Is abortion a sin?

I ask this, not wanting to know what the Tenets of your Faith dictates, or what some Philosophy says is True, but whay YOU YOURSELF believe.

Do YOU belive abortion is a sin?

I figure this post is more of an IMHO, but the subject matter seems to fit Great Debates better.

Not quite sure how someone could answer your question without referencing “what the Tenets of your Faith dictates, or what some Philosophy says is True.” The word “sin” has strong religious connotations. In fact, the definition from Websters is:

Sin 1 a : an offense against religious or moral law b : an action that is or is felt to be highly reprehensible <it’s a sin to waste food> c : an often serious shortcoming : FAULT
2 a : transgression of the law of God b : a vitiated state of human nature in which the self is estranged from God

So, I don’t understand what you are asking.

I think I understand what you’re saying. I don’t really have a “faith” - I’m one of those sorts who’s been waiting for something magical to happen before I decide. I do think we commit sins, if only against each other. For instance, I’ve sinned against my friends by not being as available to them when I could be, especially if I’m tired or stressed, I’ve sinned against my husband by not listening to his point of view as thoroughly as I should because I think I’m always right, I’ve sinned against the Janettes by grouching at them for not moving fast enough or asking “too many” questions. I think a sin for one person might not be a sin for everyone else.

I’ve done a lot of thinking about it, and for me, I believe an abortion would be a sin. I don’t necessarily believe life begins at conception, but morally speaking, I think it would be sinful for me to have an abortion. Others who don’t agree might find that in their particular situation, an abortion would be less sinful than carrying a child to term. That’s for them and whomever they answer to to decide.

So: Yes, and no. :wink:

I assume Enola is asking us to give our own honest opinions and not regurgitate (sp?) what we have been taught or told.

of course these could be one and the same. but in my case i am taught it is very wrong and yet i myself do not feel it is a sin. I do feel that its unfortunate the situation arises where it is necessary but fall on the side pro abortion arguement when it comes down to it.

if this wasnt what Enola meant then much apologies :stuck_out_tongue:

m.

There are three questions to be resolved here:

  1. Do you believe in a God who has some sort of rules for the world? If not, then nothing is a sin (though it may be evil by a secular moral standard). [I am assuming that the definition of “sin” is transgression of a moral commandment within a belief system, and leaving non-theistic belief systems to one side, since a Buddhist can sin by his own lights without violating a divinely ordained proscription.]

  2. Is the embryo/fetus a human being? If so, and on the assumption that the willful killing of another human being without justifying circumstances is a sin in all theisms, then it is a sin.

  3. In the event that you do believe in God (or a god or gods) and do not consider the unborn entity a human being as yet, then the question arises of whether carrying the child to term or terminating its existence is more in accord with God’s will for you – because as a believer you are expected to undertake to do His will (or Her or Their, I suppose).

I don’t believe it’s a sin.

Then again, I’m a stone-cold atheist.

You don’t have to be religious to think abortion is wrong.

I agree that the word ‘sin’ has religious connotations. You can’t talk about sin without talking about your religious beliefs.

But if your asking why abortion is wrong, even without the religious aspect…

try reading the Feminist, Prolife and Atheist page (http://www.fnsa.org/fall98/reed.html)

or the Atheist and Agnostic Pro-Life League (http://www.godlessprolifers.org/home.html)

I don’t think it’s possible to divorce the meaning of ‘sin’ from religion and philosophy. For those religions that believe in sin, the classification of what is sin and what is not is also religiously-based, not simple opinion.

Enola Straight, do you have some reason for choosing the word ‘sin’, or could we perhaps rephrase without the religious baggage and discuss whether or not abortion is wrong?

I believe it is an unpardonable sin that over half of the successfully fertilized zygotes fail to implant on the uterine wall. We should lock up those sinful uteri and throw away the key!

Tracer, you are the lord and master of tongue-in-cheek sarcasm. No, really.

As to the OP:

Yes. I believe that inentionally aborting a fetus is a sin. And, in case this discussion takes a secular turn, I also believe it is wrong, in a purely moral, non-religeous, sense.

I boils down to the intentional ending of an innocent, albeit unborn life.

We all started our life as an fertilized egg - It’s the way we are ment to be. We are designed to live off the mother until we can live on our own (and live off both parents for another 18 yrs ;)).

If you have an abortion because of convienence then you are commiting a sin against humanity.

I felt “sin” is easier to type than “moraly/ethically corrupt action”.:wink:

Seriously, though, I intentionally worded this post to be provocative: challenging one’s sense of right and wrong, the ideals of your moral center verses the reality of an unplanned, unwanted pregnancy.

Obviously, some women agonize over the choice, so there is definite internal conflict. A conflict we at the SDMB can codify.

I currently believe in no religion, so do not feel anything to be ‘sinful’.

I do think that the z/e/f is a living human being.

I don’t consider abortion to be wrong.

Okay, here’s a man’s opinion (I point that out because I think in discussions about abortion, it definately matters).

I personally do not know when life begins (nor do I care, honestly, I just don’t think the exact microsecond matters). As best I can tell, there is argument in the scientific community about exactly when brain waves begin forming and things of that nature. If that’s the case, that means that humanity has no idea exactly when a zygote/fetus/baby/human being is alive.

Since we apparently don’t know, we don’t know whether it’s a sin to have one, or murder for a doctor to perform one.

If that’s the case, shouldn’t we err on the side of caution?

Let me get this straight.

You believe that the unborn IS a living human being, but that it’s okay to end its life – all at the woman’s mere discretion, and without the benefit of any due process.

Do you really believe this?

I think it’s a sin. Once you’ve started a life (or something that will, without interference, become a life), you don’t have the right to end it. If it ends by itself (zygote death, miscarriage, etc.), that’s something else, but it is not up to me to determine the life span of others, even if those others are inside me. Just about everyone knows the possible consequences of sex, and should at least have a plan in mind.*

Yes, there is a lot of grey area. In some cases, it might be the best thing.

I do have plenty of sympathy for those who find themselves in an impossible position and feel that they have to abort a pregnancy, and I think it needs to be legal, but I don’t think it’s right. Abortion strikes me as a bandaid over the deeper problems of lack of knowledge/ability to refuse/self-worth, careless promiscuity, young girls being exploited by older men, etc. that we need to address before being able to see abortions decline in number.
*Come to think of it, that is a much less accurate statement than I wish it was. Too many people have mundo bizarro ideas about how to get pregnant in this country.

Yes, I do.

Goo,

I am intrigued by your position. I guess I always assumed that a person who believed in abortion didn’t think it was a human being (or at least that it wasn’t yet). Can you tell me a little about why you feel this way?

Lord Ashtar, I’m definitely not the only poster here who thinks this way. Check out some of the more recent abortion threads.

As I’ve mentioned before, there seems to be an idea that all pro-choicers hold the position that the z/e/f isn’t human, and hence the majority of the debating centres around this. There is no such monolithic viewpoint. Just as pro-lifers have many different reasons for feeling the way they do, so do pro-choicers. It amazes me how often people assume that if they could only convince everyone that the z/e/f is a human being, that abortions would cease, or conversely, if they could convince everyone that the z/e/f isn’t a human being, the controversy would end.

Speaking for myself only (and not on behalf of the pro-choice movement, or those pro-choicers who consider the z/e/f to be a human being) I don’t have a problem with abortion. I am happy to compromise and only make abortions legal up to a certain point, as long as that is long enough for the woman to realise she is pregnant and seek help. I don’t think any woman should have to carry an unwanted z/e/f. JMNSHO :slight_smile: