There is no issue more divisive and heated in American society than abortion. While the battle plays out in our living rooms, streets and courts, if we ever hope to resolve the struggle over abortion we must first answer one central question: When does life begin?
Religious views vary widely on this question, according to the Roe decision: “There has always been strong support for the view that life does not begin until live birth. It appears to be the predominant, though not the unanimous, attitude of the Jewish faith. It may be taken to represent also the position of a large segment of the Protestant community, insofar as that can be ascertained; organized groups that have taken a formal position on the abortion issue have generally regarded abortion as a matter for the conscience of the individual and her family.” The official Roman Catholic view – that abortion is the taking of innocent human life – derives from natural law, which, according to New Advent, a Roman Catholic encyclopedia, “is the rule of conduct which is prescribed to us by the Creator in the constitution of the nature with which He has endowed us.” Similarly, conservative and fundamentalist Christians who believe that “life begins at conception” appeal to the authority of Scripture. Non-western traditions also vary in their views, with some believing in reincarnation and holding that human existence is an endless cycle of birth, death and rebirth.
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