(Gaudium et Spes N.22).
The concept of treating others as you would like to be treated yourself is still a value which many people uphold, regardless of whether they are Christians or not. What is different now is the belief regarding how this love, etc should be expressed.
The practice of abortion is a perfect example in that many people would still argue that they are treating people how they would like to be treated in that they are giving women the right to choose. According to the Oxford Dictionary, abortion is defined as " premature expulsion of a foetus from the womb; operation to cause this;" The message conveyed by popular culture is that it is a woman's right to choose whether this premature expulsion of the foetus should occur. Catholic teachings, on the other hand, argue that all life is a gift from God and, as a result, human beings have an obligation to "respect all life no matter how lowly, weak or unbecoming its form may be." (Finley & Pennock: 1979, p 145) According to the Church, the unborn child shares in the mystery of what it means to be human. " Human life is a gift from God, it is not ours to dispose of as we please. Ultimately, we do not belong to ourselves but to god who created us from nothing." (Finley & Pennock: 1979, p 145) .
The argument that we do not belong to ourselves is at the core of the abortion issue and many other emotive issues such as suicide and euthanasia. Currently a large number of people would argue that if we do not belong to ourselves, then who do we belong to? However, the counter argument to this, which many people express regardless of whether they are Christian or not, is that as humans we are a part of something which sets us apart from all other life forms, something which is even bigger than us. Aborting an unborn baby which is human and a part of us, then, is removing something or someone who has the potential to think, reason and love.