How old is too old?

The availability of fertility treatment has led to post menopausal women being able to have children. Stories of women in their 60s giving birth are becoming a regular feature in the news.





However many men require no special medical treatments to be able to father children unitl the day they die.




If we object to older women becoming parents should we also object to older men fathering children?




In June 2010 Dennis Ealam hit the headlines by becoming the Uk's oldest father, aged 76. His wife is 36.
Whether through the use of IVF or naturally, should there be an upper age limit on becoming a parent?
If so how could this be enforced?

For revision materials on the right to a child click here.

AS Theology Essay Competition

Enrich your subject knowledge and understanding
Improve your exam skills
Excellent way to enhance your UCAS personal statement
Essay of no more than 1000 words
‘There are no convincing reasons to believe in God.’ Discuss
Must be handed in/emailed to your Theology teacher by Monday 6th December
1st Prize £30 HMV voucher
Runner up prize £15 HMV vouchers
For more details see Mr Vaughan

A2 Theology Essay Competition

Enrich your subject knowledge and understanding
Improve your exam skills
Excellent way to enhance your UCAS personal statement
Essay of no more than 1000 words
‘There is nothing beyond the physical world.’ Discuss
Must be handed in/emailed to your Theology teacher by Monday 18th October

1st Prize £30 HMV voucher
Runner up prize £15 HMV vouchers
For more details see Mr Vaughan

Should all people have the right to die?

The head of the Swiss euthanasia clinic Dignitas has proposed that the right to die does not only belong to those who have terminal illnesses. Ludwig Minelli has suggested that there are many reasons why someone may feel they do not want to live. I heard him speaking on the radio where he cited the example of a lonley elderly man who had no friends or family. My young daughter, who was with me at the time, remarked, 'If someone called you saying they had no family or friends, shouldn't you offer to be their friend rather than offering to kill them?'.

I was amazed by her instinctive compassion clarity of thought!

So when people are in despair, what is the right thing to do? Is it to attempt to help them, even at times when this may be futile, is it to offer them the opportunity to die?

Read related article here.

Euthanasia resources here.

Hundreds of Urns found in lake could be from euthanasia clinic

The controversial Swiss euthanasia clinic Dignitas is in the spot light again. Hundreds of urns containing cremated human remains have been found dumped in a lake. Not only is this illegal and could bring hefty fines, it is also a distinctly undignified way of treating the remains of people who went there for a 'dignified' death. Read article here.

About 1000 people have had their lives ended at Dignitas, including 115 Britons. Euthanasia is illegal in the UK but there was clarification of when relatives may be prosecuted, earlier this year - see here for details.

With an aging population in the UK there is likey to be far more cases of degenerative diseases that can lead to a scenario where euthanasia is considered.

So, is it absolutely wrong to take a human life, or there situations when it is acceptable?

Is all type of killing the same?
There is also the issue of human remains. Do we have a moral responsibility to treat them with respect? (This links to the previous post)

For revision materials on euthanasia click here.

Aborted Foetus' Found in Rubbish

The remains of 14 aborted foetus' have been found in rubbish bags near a clinic in India. Some will see this as an unfortunate case of mis-managment of medical waste while others will be appalled as it highlights what they see as the legalised murder of unborn people.

It raises another issue that exists within Indian society, and some others. That is aborting foetus' on grounds of gender. Males are more desirable and it is believed that millions of female foetus' have been aborted over the last couple of decades.
If abortion is murder then this is clearly wrong. However, for those who argue that abortion can be acceptable is there anything wrong with this?

How does one decide what is an acceptable reason to have an abortion and what is not?

To read more about this issue click here.

The Last Supper... would you like fries with that?!

As Christians prepare for Holy Week they will be drawn to remember Jesus' Last Supper with his disciples, the event which Communion/Eucharist is based on.



Recent research has shown however that in artistic depictions of this event portion sizes have significantly increased over time.
Could this be yet another sign of the overindulgent, materialistic Western lifestyle? So used are we to having all that we want, and more, that we find it hard to depict a celebratory meal with only meagre portions.
The implications of this can be seen in rising levels of obesity, especially in the USA.
From a broader perspective, this sort of attitude may well be responsible for collapse of the global financial system, where banks, being driven by greed, took ever increasing risks secure bigger profits. The price of this is that we may all have to tighten our belts and reduce our portion sizes as public spending looks set to drop and taxes look set to rise for years to come.
Exploitation in labour and trade is another symptom of putting profit and personal gain above all else. Many of our high street retailers have been shamed in recent years, due to their use of child labour in sweat shop conditions. How can such rich businesses put their finances above the lives of thousands... yet does the fact that I am wearing my Primark jumper as I write this highlight that this is not just an issue for businesses but for all of us?
The impact of working for profit and personal gain has also taken its toll on the environment and while we are being told to reduce our 'carbon footprint', the biggest polluting countries, USA and China, are very reluctant to sign up to any climate change plans, due to the financial impact.
The events of Holy Week have huge religious significance for millions of Christians but maybe the simple meal of the Last Supper can also have a far more down to earth and practical message for all of us in the 21st Century. One that doesn't require fries on the side...

Click for resources on Business and Environmental Ethics.