activity and procreation, and thus it follows that even if the fetus were not a human being, Catholics would still view abortion as evil” (Dombrowski 18). So from this we can safely say that Catholics view, and have always viewed, abortion as evil. Then again, we are relying on something uncertain – how you determine the humanity of a being. Clearly Catholics do not view a fetus as a human being.This being known, it doesn’t make sense that a Catholic church should practice fetal baptisms, which were practiced primarily in the 1700s. They were obviously practiced by churches with views much less forward than McCarthy’s. This is simply one instance where a religion contradicts itself: McCarthy, an acclaimed Catholic theorist, claims that a fetus is not a human being. Yet fetal baptisms are performed on miscarriages (Dombrowski 93). Miscarriages – thought not fully developed, are apparently human enough to undergo baptism and be saved by Jesus Christ.Once again it is necessary to state that most of the religious opinions are based on when human life begins. In the case of Hinduism, there is no acceptance of abortion. According to the Vedas, abortion is a sinful activity. There is no question of when a fetus becomes a person. Or even when morality is reached (when a baby is actually born). Abortion in Hinduism is evil in all cases, despite all circumstances. However, some denominations and modernized Hindu groups approve of the practice.Judaism has some quite interesting views as well, incorporating legal status of the embryo/fetus. According to Jewish Law, a fetus is not considered a full human being and has no personality of its own. While recognizing the potentiality of becoming human, the Talmud states clearly of the fetus ‘lav nefesh hu—it is not a person.’” (Miller). Apparently in Judaism there are many more factors aside of the legal status of the embryo or fetus...
