As folks have pointed out, jOhn’s questions are really moral in nature rather than ethical. But even as moral questions, the answers are highly dependent on the social and religious climate in which they are asked. If divine codes of behavior are eliminated, a society is free to answer these questions in any way that pleases its members.

• Abortion-Right or wrong?
     Different answers for different people. If you are a Christian, you believe it is wrong. Does that mean it should be outlawed? No! Not everyone is a Christian and God has already instructed Christians to leave the judgement stuff to Him. No need to pass laws based purely on a religious belief. Believers will act acording to their own faiths and non-believers will either be punished for all eternity or suffer no consequence whatever, depending on ones belief system.
  
• Capital Punisment " "
     There are very few societies in which capital punishment is considered acceptable, the primary ones being the U.S. and China. Again the answer depends on the moral or religious code to which the responder subscribes. If one is a Christian, capital punishment is not to be supported.
  
• Euthanasia       " "
     Again the answer depends on who is being asked. Killing is outlawed because it isn't practical, in a civilized society, to have folks killing each other all the time. Where the killing of a person is inconsequential (e.g., abortion and capital punishment) civil laws may permit killing. Euthanasia is another form of killing that has no negative civil consequences. Religious prohibitions against euthanasia are tied more to the afterlife than to temporal practicality. In cases where death is the only possible outcome, prolonged suffering has value only for the spiritual well-being of people who believe it has value. Again, judgement is a divine responsibility not one we need to implement here.
  
• Experiments on Animals " "
     Same answer. Many religions, Christianity included, hold that mankind is charged with looking after all creatures and may not put them to such uses. For the most part, those religions do not permit their adherents to enforce their points of view outside the religious group. Penalties for violating religious codes vary with the religion. Religious groups may hold that non-belivers are also subject to divine judgement but from a purely civil point of view, experiments on animals can offer signigicant benefits to society.
  
• War "   "
     The arguments are much the same. Is there any point to human existance? If not, war is just another strategy for dominance. Does life have value? How is the value of a single life balanced against the value of the group. Christianity is interesting because Christians are told that their personal choices are more important to God than what happens to them as individuals or as members of a group.
  

There has never been, nor is there likely to be, any general agreement on these issues but our fascenation with them has been the subject of most human dialog throughout history.

But then again, perhaps this thread will finally resolve these issues.

      - Mark