Life and Death

Not yet conscious Intelligence No longer conscious Euthanasia A burden RationaleAbortion Usefulness A burden Too youngAgeToo old In the wombPlace of Residence In a nursing home “Does not yet have…” Meaningful life“No longer has…”

Genesis 9:5-6 Genesis 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 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 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 31:15 Did not He who made me in the womb make him, And the same one fashion us in the womb?

Psalm 139: 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 139:15 15 My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth;

Psalm 139: 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.

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

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

Four weeks Genetic pattern established since conception Heart, eyes, nervous system formed

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

Seven weeks Brain activity present Appearance complete

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

Eight weeks

Eleven weeks Arms and legs move, sucks thumb Inhales and exhales amniotic fluid

Twelve weeks

Sixteen weeks Grasps, swims, kicks, turns somersaults

Eighteen weeks Vocal 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