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Life and Death Life and Death
Life and DeathLife and Death
Not yet conscious
Intelligence No longer conscious
EuthanasiaA burden
Rationale AbortionUsefulness A burden
Too young Age Too old
In the womb Place of Residence
In a nursing home
“Does not yet have…”
Meaningful life “No longer has…”
Genesis 9:5-6Genesis 9:5-6“Surely 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 man’s blood, By man his blood shall be shed, For in the image of God
He made man.”
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 3:1-2)
Proverbs 31:4-6
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.
Biblical Accounts of SuicideBiblical Accounts of Suicide• Abimelech: Judges 9:50-55• King Saul: I Samuel 31:4• Ahithophel: II Samuel 17:23• Zimri kills himself: I Kings 16:18• Judas Iscariot: Matthew 27:5,
Acts 1:18-20
The Supreme Court’s DecisionThe Supreme Court’s 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 man’s knowledge, is not in a position to speculate as to the answer.”
Job 31:15Did not He who made me in the womb make him, And the same one fashion us in the womb?
Psalm 139:13-1413 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.
Psalm 139:1515 My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret,And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth;
Psalm 139:13-1716 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.
PersonhoodPersonhood
• Is a fetus a person?• What is a person?• ‘Person’ is vague and
normative: people have rights
• We need criteria for being a person
Criteria for PersonhoodCriteria for Personhood• Biological: genes, appearance,
brain activity (Noonan)• Independence (viability)• Consciousness• Self-consciousness• Physical separation• Autonomy: self-concept, plans for
future, etc. (Warren)
Four weeksFour weeks
• Genetic pattern established since conception• Heart, eyes, nervous system formed
Six weeksSix weeks
• Arms and legs formed• Skeleton complete,
reflexes active• Brain waves present
Seven weeksSeven weeks
• Brain activity present• Appearance complete
Eight weeks
• Now officially a fetus• All systems in place• Just need to develop and increase size
Eight weeksEight weeks
Eleven weeks
• Arms and legs move, sucks thumb• Inhales and exhales amniotic fluid
Twelve weeks
Twelve weeks
Sixteen weeks
• Grasps, swims, kicks, turns somersaults
Eighteen weeksEighteen weeksVocal cords work; fetus can cry
Twenty weeks
Twenty-four weeks
After Birth
Killing what has a right to life
• It’s 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
