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===Other Christians=== ===Other Christians===
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Revision as of 18:48, 8 May 2009

Template:Abortion debate sidebar Many religious traditions have taken a stance on abortion, and these stances span a broad spectrum from acceptance to rejection. The variety in opinion on the issue is reflected with most religions generally opposing abortion.

Buddhism

Main article: Buddhist ethics

There is no single Buddhist view concerning abortion although traditional Buddhism rejects abortion because it involves the deliberate destroying of a life and regards life as starting at conception. Those practicing in Japan and the United States are said to be more tolerant of abortion than those who live elsewhere. In Japan, women sometimes participate in Mizuko kuyo (水子供養 — lit.) after an induced abortion or an abortion as the result of a miscarriage. The Dalai Lama has said that abortion is "negative," but there are exceptions. He said, "I think abortion should be approved or disapproved according to each circumstance."

There is no official position on abortion among Buddhists, although many Buddhists believe that life begins at conception and that killing is morally wrong. In Japan, where there is a large Buddhist population, abortions are commonly practiced and often involve the Buddhist tradition of mizuko jizo, in which aborted fetuses are thought to be led to the land of the dead.

Bahá'í Faith

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The scriptures of the Bahá'í Faith indicate that life begins at conception, therefore, abortion is forbidden. Possibly due to the to the emphasis that the Bahá'í Faith places on unity and individual moral responsibility in preference to external sanctions, abortion is de facto a matter of individual conscience, though strongly discouraged. The Universal House of Justice has stated that elective abortion is forbidden but it is not forbidden when performed for serious health reasons or in cases of rape or incest.

Christianity

Main article: Christianity and abortion

Catholicism

The Roman Catholic Church believes that life begins at conception and, as such, opposes abortion under all circumstance. However, in his writing Summa Theologica Saint Thomas Aquinas ruminated on the Principle of double effect by which he theorized that an action having foreseen harmful effects practically inseparable from the good effect is justifiable if it satisfied certain criteria. Using this line of reasoning the Church holds that a medical procedure needed to save the life of the mother, but that may result in the death of the offspring as a secondary effect, is morally acceptable.

Other Christians

At different times, the various Christians have held different beliefs about abortion. Although there is little direct mention of abortion in the Christian Bible, certain Christians interpret the Bible to prohibit abortion. The Eastern Orthodox churches and many Protestant churches believe that abortion is a sin. Some of these churches recognize an exception for abortion performed to save the life of the mother. Some Fundamentalist (Evangelical) Protestant denominations such as the Southern Baptist Convention supported abortion rights at one time, but now teach that abortion is a sin.

Some Mainline Protestants, such as Episcopalians, Methodists, and some Reformed and Presbyterian Christians understand the Bible differently and have reached more permissive conclusions regarding abortion. Some groups within these denominations are members of the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints teaches that "elective abortion for personal or social convenience is contrary to the will and the commandments of God." Therefore, the church says, any facilitation of or support for abortion warrants excommunication from the church.

Hinduism

Hindus hold varying stances on abortion. 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. Other Hindus have found that abortion, especially the abortion pill, is a major step towards women's empowerment.

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. They advise that each case requires unique consideration. The Brahma Kumaris view the body as a physical vehicle for the immortal soul, and therefore the issue is not "pro-life" or "anti-life" but a choice between the amount of suffering caused to the souls of the parents and child in either course, abortion or motherhood."

Other Hindu institutions oppose abortion, and teach that abortion prevents a soul in its karmic progress toward God. According to the British Broadcasting Corporation website, "When considering abortion, the Hindu way is to choose the action that will do least harm to all involved: the mother and father, the foetus and society. Hinduism is therefore generally opposed to abortion except where it is necessary to save the mother's life... Many Hindus regard the production of offspring as a 'public duty', not simply an 'individual expression of personal choice' (see Lipner, "The classical Hindu view on abortion and the moral status of the unborn" 1989)."

Unless a mother's health is at risk, traditional Hindu teachings condemn abortion because it is thought to violate the religion's teachings of non-violence. 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.

Islam

Although there are different opinions among Islamic scholars about when life begins and when abortion is permissible, most agree that the termination of a pregnancy after four months - the point at which, in Islam, a fetus is thought to become a living soul - is not permissible. Many Islamic thinkers contend that in cases prior to four months of gestation, abortion should be permissible only in instances in which a mother's life is in danger or in cases of rape.

Among Muslims, abortion is Haram or forbidden in most cases but is acceptable depending on the circumstances around the pregnancy. In the case where the mother's life is threatened by the pregnancy, Muslim jurists agree that abortion is allowed based on the principle that "the greater evil should be warded off by the lesser evil ." In these cases the physician is considered a better judge than the scholar.

Islamic scholars differ on when life begins. The medieval scholar Al-Ghazali writes that life occurs "when semen is injected into the womb where it merges with the ovum and becomes predisposed to receive life." 120 days is often seen as the point at which a fetus becomes fully human. This has been described as an angel coming and "breathing life into the fetus." Before this time, the fetus lacks a human soul, and is considered on the same level as plants and animals. Hanafi, Shafi and Zaydi schools of thought permit abortion before the fourth month.

Muslims universally agree that the mother's life takes precedence over the life of the fetus. This is because the mother is considered the "original source of life," while the fetus is only "potential" life.

Some Muslim scholars also argue in favor of abortion in early pregnancy if the newborn might be sick in some way that would make its care exceptionally difficult for the parents (eg. deformities, mental retardation, etc). Some scholars argue that abortion is allowed for important reasons in the first 40 days. Sheikh Nasr Farid Wasil extends this period to 120 days. Ikrima Sabri, the Grand Mufti of Palestine, gave a ruling that Muslim women raped by Serb men during the Kosovo War could take abortifacient medicine.

Judaism

Main article: Judaism and abortion

Traditional Jewish teachings sanction abortion only as a means of safeguarding the life of a mother. While the Reform, Reconstructionist and Conservative movements openly advocate for the right to a safe and accessible abortion, the Orthodox movement is less unified on the issue.

In Judaism, views on abortion draw primarily upon the legal and ethical teachings of the Hebrew Bible, the Talmud, the case-by-case decisions of responsa, and other rabbinic literature. In the modern period, moreover, Jewish thinking on abortion has responded both to liberal understandings of personal autonomy as well as Christian opposition to abortion. Generally speaking, orthodox Jews oppose abortion, with a few mandatory health-related exceptions, and reform and conservative Jews tend to allow greater latitude for abortion.

Rabbi Moshe Feinstein was a leading opponent of abortion in the Orthodox Jewish tradition. His views are largely echoed today by rabbi Yehuda Levin, who has stood with pro-lifers in other traditions. .

Sikhism

Although the Sikh code of conduct does not deal directly with abortion (or indeed many other bioethical issues), it is generally forbidden in Sikhism because it interferes in the creative work of God. Despite this theoretical viewpoint, abortion is not uncommon among the Sikh community in India, and there is growing concern that female fetuses are being aborted because of the cultural preference for sons.

See also

References

  1. BBC "Religion and Ethics" Be aware that these BBC pages do not cover all Protestant, Muslim, Hindu or Buddhist beliefs.
  2. Steen, Edwin et al. Human Sex and Sexuality, page 174 (Courier Dover Publications 1988).
  3. "Abortion: Buddhism." BBC Religion & Ethics. Retrieved January 15, 2008.
  4. Barnhart, Michael G. (1995). Buddhism and the Morality of Abortion. Journal of Buddhist Ethics, 5. Retrieved August 10, 2006.
  5. Dreifus, Claudia. (November 28, 1993). "The Dalai Lama." The New York Times
  6. ^ The Pew Forum. September 30, 2008. Religious Groups’ Official Positions on Abortion, Retrieved on April 29, 2009.
  7. Human Flower Project. Mizuko Jizo, Retrieved on April 29, 2009.
  8. http://www.usccb.org/prolife/issues/abortion/teaching.shtml
  9. http://www.cuf.org/FaithFacts/details_view.asp?ffID=56
  10. When Children Became People: the birth of childhood in early Christianity by Odd Magne Bakke
  11. ^ Abortion by the Presbyterian Church in America.
  12. Rev. Dr. Harakas, Stanley S. The Stand of the Orthodox Church on Controversial Issues, Retrieved on May 3, 2009
  13. Abortion in Perspective by the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod
  14. Orthodox Presbyterian Church. Statement on Abortion, 1972.
  15. Balmer, Randall Herbert. They Kingdom Come, pp. 12–15.
  16. Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice
  17. http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=bbd508f54922d010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&index=1&sourceId=63c139b439c98010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____
  18. Chapter 1: Dilemmas of Life and Death: Hindu Ethics in a North American Context | Date: 1995 | Author: Crawford, S. Cromwell
  19. The Hindu: Online edition of India's National Newspaper
  20. Hinduism Today "Hindus In America Speak out on Abortion Issues"
  21. Hinduism Today
  22. Feminism & Nonviolence Studies | Date: 9/22/1998 | Author: Derr, Mary Krane; Murti, Vasu
  23. http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/hinduism/hinduethics/abortion_1.shtml
  24. http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/hinduism/hinduethics/abortion_1.shtml
  25. BBC.co.uk
  26. al-Ghazali. al-Islam 'aqida wa shari'a, 3d ed. (Cairo: Dar al-Qalam, n.d.), 211-13.
  27. ^ Musallam, B. (1990) "The Human Embryo in Arabic Scientific and Religious Thought" in G. R. Dunstan (ed.) The Human Embryo (Exeter : 1990)
  28. Brockopp, Jonathan E. Islamic Ethics of Life: Abortion, War, and Euthanasia, University of South Carolina, 2003, p. 64. ISBN 1-57003-471-0
  29. Chaim (2003), pg. 86
  30. Ikrima Sabri. Fatwa shar'iyya hawla jarimat al-ightisab fi Kusuvu (Jerusalem: Publications of Majlis al-Fatwa al-Ala, 25 April 1999).
  31. Quoted by: Chaim (2003), pg. 88
  32. Judaism and Abortion, BBC (2005-02-08).
  33. Bank, Richard. The Everything Judaism Book, page 186 (Everything Books, 2002).
  34. Jakobovits, Sinclair
  35. Articles published by the Schlesinger institute on abortion in Judaism: articles in English and in Hebrew, and the entry on abortion from the Encyclopedia of Jewish Medical Ethics (Hebrew)
  37. American Jewish Rabbis Show Solidarity with Vatican against Obama's Anti-Life Measures
  38. ^ BBC

External links

Religious organizations which oppose abortion

Religious groups supporting legal abortion

Here is a partial list of religious groups that support legal abortion.

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