(855) 4-ESSAYS

Type a new keyword(s) and press Enter to search

Christianity and Bioethical Issues

 

"The lord gave and the lord takes away" this quote highlights the belief that god is the giver of life and that life is sacred, and issues such as abortion take away from gods sovereignty. The issue of abortion is an ethical question and the Christian Church uses its ethical teachings to argue the wrongness and criminality of it.
             The issue of euthanasia is another bioethical issue that the Christian Church is firmly against. Christians are firmly against the act of euthanasia as it is a contradiction of core ethical teachings such as the golden rule, sanctity of life and human dignity. As with all ethical dilemmas Christians look to scripture, tradition and experience to guide them into making the most ethically correct decisions. Christians believe that euthanasia contradicts the ethical teaching of the sanctity of life as it is central to their faith that all life is sacred and purposeful. Christians argue that humans are made in the image of God and turn to scripture to support this argument "none of us lives to himself if we live we live to the lord, if we die we die to the lord." This quote highlights that as we are made in the image of god we must therefore strive for good in the world and live for god. Another key point that is at the core of the euthanasia debate is that of human dignity. The secular society argues that euthanasia is a compassionate response to suffering, however the Christian response to this is that genuine compassion moves us to do all that we can to eliminate suffering but never to eliminate the sufferer. This position is common amongst all denominations as they all consider euthanasia as a clear parallel to murder. It is considered an illicit act in all forms of Christianity however the Uniting Church indicates that there is much more to be discussed and believe that it is not as simple as some variants may make it out to be. .
             The issue of In Virto Fertilization (IVF) is a reproductive technology in which an egg is removed from a woman and then artificially joined with a sperm cell from a man in a test tube.


Essays Related to Christianity and Bioethical Issues

1. Bioethics

The Qur'an and the traditions of the Prophet have laid down detailed and specific ethical guidelines regarding various medical issues (Bioethics for clinicians: Islamic Bioethics). ... Although Islam has some doctrinal differences from Judaism and Christianity, it shares in the belief of the same God, the God of Abraham. ... Understanding Jewish bioethics is exploring the way people of different cultures deal with ethical issues even when there are few answers to such complex questions. ... Understanding Chinese issues of bioethics should only be made more apparent to physicians. ... ...

  • Word Count: 1648
  • Approx Pages: 7
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

2. Human Cloning

A debatable issue concerning human cloning was first recognized in Scotland at the Roslin Institute by Ian Wilmut. ... Kilner, director of the Center for Bioethics and Human Dignity, "[h]uman cloning research would be unethical because it would inevitably cause the death of human embryos" (Kilner 13). ... Post, associate professor of bioethics at the Center for Biomedical Ethics at Cast Western Reserve University, claims that "[ ] cloning demonstrates a lack of respect for God and for the union of sex, marriage, love, and procreation mandated by the Hebrew Bible and adopted by Christianity...

  • Word Count: 1294
  • Approx Pages: 5
  • Grade Level: High School

3. Cloning

This is a controversial issue because it brings ethical, religious, and personal beliefs into it. ... It is you who has to decide your view on this issue, and try to do something about it. ... Many argue that cloning creates serious issues of identity and individuality, and forces humans to consider the definition of self. Gilbert Meilaender commented on the importance of genetic uniqueness not only to the child but to the parent as well when he appeared before the National Bioethics Advisory Commission on March 13, 1997. ... Christianity and Cloning. ...

  • Word Count: 1797
  • Approx Pages: 7
  • Grade Level: High School

4. Cloning

The issue of cloning lay dormant until 1996 when an actual sheep was cloned. ... Some scholars see her as the most profound challenge to Christianity since Galileo's observation that Earth was not the center of the universe. ... Another issue is what happens if it becomes acceptable to clone a person one time will it then become acceptable to clone someone 10 or even 100 times (Hochstein 52)? ... The National Bioethics Advisory Commission feels that it is necessary to pass a legislative bill to prohibit cloning until it can be reviewed again in another 3-5 years. ...

  • Word Count: 1715
  • Approx Pages: 7
  • Grade Level: High School