Key Terms

• Abortion - The ending of any pregnancy before a baby is born. However, most people refer to the deliberate ending of pregnancies via an operation known as termination.
• Afterlife - Life after death; the belief that existence continues after physical death.
• Environmental Responsibility - The duty upon human beings to respect, care for and preserve the natural environment. Crucial to environmental responsibility is the idea of sustainability.
• Euthanasia - The deliberate ending of a human life out of compassion.
• Evolution - The process by which different living creatures are believed to have developed from earlier forms.
• Quality of Life - The extent to which life is meaningful and pleasurable.
• Sanctity of Life - The belief that life is precious or sacred because humans are made 'in God's image'. For many religious believers, only human life holds this special status.
• Soul - The spiritual aspect of a being; that which connects someone to God. The soul is immortal and will live on in the afterlife.