The current Catholic approach to abortion contradicts other long-standing teachings of the Church. It is clear that, for most of its history, the Catholic Church did not consider abortion at early stages of pregnancy to be equivalent to the killing of a human being. Since a less than fully human body is not capable of receiving a soul and a human does not exist without the presence of both a fully human body and a soul, early abortion was historically not thought to constitute the taking of a human life. 4 Catholics worldwide freely exercise their right to follow personal conscience in the face of theological uncertainty regarding the nature of the fetus. Although a strong Catholic lobby has managed to keep abortion illegal in most Latin American countries, women who can afford to pay for abortions can easily find doctors willing to perform them.
Some professionals even advertise their abortion services in newspapers.
The complexity and variety of Islamic opinion on abortion is often obscured by the simplistic declarations that dominate public discourse. This is reflected in the fact that abortion laws of predominantly Islamic nations vary considerably. Nations such as Tunisia, Turkey, and several former Soviet republics, have liberal abortion laws. 9 Islamic theology has developed in several different schools, which represent different ways of interpreting Islam and are not different religions, denominations, or churches. 11 Shi'ite Muslims, followers of Ali, also have several schools of interpretation, the leading ones being the Zaydi, the Imami, and the Isma'ili.