GCSE Religious Studies

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GCSE Religious Studies

• Religious Attitudes to
• Matters of Life

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Key Questions

• When does human life begin?
• Who is responsible for life?
• What rights do we have to interfere with nature?

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The Beginning of Life

• Conception zygote
• Blastocyst
• Embryo
• Spiritual being? at quickening
• Viability
• Birth

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The Sanctity of Life

• Holy and Sacred
• Created by God
• Life is a gift
• Life must be preserved
• Every life has a purpose
• God alone decides the beginning and end of life

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Infertility Treatment

• IVF
• AID
• AIH
• Egg/Sperm storing
• Fertility drugs
• Surrogacy

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Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990

• Sperm and egg donors must always remain anonymous
• Donors have no legal rights over any children
  born as a result of their donation
• Frozen embryos may be stored for a maximum of 10
  years
• Scientific experiments may only be carried out on
  embryos up until 14 days after conception. After
  this time they must not be kept alive.

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Genetic Engineering

• Cures for medical conditions such as Cystic
  Fibrosis
• Playing God the production of designer babies

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Genetic Manipulation

• Genetic Engineering
• Gene Therapy
• Xenotransplantation

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Cloning

• Producing genetically equivalent offspring
• 1997-2003 Dolly
• Humans?
• Therapeutic Cloning use of stem cells from
  embryos

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Arguments For Therapeutic Cloning

• Could eliminate heart disease and heart attacks
• Could deal with serious burns and brain
  deterioration
• Could reduce infertility
• Reversing the ageing process?

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Arguments Against Therapeutic Cloning

• Suggests some human characteristics more
  important than others
• Would allow designer babies
• Slippery Slope
• Destroys individuality
• Against the will of God?
• Unnatural?
• Population crisis

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Transplants and Transfusions

• Many more donors are needed to meet demand
• Jehovahs Witnesses (Christian) oppose blood
  transfusions
• Biblical commands not to consume blood
• Court becomes involved if parents refuse
  transfusion to save life of child
• Normally court over-rules parents religious
  beliefs

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Organ Transplants

• Living donor bone marrow/kidney
• Recently deceased donor donor cards

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Arguments For Transplants

• No risk to dead person
• One persons deathlife for another
• Last chance of life for many
• Donors final contribution to society

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Arguments Against Transplants

• Difficult to define death need to remove organs
  quickly
• Risk to living donors
• Upsetting for living relatives
• Transplant operations are very expensive and take
  resources away from other equally needy patients

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Religious Views

• Jehovahs Witnesses
• Most religious groups have no moral problem with
  the use of transplant surgery
• Use of animals?
• Some Muslims may have an issue with donation of
  organs as the body belongs to Allah

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Key Christian Beliefs

• Life is a gift from God
• Sanctity of life
• God is the giver and destroyer of life
• Trust in God
• Individuality and purpose of each human life
• Jesus was a healer

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Christian Attitude to Infertility

• No direct biblical teaching concerning fertility
  treatment
• Biblical view of childlessness was that it was
  Gods intention
• Most denominations accept IVF and AIH
• Many oppose AID adultery
• Roman Catholics oppose fertility treatment
  unnatural sexual acts e.g. masturbation

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Christian Attitude to Genetic Engineering and
Cloning

• God-given responsibility to care for creation
• Worry that genetic engineering abuses human
  authority
• Many accept on the grounds that it is hugely
  beneficial to human health
• Most very wary of cloning
• Human life conceived through man, woman and God
• Some support strictly controlled therapeutic
  cloning

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Christian Attitude to Embryology and Transplants

• Catholics oppose all embryo research
• Other denominations accept controlled embryo
  research
• C of E supports embryo research up to 14 days
• Most accept organ donation
• Blood transfusions accepted by all except
  Jehovahs Witnesses

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Key Muslim Beliefs

• Allah is creator and destroyer of all life
• Allah has a set plan for everything
• Children are a blessing from Allah
• Muslims have a responsibility to care for and
  save lives

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Muslim Attitude to Infertility

• Married family life with kidsMuslim ideal
• Most Muslims recognise that infertile couple may
  need medical help
• No objection to IVF and AIH, but AIDadultery,
  therefore directly prohibited
• Surrogacy forbidden, Quranic view of motherhood
• Polygamy removes need for surrogacy

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Muslim Attitude to Genetic Engineering and Cloning

• Division within the religion
• Allah determines our genetic make-up,
  interference is forbidden
• We are not responsible for creating life
• Cloning of plants and animals is fine
• Many wary about cloning of humans
• Some accept on grounds of use to cure
  life-threatening illnesses

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Muslim Attitude to Embryology and Transplants

• All human life is sacred
• Left-over embryos may be used for research but
  must not be created for this purpose
• Any donation of organs must be done freely
• Blood transfusions accepted