Life and Death

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Life and Death
A Christian World View
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Euthenasia
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Euthenasia
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Euthanasia
Rationale
Abortion

• A burden

Usefulness
A burden
Too young
Age
Too old
Not yet conscious
Intelligence
No longer conscious
In the womb
Place of Residence
In a nursing home
Does not yet have
Meaningful life
No longer has
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Genesis 95-6Surely I will require your
lifeblood from every beast I will require it.
And from every man, from every man's brother I
will require the life of man. 6 Whoever sheds
mans blood, By man his blood shall be shed, For
in the image of God He made man.
What does the Bible Say?
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There is an appointed time for everything. And
there is a time for every event under heaven-- 2
A time to give birth and a time to die
(Ecclesiastes 31-2)
What does the Bible Say?
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Proverbs 314-6

• 4 It is not for kings, O Lemuel,
• It is not for kings to drink wine,
• Or for rulers to desire strong drink,
• 5 For they will drink and forget what is decreed,
  
• And pervert the rights of all the afflicted.
• 6 Give strong drink to him who is perishing,
• And wine to him whose life is bitter.

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Biblical Accounts of Suicide

• Abimelech Judges 950-55
• King Saul I Samuel 314
• Ahithophel II Samuel 1723
• Zimri kills himself I Kings 1618
• Judas Iscariot Matthew 275, Acts 118-20

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The Supreme Courts Decision

• . . . we need not resolve the difficult
  question of when life begins. When those trained
  in the respective disciplines of medicine,
  philosophy, and theology are unable to arrive at
  any consensus, the judiciary, at this point in
  the development of mans knowledge, is not in a
  position to speculate as to the answer.

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Job 3115
What does the Bible Say?

• Did not He who made me in the womb make him, And
  the same one fashion us in the womb?

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Psalm 13913-14
What does the Bible Say?

• 13 For You formed my inward parts
• You wove me in my mother's womb.
• 14 I will give thanks to You,
• For I am fearfully and wonderfully made
• Wonderful are Your works,
• And my soul knows it very well.

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Psalm 13915
What does the Bible Say?

• 15 My frame was not hidden from You,
• When I was made in secret,
• And skillfully wrought in the depths of the
  earth

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Psalm 13913-17
What does the Bible Say?

• 16 Your eyes have seen my unformed substance
• And in Your book were all written
• The days that were ordained for me,
• When as yet there was not one of them.

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Personhood

• Is a fetus a person?
• What is a person?
• Person is vague and normative people have
  rights
• We need criteria for being a person

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Criteria for Personhood

• Biological genes, appearance, brain activity
  (Noonan)
• Independence (viability)
• Consciousness
• Self-consciousness
• Physical separation
• Autonomy self-concept, plans for future, etc.
  (Warren)

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Four weeks

• Genetic pattern established since conception
• Heart, eyes, nervous system formed

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Six weeks

• Arms and legs formed
• Skeleton complete, reflexes active
• Brain waves present

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Seven weeks

• Brain activity present
• Appearance complete

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Eight weeks

• Now officially a fetus
• All systems in place
• Just need to develop and increase size

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Eight weeks
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Eleven weeks

• Arms and legs move, sucks thumb
• Inhales and exhales amniotic fluid

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Twelve weeks
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Twelve weeks
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Sixteen weeks

• Grasps, swims, kicks, turns somersaults

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Eighteen weeks

• Vocal cords work fetus can cry

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Twenty weeks
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Twenty-four weeks
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After Birth
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Killing what has a right to life

• Its wrong to kill anything with a right to life
• A fetus has a right to life
• Others have a perfect obligation not to interfere
  with the fetus living
• Others have a perfect obligation not to kill the
  fetus

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