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What is Natural Law and Abortion: A Simple Essay

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Luna

6/24/2022

Religious Studies

Applying Natural Moral Law to the Issue of Abortion

What is Natural Law and Abortion: A Simple Essay

Natural moral law provides a framework for evaluating the ethics of abortion from a Catholic perspective. This summary examines Aquinas' views on fetal development, applies natural law principles to abortion, and outlines the Catholic Church's stance based on the sanctity of human life. Key considerations include the presence of a rational soul, violation of primary precepts, and limited exceptions under the principle of double effect.

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6/24/2022

255

Applying Natural Moral Law to
the Issue of Abortion
Abortion in Aquinas' Writings
Aquinas held that a human person with a rational soul is p

View

Catholic Church's Stance on Abortion

This page delves deeper into the Catholic Church's position on abortion, exploring the application of natural moral law and the principle of double effect in specific scenarios.

Principle of Double Effect:

  • Allows for indirect abortion in limited circumstances
  • Example: A woman with a life-threatening pregnancy

Example: A woman with a cancerous uterus may undergo a hysterectomy to save her life, even if it results in the death of the fetus. This is permissible because:

  1. Removing a cancerous uterus is morally good
  2. The fetus' death is an unintended side-effect
  3. The fetus' death is not the means of saving the woman's life
  4. Saving the woman's life is at least as morally significant as saving the fetus

Biblical Basis: The Catholic stance on abortion is rooted in the sanctity of life principle derived from Genesis 1:26-27, which states that human life is sacred as it is created in God's image.

Highlight: The Catholic Church maintains a strict stance on abortion, allowing no exceptions even in cases of rape or incest.

Vocabulary: Sanctity of Life - the principle that human life is sacred and inviolable, often used in religious and ethical arguments against abortion.

Definition: Principle of Double Effect - a moral principle that distinguishes between the intended and unintended consequences of an action, used to evaluate the ethics of actions that have both good and bad effects.

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Religious Studies

255

Jun 24, 2022

2 pages

What is Natural Law and Abortion: A Simple Essay

Natural moral law provides a framework for evaluating the ethics of abortion from a Catholic perspective. This summary examines Aquinas' views on fetal development, applies natural law principles to abortion, and outlines the Catholic Church's stance based on the sanctity... Show more

Applying Natural Moral Law to
the Issue of Abortion
Abortion in Aquinas' Writings
Aquinas held that a human person with a rational soul is p

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Access to all documents

Improve your grades

Join milions of students

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Catholic Church's Stance on Abortion

This page delves deeper into the Catholic Church's position on abortion, exploring the application of natural moral law and the principle of double effect in specific scenarios.

Principle of Double Effect:

  • Allows for indirect abortion in limited circumstances
  • Example: A woman with a life-threatening pregnancy

Example: A woman with a cancerous uterus may undergo a hysterectomy to save her life, even if it results in the death of the fetus. This is permissible because:

  1. Removing a cancerous uterus is morally good
  2. The fetus' death is an unintended side-effect
  3. The fetus' death is not the means of saving the woman's life
  4. Saving the woman's life is at least as morally significant as saving the fetus

Biblical Basis: The Catholic stance on abortion is rooted in the sanctity of life principle derived from Genesis 1:26-27, which states that human life is sacred as it is created in God's image.

Highlight: The Catholic Church maintains a strict stance on abortion, allowing no exceptions even in cases of rape or incest.

Vocabulary: Sanctity of Life - the principle that human life is sacred and inviolable, often used in religious and ethical arguments against abortion.

Definition: Principle of Double Effect - a moral principle that distinguishes between the intended and unintended consequences of an action, used to evaluate the ethics of actions that have both good and bad effects.

Applying Natural Moral Law to
the Issue of Abortion
Abortion in Aquinas' Writings
Aquinas held that a human person with a rational soul is p

Sign up to see the contentIt's free!

Access to all documents

Improve your grades

Join milions of students

By signing up you accept Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Applying Natural Moral Law to Abortion

Natural moral law offers a philosophical and theological approach to analyzing the ethics of abortion, particularly from a Catholic perspective. This page examines Aquinas' writings on fetal development and applies natural law principles to the abortion debate.

Aquinas' Views on Fetal Development:

  • Believed a human person with a rational soul is present 60-80 days after conception
  • Opposed abortion after this point, considering it homicide

Quote: "He that strikes a woman with child does something unlawful: wherefore if there results the death either of the woman or of the animated foetus, he will not be excused from homicide, especially seeing that death is the natural result of such a blow."

Applying Primary Precepts: Abortion at any stage violates all five tests of Aquinas' natural moral law:

  • Violates the principle of defending innocent life thefetusthe fetus
  • Violates the precept of worshipping God by destroying His creation

Highlight: The Catholic Church reinforces natural moral law by forbidding abortion at any stage, except in rare cases through the principle of double effect.

Vocabulary: Primary Precepts - fundamental moral principles in natural law theory that guide ethical decision-making.

Definition: Natural Moral Law - an ethical theory that posits the existence of universal moral principles derived from reason and human nature.

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The app is very easy to use and well designed. I have found everything I was looking for so far and have been able to learn a lot from the presentations! I will definitely use the app for a class assignment! And of course it also helps a lot as an inspiration.

Stefan S

iOS user

This app is really great. There are so many study notes and help [...]. My problem subject is French, for example, and the app has so many options for help. Thanks to this app, I have improved my French. I would recommend it to anyone.

Samantha Klich

Android user

Wow, I am really amazed. I just tried the app because I've seen it advertised many times and was absolutely stunned. This app is THE HELP you want for school and above all, it offers so many things, such as workouts and fact sheets, which have been VERY helpful to me personally.

Anna

iOS user

I think it’s very much worth it and you’ll end up using it a lot once you get the hang of it and even after looking at others notes you can still ask your Artificial intelligence buddy the question and ask to simplify it if you still don’t get it!!! In the end I think it’s worth it 😊👍 ⚠️Also DID I MENTION ITS FREEE YOU DON’T HAVE TO PAY FOR ANYTHING AND STILL GET YOUR GRADES IN PERFECTLY❗️❗️⚠️

Thomas R

iOS user

Knowunity is the BEST app I’ve used in a minute. This is not an ai review or anything this is genuinely coming from a 7th grade student (I know 2011 im young) but dude this app is a 10/10 i have maintained a 3.8 gpa and have plenty of time for gaming. I love it and my mom is just happy I got good grades

Brad T

Android user

Not only did it help me find the answer but it also showed me alternative ways to solve it. I was horrible in math and science but now I have an a in both subjects. Thanks for the help🤍🤍

David K

iOS user

The app's just great! All I have to do is enter the topic in the search bar and I get the response real fast. I don't have to watch 10 YouTube videos to understand something, so I'm saving my time. Highly recommended!

Sudenaz Ocak

Android user

In school I was really bad at maths but thanks to the app, I am doing better now. I am so grateful that you made the app.

Greenlight Bonnie

Android user

I found this app a couple years ago and it has only gotten better since then. I really love it because it can help with written questions and photo questions. Also, it can find study guides that other people have made as well as flashcard sets and practice tests. The free version is also amazing for students who might not be able to afford it. Would 100% recommend

Aubrey

iOS user

Best app if you're in Highschool or Junior high. I have been using this app for 2 school years and it's the best, it's good if you don't have anyone to help you with school work.😋🩷🎀

Marco B

iOS user

THE QUIZES AND FLASHCARDS ARE SO USEFUL AND I LOVE THE SCHOOLGPT. IT ALSO IS LITREALLY LIKE CHATGPT BUT SMARTER!! HELPED ME WITH MY MASCARA PROBLEMS TOO!! AS WELL AS MY REAL SUBJECTS ! DUHHH 😍😁😲🤑💗✨🎀😮

Elisha

iOS user

This app is phenomenal down to the correct info and the various topics you can study! I greatly recommend it for people who struggle with procrastination and those who need homework help. It has been perfectly accurate for world 1 history as far as I’ve seen! Geometry too!

Paul T

iOS user