This moral position has led to relatively consistent anti-abortion attitudes that persisted during the latter part of the 20th century. Although other groups that do not make absolute claims about when life begins or when protection of the fetus overcomes the mother's interests may have seen some movement in attitudes over time, it has not been impressive. Religious traditions that are labeled mainline, liberal, or moderate have maintained an ambivalent stance about abortion."
One recent study examined the attitudes about abortions among religious believers. The study used data that was from 1972 until 2002. The study used a survey called a General Social Survey and the survey asked a wide variety of questions including the participant's belief when it came to the topic of abortion (Johnson, 2005).
The participants were those who responded and attended a religious service of some type at least one time each month.
A reasonable assumption is that those who attend religious services are more sensitive to the messages provided by their group; hence, changes in attitudes toward abortion that are susceptive to the messages delivered by religious organizations will be affected primarily among those who are actively involved in the organization. Limiting the sample to those who attend religious services, combined with a couple of other restrictions discussed below, results in an analytic sample size of 16,641(Johnson, 2005)."
The study used six questions to address access to legal abortions and the same six questions were used from 1972 to 2003. The questions included demographic information questions and then moved into religious beliefs and then on to beliefs about abortions (Johnson, 2005).
The results of the study were that religious beliefs have a significant impact on one's beliefs with regard to abortion because of the moral and philosophical issues (Johnson, 2005).
Abortions have been legal in America for more than 30 years and at the time they were legalized, strong arguments were presented about the lack of proper birth control and the stigma of having
Today, however, birth control is so accurate that accidental pregnancies really cannot be considered accidents, and children born out of wedlock are not stigmatized in any manner.
Abortions should not be legal until the field of medical science can determine definitively when fetuses feel pain, have heartbeats and react to stimuli. It is only then that the world will know if they are causing tremendous suffering, fear and pain when an abortion is performed. Until then it is morally wrong to conduct abortions. It shows a total disregard for human life and the wonder and awe of its development.
Abortions involve the extraction of a human fetus. It allows women to use the abortion clinic as a birth control method and it can create significant mental trauma for the father who is not allowed a voice in the decision to get an abortion.
Society is currently filled with women who have gotten abortions in the past and psychologists and counselors are still dealing with the fall out of those decisions.
Abortion is the killing of a baby that may have gone on to cure cancer, or fly to the moon or become the next president.
The morality and philosophical cautions that already apply to how animals are treated in this country should be applied to the helpless fetus.
References
Hanks, Robert (2002) Induced abortion: an ethical conundrum for counselors.
Journal of Counseling and Development
Johnson, Sherrie Mills (2005) Attitudes toward abortion among religious traditions in the United States: change or continuity? Sociology of Religion
Simmons, Paul D (2000) Religious liberty and abortion policy: Casey as "Catch-22."
Journal of Church and State
Whitmore, Todd David (1993)Moral methodology and pastoral responsiveness: the case of abortion and the care of children. Theological Studies
