Life: a gift for man to treasure.

Essay by unrealfighterA, June 2006

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Life is a gift from God to appreciate and live out as best we can. It should be given great importance and be treasured with all our might. Life also brings about question marks, for example whether abortion and euthanasia are acceptable, what they actually are, and if killing in self defence is acceptable.

Abortion is the premature termination of a pregnancy, resulting in the death of the foetus (the baby inside the mother's womb). Abortion and contraception are NOT the same. Contraception simply disables the sperm from reaching the ovum so fertilisation is not able to proceed, while abortion occurs when a new life ALREADY exists and this new life is being killed. Abortion is a 'solution' for women who have been careless with sex, women who are not able to raise a child or women who have been raped.

The Church labels abortion as a grave offence against God, since a creation of God is being destroyed.

The foetus is actually a life, since fertilisation has occurred. Every human life has dignity, and is created in the image of God: "a wonder am I, and all your works are wonders" (Ps 139, 14-15). If a woman is pregnant for what ever reason, and would not like to raise a child, she can give birth to the child and then put him up for adoption. Like this, a creation is not being destroyed, but being given to a family who will want him/her.

Euthanasia refers to those situations when one brings death upon somebody else who is usually terminally ill and in pain in order for the person to be rid of the suffering. Euthanasia can be of two types; Voluntary Euthanasia, when death is asked for by the patient but the patient can't kill himself. This is...