some may find it acceptable
Experimenting on spare human embryos is acceptable up to 14 days after
fertilisation, because up to 14 days a foetus can split into 2 and form twins.
Therefore, it is not really a human life until 14 days.
1984 Report Human Fertilisation and Embryology
"We support the recommendation that research, under license, be permitted on
embryos up to 14 days old and agree that embryos should not be created just for
scientific research."
Anglican report 1994
Although finding treatments for serious conditions is important because it can save
millions and shows agape (like Jesus), we must be aware of using embryos only
when it absolutely necessary and there is no other choice.

ANIMAL RESEARCH

UK law requires that any new drug must be tested on at least two different species of
live mammal, one of which must be a large non-rodent. The Animals Act 1986 states
that animal experiments only be conducted if there is no realistic alternative. It also
requires three Home Office licenses for the institution, the scientist and the project.
Great apes such as chimpanzees cant be used.
ARGUMENTS FOR ANIMAL RESEARCH
Animal testing has helped develop vaccines against diseases
Antibiotics, HIV drugs, insulin and cancer treatments rely on animal tests
Other testing methods aren't advanced enough
There are no differences in lab animals and humans that cannot be factored
into tests
Operations on animals helped develop surgery techniques
Humans have a unique status because of their relationship with God
Mankind was "made in God's image" unlike other animal species
God put mankind in charge of animals to "rule over them" (stewardship)
Humans have souls, animals don't
Human life has greater intrinsic value than animal life (speciesism?)
Legislation protects all lab animals from cruelty or mistreatment
Animals are killed for food (Jesus ate meat) but medical research is a more
worthy death
Few animals feel pain as they are killed before they have the chance to suffer
ARGUMENTS AGAINST ANIMAL RESEARCH
Experiments can be misleading, the response to a drug can be different to a
human's
Successful alternatives include test tube studies on human tissue cultures,
statistics and computer models
The stress animals endure in labs can affect experiments, making the results
meaningless
Animals are used to test items like cosmetics
Animals have as much right to life as human beings
Strict controls have not prevented researchers from abusing animals
Deaths through research are unnecessary and are no different from murder
Can they feel stress, fear and pain?
All animals are made by God and are intrinsically valuable
Not all Christians agree that animals lack a soul
A man is worth many sparrows, but not one sparrow can die unnoticed in
God's World Matthew 10:29-31
St Francis of Assisi loved animals
Ahimsa non-violence to all creatures
Stewardship is about care and protection, not domination
CHURCH OF ENGLAND
The fact that animals may be used in scientific procedures for the benefit of people
shows that we believe that human beings have more value than animals. But the fact

that we minimise the pain, suffering, distress or lasting harm that animals may have
to undergo shows that we regard them as having intrinsic value.
Our Responsibility for the Living Environment 1986
"The Church recognises the need for animals to be used in certain research to
improve medical understanding, veterinary or behavioural knowledge, and to test for
the safety of chemicals, and understands tat such testing is a requirement of law. It
also, however, affirms that responsible stewardship of the natural world requires all
animals to receive careful and sympathetic treatment, both during their lives and in
the manner of their dying."
What the Churches say, CEM
ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH
Humans have souls but animals dont
The Society of Friends
The most controversial area of animal exploitation for Quakers is that of medical
experimentation. There are many Quaker doctors and some medical researchers
who hold Home Office licences to experiment on live animals The latter would justify
their actions by citing the beneficial results which they feel can be achieved for
humans and animals through the knowledge gained."
What the Churches say, CEM