LFrear@SaddleworthSchool
MATTERS OF LIFE REVISION
WHEN DOES LIFE BEGIN? When the sperm fertilizes the egg When the embryo is implanted into the wall of the womb After 14 days when bones begin to develop When the baby begins to move At the first heartbeat When the foetus is viable (considered to be 24 weeks) When the baby is born Some believe we have existed before – reincarnation eligious/moral law
‘You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb.’ Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, in our likeness’ Sanctity of life
Allah creates all life and provides the gift of children
Some believe that the soul enters the foetus at 120 days
FERTILITY TREATMENT: AIH – semen is collected from the husband and placed in the neck of the womb AID – as above but semen is from a donor IVF – sperm & egg are put together outside the womb to achieve fertilization Artificial Insemination Husband/Donor In Vitro Fertilization
SURROGACY: When a woman has a baby for another woman through fertility treatment The Surrogacy Arrangements Act 1985 - illegal to advertise/take payment for surrogacy 6 weeks after birth the intended parents can apply for a parental order/parental rights HUMAN FERTILIZATION & EMBRYOLOGY ACT 1990: This allows research using human embryos, the storage of eggs/sperm/embryos & fertility treatment using donated eggs/sperm or embryos created outside the body. This act also states that the surrogate mother can’t be forced to give up her child, the child must be genetically related to at least one parent (who must be over 18 and married) RELIGIOUS VIEWS ON FERTILITY TREATMENT & SURROGACY: CHRISTIANITY: RC do not support the above. If a couple doesn’t conceive through sex then that is what God has intended. Most protestants accept AIH & IVF (love is more important than they method of conception) but not AID as it may be seen as adultery.
ISLAM: IVF & AIH are allowed but AIH is forbidden for the reason above. Surrogacy is opposed as ‘No one can be their mother except those who gave them birth’ – Qur’an. As Muslim men are
allowed 4 wives under Shari’ah law, fertility treatment and surrogacy shouldn’t be necessary.
TRANSPLANT SURGERY: The procedure of replacing an organ with the equivalent organ from someone else Xenotransplantation – use of organs from genetically modified animals Organ must be accepted by or anti-rejection drugs must be used to try to prevent death BLOOD TRANSFUSIONS: Blood (types O,A,B, & AB) provided by donors The wrong type = body rejecting it/death Most Christians support transplants & transfusions because JC said ‘Love your neighbour’
GENETIC ENGINEERING: The procedure for modifying the genetic make-up of cells Scientists are developing the ability to treat genetic disorders by replacing a defective gene with a new one (gene therapy) Most Muslims support This could lead to the production of ‘designer babies’ transplants & transfusions CLONING: Production of genetically identical individuals who share the same nuclear gene set Embryo cloning – removal of cells from an embryo to develop a separate embryo with the same DNA (e.g. Dolly the sheep) Therapeutic cloning – taking DNA out of an embryo and replacing it with the DNA from another individual. This kills the embryo but stem cells may be grown into a replacement organ with matching DNA so overcoming rejection problems for organ donation
FOR:
Selective breeding will improve the human race Parents could choose sex of child Cloning creates life from life so is an extension of fertility treatment Discarding unwanted cells isn’t murder as true life has not yet begun
Playing God and interfering with nature denying the sanctity of life The clone would not be a real human & may not have a soul as conception has not occurred Killing embryos is murder May result in malformed babies (as with first attempts to clone sheep) Cloning is illegal because it is morally & ethically unacceptable
AGAINST:
Dolly was science’s 277th attempt
RELIGIOUS VIEWS: CHRISTIANITY: RC say embryo research threatens the sanctity of life. Protestants support research on embryos up to 14 days old as long as embryo has not been created for that purpose. Most don’t oppose cloning of animals but do of humans. Disregards uniqueness God has given us.
ISLAM: Embryos shouldn’t be created for research but others may be used. Human cloning
undermines family ties/social order and raises questions of identity/individuality of person.