The document discusses several issues in bioethics from a Christian perspective, including euthanasia, abortion, and fertility treatments. On euthanasia, Christians believe the Fifth Commandment prohibits taking human life, though views vary on withholding extraordinary treatment. Catholics allow refusing extraordinary treatment but require providing food and water. On abortion, Catholics and Orthodox believe life begins at conception and it is wrong, while Anglicans accept it in some cases of health risks. Most Christians support IVF and artificial insemination between spouses but have concerns about using donors or discarding embryos. Views also vary on research using embryos.

2. Christianity -
Bioethics

3. Bioethics
 Bioethics is the area of science that deals with ethical
choices faced in medical research and the treatment
of patients where advanced medical technology is
used.
 Ethical issues that Christians might have concerns
with are cloning, IVF and screening embryos,
abortion, euthanasia, stem cell technology and
genetic engineering.
 The key Christian belief that is challenged in
bioethical research is the value or sanctity of human
life, particularly the beginning and end of life.

4.  Christians have always believed that life is sacred
and should be preserved.
 Christians also realise that death is inevitable.
 The question becomes: what is the quality of life
that can be achieved for the person, and is
sustaining life at any cost appropriate?
Bioethics – The preservation of
human life and Euthanasia

5.  The Fifth Commandment
clearly states that it is
wrong to take another
human life: ‘You shall not
murder’ (Exodus 20:13).
 The Bible does not give
any specific teaching on
euthanasia, but many
Christians would use this
commandment to argue
that euthanasia is not
permitted.

6.  Euthanasia would be
considered when the patient
is suffering from the effects
of ongoing illness and their
quality of life is not being
maintained.
 It is the issue of taking life
that is of concern for
Christians.

7. The Catholic Teaching on the
Preservation of life
 Catholic teaching is based on the principles of natural law.
 In matters of the preservation of human life the distinction is
made between ordinary and extraordinary means of
prolonging life:
 Ordinary means are necessary and reasonable for the
preservation of human life.
 Extraordinary means are those that are out of balance with the
outcome or particularly burdensome for the family.
 The balance needs to be maintained between maintaining
pain relief and not hastening death for the patient.

8.  In 2007, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
noted:
The administration of food and water even by artificial means is, in principle, an
ordinary and proportionate means of preserving life. It is therefore obligatory to
the extent to which, and for as long as, it is shown to accomplish its proper finality,
which is the hydration and nourishment of the patient. In this way suffering and
death by starvation and dehydration are prevented. (Congregation for the
Doctrine of the Faith, Declaration on Euthanasia, 1980)
 In the Catechism of the Catholic Church there are two
statements on euthanasia:
Intentional euthanasia, whatever its forms or motives, is murder. It is gravely
contrary to the dignity of the human person and to the respect due to the living
God, his Creator. (Paragraph 2324)
Whatever its motives and means, direct euthanasia consists in putting an end to
the lives of handicapped, sick, or dying persons. It is morally unacceptable.
(Paragraph 2277) (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1997)

9. Orthodox- Euthanasia
‘All efforts to heal physical and spiritual sickness to
alleviate physical and spiritual suffering and to
prevent physical and spiritual death are to be
supported and defended”
1992 Orthodox Church in America Synod of Bishops
 God is wit us, even in times of distress
 Circumstances beyond medical science to heal
 Facing the struggles prepares for transition into
the hands of God

10. Abortion – Catholic Church
 Some passages from the Bible that relate to
abortion.
 Exodus 21:22–25 is often seen as a
condemnation of abortion but it is treated as a
finable offence, not a capital offence.
 Hosea 13:15–16 suggests abortion could be a
judgment from God.
 The Catholic Church opposes abortion under
any circumstances.

11. Abortion – Catholic Church
 The Catholic Church emphasises on procreation
and its perception of the foetus as a human being
from the moment of conception.
 It is believed that life is given by God and should
only be taken by God.

12. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WiQNPk_2G8

13. Abortion – Catholic Church
 The papal encyclical Donum vitae (1987)
addressed the issue of abortion. The Catholic
Church has emphasised the role of ‘natural law’,
a concept that refers to the idea of a natural
moral law, as developed by the theologian
Thomas Aquinas who lived in the 13th century.

14. Abortion- Anglican
 Many Anglicans accept that abortion is not always
wrong. There are relational factors to consider.
Where the choice must be made between the
health of the foetus and the health of the mother,
the mother must be given priority.
 The foetus is a human being, but mitigating
circumstances must be considered. Orthodox
Christians generally have a similar view.

15. Abortion- Orthodox Church
“ An act of murder for which those involved,
voluntarily and involuntarily will answer to God”
OCA Synod of Bishops, 1992
 Willful and deliberate act of aborting/destroying an
embryo/fetus for purpose of birth control is
expressly forbidden. Includes concept of morning
after pill
 Rape and incest is not excluded- God is always
present in creation

16. Fertility Treatment, Cloning,
Genetic Testing

20. In-vitro Fertilisation (IVF)
 In-vitro fertilisation (IVF)
refers to the conception of a
life outside the uterus,
usually in scientific
equipment (thus the term
‘test-tube baby’). This
practice has been
successfully undertaken for
many years.
 For Christians, this
procedure bypasses the
natural role of the father and
mother, and also leads to
the problem of the disposal
of fertilised embryos that are
(to some) human lives.
 It also raises the issues of
gene manipulation and the
potential to modify the
embryo.

21. Fertility Treatment
What are Christian views on fertility treatment?

22. What is it?
 Medical treatment given to couples who
can’t have babies but want them
 Infertility can happen for many reasons
such as the man’s inability to produce
sperm or the woman’s inability to produce
eggs
 A couple’s inability to have children is
often a cause of great distress

23. What does the Bible say about
Fertility Treatment?
 Nothing !!
 Genesis 30 v 1 – “Give me children or I
will die” Barrenness was a shameful /
disgraceful thing
 1 Samuel 1 v 2 – 5 – “Hannah had no
children… because the Lord had kept
her from having children” Barrenness
was seen as the will of God

24. Christian Beliefs
 Three important beliefs affect a
Christian’s beliefs about these
issues
◦God alone is the creator of life
◦God gave humans a soul
◦God created humans in his image

25. Types of Fertility Treatment
 IVF - In Vitro Fertilisation
 AIH - Artificial Insemination by Husband
 AID - Artificial Insemination by Donor

26. IVF & AIH
 In Vitro Fertilisation (‘in glass’)
 Artificial Insemination by Husband
 Doctors place the sperm and egg together
in a test tube and wait to see if embryos
develop
 Embryos are placed in a woman’s uterus
where they can continue to grow
 To increase the chances of success
doctors fertilise more than one egg
 Spare embryos may result

27. Christian attitudes to IVF & AIH
 Many Christians accept IVF and AIH
 It is right to use medical science to help
couples have babies
 Embryos can be discarded because they
are not yet foetuses
◦ (it’s an embryo until eight weeks and then it
becomes a foetus)

28. Problems with IVF & AIH
 Catholics disagree with IVF and AIH
because:
◦ fertilised embryos are discarded
◦ male masturbation is involved which is a sin
 Many people (not just Christians) are
concerned with what happens to those
spare embryos

29. AID
 Artificial Insemination by Donor
 Same process as with IVF and AIH but a
sperm or egg donor is used
 Many Christians disagree with AID and
call it adultery by another name
 Using a stranger’s sperm or eggs involves
a third party in the marriage

30. In Summary...
 Most Christians agree with IVF & AIH
 Most Christians disagree with AID
 Catholics disagree with all three

31. Medical Research
 Scientists can use embryos to clone
human cells
 Human embryos are studied to find cures
for human diseases such as motor
neurone disease and Parkinson’s disease
 Living tissue is implanted in patients to
slow down the disease
 This tissue usually comes from aborted
foetuses

32. Is it Right to use Embryos for
Medical Research?
 Catholics oppose all embryo research
 Anglicans support it up to 14 days
 Some Christians support it because it
means some good comes out of abortions
 Human life is denied it’s value and
considered a means to an end
 The embryo cannot give consent

33. Playing God
 Christians believe in the Sanctity of Life
 Life is a gift from God
 He has created us for a purpose
 Cloning cells is like playing God
 In 1966 Dolly the Sheep became the
world’s first cloned animal
 Theoretically it’s possible to do the same
for humans

34. Frankenstein
 In 1818 Mary
Shelley wrote
about a scientist
who created a
monster from parts
of dead bodies
 This was total
fantasy then but
more of a reality
now!

35. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8JTw2RpDo9o
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FyEpKfPkNg

36. Choosing a Baby’s Sex
 Using ‘male’ or ‘female’ sperm to fertilise
an embryo
 Pre-implantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD)
is when a cell is removed from the
fertilised egg
 Sex selection is only permitted to avoid
diseases that are linked to a certain sex
 In Britain it is illegal to select the sex of a
child just because the parents want either
a boy or a girl

37. Screening for Disease
 PGD can be used to avoid having a baby
with a disability
 Embryos are screened to see if they
contain a specific disease and then only
healthy embryos are implanted
 This technology is very new and is raising
many ethical issues

38. Baby Created to Save Older Sister
 In 2000 the Nash family made medical
history by having a baby boy who had
been selected using PGD to be a perfect
tissue match for his very ill older sister
 His sister suffered from a rare genetic
disease so tissue from her new-born
brother's placenta was used to restore her
to health
 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/954408
.stm

39. Designer Babies
 Where will screening for diseases lead to?
◦ Choosing a child based on hair colour?
◦ Choosing a child based on IQ?
◦ Choosing a child based on musical ability?
◦ Choosing a child based on sporting ability?
◦ Choosing a child with a nice personality?
 Many argue that the sanctity of life is
being abused and we are ‘playing God’

40. Controversy
 In 2002 a deaf, Lesbian couple
deliberately chose to have a deaf child by
IVF
 They used the sperm of a man whose
family had a long-term history of
deafness
 They deliberately chose to bring a child
into the world with a disability
 http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2002/a
pr/08/davidteather

41. Your Turn...
 Explain what Christians believe about
genetic engineering (6)
 ‘If a couple can’t have children it is
because that is the way God wants it”
Discuss this statement (12)