Religious Studies B - AQA - GCSE - Matters of Life

All life comes from God.
Life is special and precious.
1. Christianity
  1. Corinthians 3 v 16-17
    1. "Surely you know that God's spirit lives within you..."
  2. Psalm 139 v 13-16
    1. "You [God] formed my innermost parts, you knitted me together in my mother's womb... in your book were written all the days of my life, before I even had them."
2. Islam
  1. Qur'an 7 v 189
    1. "He is the one who has created you from a single soul."
  2. Qur'an 17 v 33
    1. "Do not take life... which Allah has made sacred... except for just cause."
3. Sanctity
God is in charge of life.
1. Only He should decide when it starts and ends.
God has plans for all people's lives.
When does human life start?
1. Birth - When the human exits the womb.
2. 24 weeks - UK Law believes this. With medical aid, the child could survive independently of its mother.
3. Conception - When the sperm fertilises the egg and becomes and embryo.
4. 14 weeks - When the foetus begins to breathe for itself.
5. 3 weeks - When the heart begins to beat.
6. 9 weeks - When the child can be felt moving in the womb.
7. 2 weeks - When the embryo attaches itself to the womb.
8. 16 weeks - Muslims believe a child receives its soul from Allah at this age. They believe it becomes a full human life.
Medical Practices that Interfere with Life
1. Creating Life
  1. IVF
    1. In Vitro Fertilisation
      1. In Vitro means in glass
    2. Egg and sperm collected.
      1. Egg and sperm combined outside of the body.
        After a few days of incubation, conception has occurred.
        Fertilised eggs (embryos) have been created.
        Embryos placed in woman's womb
        Embryos placed in woman's womb.
    3. Used when a woman cannot naturally conceive.
  2. Artificial Insemination
    1. By Husband
      1. Husband produces semen samples.
        This semen is injected into the woman's vagina when she ovulates
      2. Used when the husband has a low sperm count.
    2. By Donor
      1. Donor produces semen samples.
        This semen is injected into the woman's vagina when she ovulates.
        Hopefully she becomes pregnant.
      2. Used when the husband has a genetic disease that he could pass on.
  3. Surrogacy
    1. One woman carries a pregnancy on behalf of another woman
      1. The child is brought up by the couple. The surrogate has no involvement in the upbringing.
    2. Used when a woman is infertile. In the UK, it is illegal to pay someone to do it.
  4. Views on "Life-giving" Practices
    1. IVF
      1. For
        Genesis 1 v 28
        "Go forth and multiply."
        Everyone should have the chance to have a baby.
      2. Against
        If you are unable to have a child, God did not want you to have one.
        Children have been made 'artificially', can grow up feeling abnormal.
        The child may not know their biological parents.
    2. AID/AIH
      1. For
        If the husband has a disease, it would be unfair to make the child be born with that disease when there is an alternative.
        Genesis 1 v 28
        "Go forth and multiply."
      2. Against
        The donor/husband has to masturbate to get the sample.
        AID means it isn't the husband's child.
        Children have been made 'artificially', can grow up feeling abnormal.
        AID children may not know their biological father.
        God is in charge of life, not humans.
    3. Surrogacy
      1. For
        If everyone who is taking part wants to do it, this is acceptable.
        If having children makes you happy, this would please a benevolent God.
      2. Against
        It can be classified as adultery.
        If the embryo is successful, the other embryos are destroyed. This is killing God-given life.
        Children have been made 'artificially', can grow up feeling abnormal.
        A surrogate child may never know its biological mother.
2. Course of Human Life
  1. Cloning
    1. Creating a genetically identical human being.
    2. Illegal all throughout the world.
    3. Saviour Sibling
    4. Stem Cell Research
  2. Genetic Engineering
    1. Genes can be removed or replaced in embryos.
      1. This could prevent a child being born with a genetic disease.
        Embryology
    2. Designer Babies
  3. Blood Transfusion
    1. Blood is used from one person to replace blood in another.
  4. Transplantation
    1. An organ in one person's body is replace by the same organ from somebody else.
      1. Donors can be somebody that has died.
  5. Human Experimentation
    1. The testing of medicine of paid human volunteers.
  6. Human-Animal Hybrid Experimentation
    1. An embryo is created by putting human DNA and an animal egg together.
      1. For example, cow eggs have been used for research into cures for Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.
  7. Views on "Life-altering" Practices
    1. Cloning
      1. For
        Potentially stops diseases.
        Provides organs for transplants.
      2. Against
        Potentially abuses God's plans by messing with them.
        Trying to be God as He creates life.
    2. Genetic Engineering
      1. For
        Doctors improving life.
        If God is benevolent, he will approve of stopping suffering.
      2. Against
        Potential to abuse this.
        Messing with God's human design.
    3. Blood Transfusions
      1. For
        It can save sacred lives.
        An act of charity.
      2. Against
        The blood could be rejected which would cause death.
        Messing with God's plans.
    4. Transplantations
      1. For
        Can save human lifes.
        The donor is willing to donate their body, God gave us free will.
      2. Against
        If the donor hasn't agreed, it is theft.
        It is disrespectful to mess with a dead body.
    5. Human Experimentation
      1. For
        To test on humans is to improve human life.
        Testing is done in safe and controlled conditions.
      2. Against
        Possibly endangers life.
        It could be saying that we know better than our creator.
    6. Human-Animal Hybrid Experimentation
      1. For
        Anything should be done to improve life and rid the world of diseases.
        It is not creating new species, just embryos.
      2. Against
        Embryos are living creatures. Testing on them is destroying life.
        Cross-breeding of any type is warped and repugnant.
3. Moral Issues
  1. Trying to act like God
Link to "-ologies"
1. Theology
  1. If God exists, He will not approve of the removal of his creations. He might also not approve of his creations being altered genetically. He may, however, approve of their life being extended where possible.
2. Epistemology
  1. Over time, we have learnt about the various genetic diseases that humans can have, and now have the ability to detect these in the womb. If we have the knowledge to prevent these diseases but do not, is this morally acceptable?
3. Anthropology
  1. Is it right to deny the humans from experiencing the life that each of us experiences? They will not be able to experience life if they are not born. This can relate to abortions on the against side and genetic modification on the for side.
4. Psychology
  1. Are humans able to willingly end the potential life of humans without damaging their conscience?

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Religious Studies B - AQA - GCSE - Matters of Life

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	Created by Josh Anderson over 8 years ago