Glossary entry

German term or phrase:

so dass es unter Umständen in Abwägungen eingestellt werden darf.

English translation:

so that possibly it (decisions about human life) may be carefully considered

Added to glossary by Fionna Little
Sep 6, 2010 14:50
13 yrs ago
2 viewers *
German term

so dass es unter Umständen in Abwägungen eingestellt werden darf.

German to English Social Sciences Religion
Hello, this text is about protestantism and stem cells. I do not completely understand the entire last sentence and I think I may have mis read it. My attempt was something like: "From a Protestant perspective, however, human life is consistently interpreted as the end product;in other words, a living, breathing being of the world. As such, human life may be ended if need be"

Doesnt sound right at all! Please help :)

Daher dürfen aus der Blastozyste dann auch keine Stammzellen entnommen werden, und zwar auch nicht, sofern der betroffene frühe Embryo in der Reproduktionsmedizin „überzählig" ist und ohnehin in keiner Schwanger­schaft mehr ausgetragen wird. Diese spekulative Seelenlehre der katholischen Kirche hat bei evangelischen Autoren oder Gremien kein Echo gefunden.
Auch katholische naturrechtliche Vorstellungen, der Frühembryo besitze eine aktive Potentialität zur vollen Menschwerdung, oder das katholische Argument der „Heiligkeit" des embryonalen Lebens
spielen auf evangeli­scher Seite durchweg keine Rolle. „Heiligkeit" ist ein kultisch-sakraler Be­griff, der auf ein religiöses und kultisches Tabu hindeutet. In evangelischer Perspektive wird menschliches Leben aber durchweg als geschöpflich, weltlich und endlich gedeutet, so dass es unter Umständen in Abwägungen eingestellt werden darf.

Discussion

casper (X) Sep 6, 2010:
@ Bernhard Sulzer Thanks for the tip. I've just posted a separate question on KudoZ.
Bernhard Sulzer Sep 6, 2010:
@ :-) Just post these as a separate question. :)
casper (X) Sep 6, 2010:
'geschöpflich' & 'weltlich' Any ideas on how these terms may be translated in the context? I'm unable to come up with any good ideas myself, so I thought I'd ask.
Jim Tucker (X) Sep 6, 2010:
Fionna look at the expression "in Abwägung(en) einstellen" rather than each word separately. The key word is Abwägungen: in other words, in the Catholic view, there is nothing to be "weighed" or evaluated, since life is "heilig" by nature. But remove this "Heiligkeit" and life then becomes a thing of this world that is susceptible to evaluation and decision making. Priorities regarding it can be weighed.
Fionna Little (asker) Sep 6, 2010:
The sentence below immediately follows the once above. It also baffles me but may be a clue in translating the above sentence: Dies zeigt sich angesichts von Notwehr oder Nothilfe oder bei der Problematik des finalen Rettungsschusses eines Polizis­ten oder beim Thema des Schwangerschaftsabbruchs

Proposed translations

+2
2 hrs
Selected

so that possibly it (decisions about human life) may be carefully considered

The phrase seems to be used elsewhere in the sense of "incorporating/including something into consideration(s)" although I can only give you a few links in which the singular version "in Abwägung einstellen" is used.
I do believe "einstellen" does in no way mean "end/kill" here because then "in Abwägungen" would really sound strange in German. (Ein "Leben/Embryo" wird nicht "eingestellt").

Although the Protestant Church seems to allow individual church members to express their opinion on either ending an embryo's life in order to save another life through research or not to allow it, this is not meant here directly. There is no mention of any criteria for such decision and it is, even in the Protestant Church, a difficult issue and seems to be limited to so-called "überzählige" Embryos of a certain age. (see my link).
But there is indeed a difference to the Catholic Church which considers any human life, from the state of its conception onward, as human, sanctified and holy, and it clearly opposes stem cell research.

http://www.zentrale-ethikkommission.de/page.asp?his=0.1.23.4...
Die evangelische Kirche vertritt in einer Erklärung des Rates der Evangelischen Kirche Deutschlands (EKD), dem Leitungsgremium der deutschen evangelischen Kirchen, "Der Schutz menschlicher Embryonen darf nicht eingeschränkt werden" (22. Mai 2001), denselben Standpunkt. Der Rat der EKD spricht sich kategorisch gegen Forschung mit embryonalen Stammzellen und gegen Präimplantationsdiagnostik aus. Deshalb hält er eine Abwägung zwischen dem verfassungsrechtlichen Lebensschutz des Embryos und der ebenfalls verfassungsrechtlich geschützten Forschungsfreiheit nicht für vertretbar. Da evangelische Kirche und Theologie kein institutionelles Lehramt, wie die römisch-katholische Kirche, kennen, bleibt freilich die Möglichkeit für den einzelnen Christen und Theologen, in eigener Gewissensentscheidung und nach sorgfältiger Urteilsbildung sein Urteil und Handeln selbst zu verantworten.


http://www.baumeister.org/aktuelles/aktuelles-anzeigen.php?i...
Welche Rahmenbedingungen muss die Gemeinde in die Abwägung einer Höhenbegrenzung einstellen, will sie sich nicht dem Vorwurf einer Verhinderungsplanung aussetzen?

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Note added at 12 hrs (2010-09-07 02:59:36 GMT)
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"to "put" to the test/take into consideration/ to weigh pros and cons are IMO as close as you can get to an equivalent phrase based on the usage I have seen. As I argued above (and as I believe Jim has done), the word einstellen is part of the phrase "in Abwägung(en) einstellen" - that is how it is used in other contexts that have nothing to do with the question of terminating Embryos. I don't believe "einstellen" can be interpreted as meaning "terminate" here because that leaves "in Abwägungen" in grammatical or at least idiomatic limbo. Nobody says "Etwas wird in Abwägungen beendet."

All this is irrespective of the fact that the outcome of such considerations may indeed lead to the decision to terminate an Embryo.
Because this is a very difficult issue, I would be very careful in interpreting "einstellen" as "terminate".

"To put the pros and cons of human life to the test" or "to weigh them against each other" might be other ways of saying this in English and letting the words "put" or "weigh against" take on the role of the forceful "einstellen".
The German grammatical construct is IMO similar to "zur Diskussion stellen" or even "in Betracht ziehen" (although the meaning is different, of course).

My German example above showed it as being used as including/incorporating various factors into consideration(s);
The German usage below seems to convey "considering/weighing pros and cons (aspects, factors) against each other." (IMO).


http://www.regenstauf.de/DynDox/88B41E24-5126-4EA4-9CE6-74F8...
Der Vorsitzende berichtet, dass für den Marktgemeinderat zur
umfassenden und objektiven Information über sämtliche vorgetragenen Einwendungen und Anregungen eine Anlage zum
Tagesordnungspunkt erstellt worden sei. So könne jeder deren
Behandlung sachgerecht in Abwägung einstellen.

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Note added at 13 hrs (2010-09-07 03:53:55 GMT)
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"be submitted to consideration" is probably also a related meaning (see "in 'die' Abwägung einstellen/eingestellt" in the above link).

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Note added at 214 days (2011-04-08 21:08:34 GMT) Post-grading
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@Johanna
Thank you for your input and agree.
Without "in Abwägungen" one could easily argue it's about giving the permission to terminate life, and the same would be possible with your "unter". The sentence right after the one in which the phrase occurs (posted in the discussion box) also refers to terminating life. "Termination may be carried out after consideration(s) could be what the author meant. However, I doubt, unlike the author seems to think, this is the official position of the Protestant Church or its members = "if you think it's alright, terminate". See the link I provided.
By being careful and using something I suggested, a decision/consideration for or against termination is possible. If the author really meant "to "terminate after consideration", then "in Abwägungen einstellen" is a very strange way of phrasing it.
However, when talking about "überzählige Embryos". the decision to terminate them has already been made. I can't see how the Protestant Church could possibly agree to the "use" of such embryos for stem cell research or any other research or agree that others can make this decision (to carry out this research) and that the Church thinks that's alright - (arguing even that life begins in this world and ends in this world).
Since the author's phrasing is really "unusual" I would be careful in interpreting this.


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Note added at 214 days (2011-04-08 21:33:48 GMT) Post-grading
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In any case, the author admits such considerations are problematic (in the sentence posted in the discussion box), thus questioning any such decisions against termination.
Note from asker:
Thank you very much for your insight. I'm still struggling with 'eingestellt'. If ein Embro can not be eingestellt as in ended then what is the force of eingestellt in the sentence because I can't see it in "so that possibly it (decisions about human life) may be carefully considered".
Peer comment(s):

agree Jim Tucker (X) : Yes, that's the essence of it. For "unter Umständen" would do "if the situation demands"
33 mins
thank you, Jim! Good suggestion!
agree Johanna Timm, PhD : for "einstellen=terminate" the German phasing would have to be "unter Abwägungen"
214 days
thank you, Johanna. See my added-on note.
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Brilliant, thanks"
15 mins

in some circumstances a decision may be taken to end it

more or less what you said, but I think "in Abwägungen" needs to convey the idea of weighing up all the factors and coming to a decision on the basis of the "balance" of the results.

Incidentally, I think "endlich" is "finite" here and it would be good to get that word into the earlier sentence - I think there is a relevant implication that, because life is finite anyway, bringing it to an end is not always wrong.
Peer comment(s):

agree philgoddard : Excellent answer.
11 mins
neutral Jim Tucker (X) : probably not einstellen = put an end to, but "in Abwägungen einstellen" i.e. pro and contra factors may be weighed in making decisions on extending life. In any case, the next sentence is key: no police officer or ambulance driver would ever decide to end
17 mins
yes, on reflection I think I agree with you
disagree Corinna Luchtenberg : not with the answer but with Jim Tucker's comment on 'einstellen' which here does indeed mean 'put an end to'
22 hrs
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37 mins

so that it may be terminated under careful consideration of certain circumstances

In evangelischer Perspektive wird menschliches Leben aber durchweg als geschöpflich, weltlich und endlich gedeutet, so dass es unter Umständen in Abwägungen eingestellt werden darf.

hope this is helpful
in this context I would use "careful consideration"


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