Hinduism and abortion

Abortion in Hinduism is governed by Garbha Upanishad.[1] The verses in this Upanishad declared abortion of a jivan as a crime, which is intelligence or soul that as per the verses does not come alive until the 7th month.[1] The Mahanarayana Upanishad lists the abortionist with actions such as breaking one's vow of chastity.[2] Brahma Kumaris and individual Hindus, hold varying stances about abortion.

Interpretation based on Hindu Texts

In the Garbha Upanishad, it states "In the seventh month, fetus comes to life." [1] Jivan or intelligence or soul as referenced in the text does not come alive until the 7th month.[1][3] The preceding verses provide an anatomically correct version of growth post conception.[1] The other texts cited above are also accurate when they suggest abortion of a jivan is a crime. proper interpretation of verse means the development of conscious awareness at the seventh month of pregnancy.[4] Though the soul is present from the beginning of conception, it becomes aware of oneself at the seventh month.[lower-alpha 1] The other texts must be read in light of the Vedas containing the Garbha Upanishad to understand when such verses apply.

According to the Hinduism Today website, "Several Hindu institutions have shared their positions on abortion recently. The Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University does not take a formal unchanging political or religious stance on the issue of abortion. According to Vedic literature an eternal individual soul inhabits the body of every living creature...The soul enters the womb at the time of conception, and this makes the fetus a living, individual person."[5] Some Hindu theologians believe personhood begins at 3 months and develops through to 5 months of gestation, possibly implying permitting abortion up to the third month and considering any abortion past the third month to be destruction of the soul's current incarnate body.[6] The Hindu teaching of the word Karma, the result of good and bad actions, makes abortions improper. In this teaching, the opposite of life is thought to be rebirth. Abortion causes termination not only to the unborn, but also to the unborn child’s karma. It is believed that negative karma goes to those who interrupt karma’s continuing cycle.[2]

The Mahanarayana Upanishad lists the abortionist with actions such as breaking one's vow of chastity.[2] Individual Hindus hold varying stances on abortion. For this reason it has become common to not state the Hindu view on abortion but rather one Hindu view on abortion. Even with a high rate of abortion in India statistics showed 80 percent of Indian women disapproved and 56 percent consider it a heinous crime.[7] Hindus go as far as to make clear distinctions in their sacred texts between abortions and miscarriages. The text goes as far as stating that killing a male embryo who could have been a Brahmin the same as killing an adult Brahmin which is considered one of the worst sins one can commit.[7]

The British Broadcasting Corporation writes, "When considering abortion, the Hindu way is to choose the action that will do least harm to all involved: the mother and father, the fetus and society... Classical Hindu texts are strongly opposed to abortion." The BBC goes on to state, "In practice, however, abortion is practiced in Hindu culture in India, because the religious ban on abortion is sometimes overruled by the cultural preference for sons. This can lead to abortion to prevent the birth of girl babies, which is called 'female feticide'."[8] Hindus generally tend to support abortion in cases where the mother's life is at risk or when the fetus has a severe developmental abnormality. Sex-selective abortion is banned in India and Hindu scholars and women's rights advocates have supported these bans.[9]

Amount of suffering

If the mother's life is at risk, Hinduism permits abortion. The Vedic texts compare abortion to the killing of one's own parents.[8] The general value system of Hinduism teaches that the correct course of action in any given situation is the one that causes the least harm to those involved. Thus in the case where the mother's life is at risk, abortion is considered acceptable.[8]

Notes

  1. ↑ Srimad Bhagavatam also agrees with this.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Garbha Upanishad".
  2. 1 2 3 Stephens, Moira, Christopher Jordens, Ian Kerridge, and Rachel A. Ankeny (2010). “Religious Perspectives on Abortion and a Secular Response”. Journal of Religion and Health, 49 (4D), 513-535.
  3. ↑ Apte, Vaman Shivaram (1957–1959). "Revised and Enlarged Edition of Prin. V. S. Apte's The Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary". dsal.uchicago.edu. Retrieved 2021-03-18.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: date format (link)
  4. ↑ "Canto 3:The Status Quo, Chapter 31". Bhaktivedanta Vedabase. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
  5. ↑ "Hindus In America Speak out on Abortion Issues". Hinduism Today. 7 September 1985. Retrieved 14 September 2010.
  6. ↑ Crawford, S. Cromwell (1995). "The Ethics of Abortion". Dilemmas of Life and Death: Hindu Ethics in a North American Context. State University of New York Press. ISBN 0-7914-2165-1.
  7. 1 2 Damian, Constantin-Iulian (January–March 2010). "Abortion from the Perspective of Eastern Religions: Hinduism and Buddhism". Romanian Journal of Bioethics. 8 (1): 125. Archived from the original on February 21, 2014. Retrieved February 3, 2014.
  8. 1 2 3 "Hinduism and abortion". BBC. 25 August 2009. Retrieved 14 September 2010.
  9. ↑ "A warning for doctors doing sex selection". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 30 July 2009. Archived from the original on 7 November 2012.
This article is issued from Offline. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.