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Christian Belief and the Ethics of In-Vitro Fertilization and Abortion

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References

  1. From the Marriage Service in the Anglican Book of Common Prayer of 1662.

  2. Interview in “Prospective nel Mondo” cited in D. Yallop, In God’s Name London, Guild 1984 pp. 200ff.

  3. Letter from the President of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (Professor M.C. Mcnaughton), The Times November 29th. 1984.

  4. “Why Warnock is wrong”, article in The Times June 6th. 1985.

  5. In Britain for example both the major anti-abortion societies: Life and The Society for the Protection of Unborn Children are explicitly Christian in orientation, as are most books written against abortion.

  6. General Synod Board for Social Responsibility, Personal Origins London, Church Information Office Publishing 1985: Free Church Federal Council/British Council of Churches, Choices in Childlessness London, Free Church Federal Council 1982.

  7. Cf. The article by Cardinal Hume cited in Note 4 above and note that the Catholic Bishops’ Joint Committee on Bio-Ethical Issues also issued a strongly critical response to the Warnock report in 1984 which claimed that “The destruction of human embryos…is the killing of human life”. For an Orthodox view see M.O. Clement “To whom does the embryo belong” in Robin Gill, A Textbook of Christian Ethics Edinburgh, T. & T. Clarke, 1985. p.500.

  8. Church Assembly Board for Social Responsibility, Abortion: an Ethical Discussion London, Church Information Office 1965. In the USA the Episcopal Church issued a policy statement on abortion which recognised the impossibility of defining the origins of life, and the Methodist Church also adopted a liberal position. (The Times February 13th, 1985).

  9. 30% of British women wish the present law on abortion tightened compared with 53% who wish it either to remain as it is or to be still further liberalized. The Times February 2nd, 1980.

  10. Church Times July 22nd, 1983.

  11. The Times February 13th, 1985.

  12. Didache 2:2. (There may also be Biblical opposition to medicine in the condemnation of “pharmakeia” in Galatians 5:20 since although this is usually translated as a ban on sorcery, reference to any Greek dictionary will make it clear that its primary meaning is “medicine, drug or remedy” and this is the meaning of pharmacy in every other context.)

  13. For a polemical but well documented account of all this see A.D. White A History of the Warfare of Science with Theology Harvard, 1895, London, Arco Publishers 1955 Vol.2 pp36ff.

  14. Genesis 3:16.

  15. A.D. White The Warfare of Science with Theology Vol.2 pp.63.

  16. Cf. Paul Ramsey, Fabricated Man Yale University Press 1970 or Oliver O’Donovan Begotten or Made? Oxford, Clarendon Press 1984.

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  17. Cf. A.D. White, Warfare of Science with Theology Chapter 13.

  18. Consider for example the widespread existence of Clergy/Doctors Fellowship Groups, or the membership of the Society for the Study of Religion and Medicine.

  19. BBC Radio 4, You and Yours August 21, 1986.

  20. Psalm 8.

  21. Genesis 2:7.

  22. Paul D. Simmons, Birth and Death: Bioethical Decision-making Philadelphia, Westminster Press 1983 p.86ff. and compare the Chief Rabbi’s submission to the Warnock Committee cited in General Synod Board of Social Responsibility Personal Origins p.34.

  23. Exodus 21:12.

  24. Exodus 21:22.

  25. The Middle Assyrian Laws, Tablet A:50 cited in J.B. Pritchard, Ancient Near Eastern Tests Relating to the Old Testament Princeton University Press, 1950; p.184.

  26. Exodus 21:23.

  27. Deuteronomy 22:21, Leviticus 21:9, Genesis 38:24.

  28. Paul D. Simmons, Birth and Death: Bioethical Decision-making p.67.

  29. The Middle Assyrian Laws, Tablet A 53, cited in J.B. Pritchard, Ancient Near Eastern Texts p.185.

  30. Clyde T. Francisco, Genesis Broadman Bible Commentary Vol. 1 p.406, cited in Paul D. Simmons, Birth and Death: Bioethical Decision-making p.67.

  31. Walther Eichrodt, “The Components of Human Nature: in his Theologie des Alten Testaments Ehrenfried Klotz Verlag, Stuttgart 1965; English translation by John Austin Baker, Theology of the Old Testament Chapter 16.

  32. Wisdom 8:20, 9:15; Ecclesiastes 11:5. and see discussion in Paul Badham, “Soul” in John Bowden, New Dictionary of Christian Theology London SCM Press 1983.

  33. Genesis 18:9–15, 21:1–2, 1 Samuel 1:1–20, Luke 1:5–45.

  34. Genesis 17:19, 1 Samuel 1:11, Luke 1: 13–17, 32–35.

  35. C.S. Rodd, “Talking Points from Books, The Expository Times Vol.97. No.10 July 1986. p.290.

  36. Gerald Bonner, “Abortion and Early Christian Thought” in J.H. Channer, Abortion and the Sanctity of Life Exeter, The Paternoster Press 1985, p.111.

  37. William Edward Hartpole Lecky, History of European Morals London, Longmans, Green and Co. 1911. Vol.2, pp. 20–34.

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  38. Church Assembly Board for Social Responsibility, Abortion: an Ethical Discussion p.17.

  39. Church Assembly Board for Social Responsibility, Abortion: an Ethical Discussion p17.

  40. General Synod Board for Social Responsibility, Personal Origins p.24-25.

  41. Augustine on the Latin text of Exodus 21:22. Cited in General Synod Board for Social Responsibility Personal Origins p.24.

  42. Gerald Bonner, “Abortion and Early Christian Thought” in J.H. Channer, Abortion and the Sanctity of Human Life p. 113.

  43. From the Bull Ineffabilis Deus of Pius IX, Extract in Denzinger, 1641 cited in Henry Bettenson, Documents of the Christian Church Oxford University Press, 1963 p.381.

  44. General Synod Board for Social Responsibility, Personal Origins p.25.

  45. Church Assembly Board for Social Responsibility, Abortion: an Ethical Discussion p.27.

  46. Church Assembly Board for Social Responsibility, Abortion: an Ethical Discussion p.27; R.F.R. Gardner, Abortion Exeter, The Paternoster Press 1972 p.99.

  47. Acts 17:27.

  48. cf. John Hick, Evil and the God of Love London, Macmillan 1966.

  49. William Edward Hartpole Lecky, The History of Christian Morals Vol 2, p.23.

  50. Jacques Le Goff, La Naissance de Purgatoire Paris Editions, Gaillimard 1981. English translation: Arthur Goldhammer, The Birth of Purgatory London, Scholar Press 1984, pp. 220–21, 235–38.

  51. The Lancet Vol. 1, p.167, 26th January 1980.

  52. Christopher Butler, The Theology of Vatican II London, Darton, Longman & Todd 1967, pp.112–13.

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  53. Cited in the Church Times for May 23rd. 1986 from Basil Meaking and John Scott, The Evangelical-Roman Catholic Dialogue on Missing Exeter, Paternoster Press 1986.

  54. Karl Rahner, “Christianity and the non-Christian Religions” in Theological Investigations London, Darton, Longman & Todd 1966, Vol.5, pp.118ff.

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  55. Paul Badham, “In Search of Heaven” in In Search of Christianity London Weekend Television Publications, 1986. 56. Genesis 1:27.

  56. M.B. Forman (ed.), The Letters of John Keats London, Oxford University Press, 4th. edition 1952. pp. 334–35; cited in John Hick, Evil and the God of Love, p.295.

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Badham, P. Christian Belief and the Ethics of In-Vitro Fertilization and Abortion. Monash Bioethics Review 6, 7–18 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03351144

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