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Religious Views on Abortion

The Baha'i View: Baha’is believe the soul is part of the body at conception and that therefore life begins at conception. Since, the taking of life is prohibited, abortion for the simple reason of preventing an unwanted pregnancy is forbidden. However, other abortions, such as abortions to save the life of the mother, is left to the individuals to decide.

The Buddhist View:A Buddhist believes that life begins when consciousness begins. A fetus is said to have consciousness and is therefore alive. So unnecessary abortions are prohibited. However, there is debate as to whether it is justifiable in certain circumstances. Buddhism is against the taking of life. But, there are different levels of life and not all life is equal. So, for instance, abortion to save the life of the mother is permissible. Buddhism teaches that to kill a cow is wrong because cows are living beings also. However, it is sometimes regrettable, but necessary to kill a cow. Likewise, it is sometimes regretettable but necessary to kill a fetus. Also, there is no clear opinion as to whether abortion should be made illegal by law or left to the mother. Buddhists believe that in a perfect world, no abortions would be necessary, however they accept that the world is not perfect.

The Catholic View: Recently the Vatican has stated that a fetus has a right to life from the moment of conception and that therefore, abortion is a moral evil. However, Historically Catholic teaching on abortion has been marked by a variety of ideas, pro-choice ideas included. In fact, Catholic countries such as France and Belgium have some of the world’s most liberal abortion laws. The current Catholic approach therefore seems to contradict earlier teachings. For most of it’s history, the Catholic Church did not consider abortion at early stages to be killing a human being. Instead, Catholic teaching has taught that a fetus is not human until it has taken fully human form. So, the opinion expressed by the Vatican is one of many Catholic opinions.

The Hinduist View:There is no dominant position on abortion in the Hindu tradition. According to Vasu Murti and Mary Krane Derr, Hinduism teaches that abortion is the taking of a life and should only be done to save the life of the mother. Most Hindu texts that mention abortion condemn it and view it as a heinous crime. However, there is also evidence that abortion was widely practiced for centuries. Also, the moral teachings of Hinduism emphasize the need to act “for the sake of the good of the world.” But, producing more children than you or the environment can support in not good for the world. So, we see here yet another case of conflicting viewpoints within the religion.

The Jainist View: Jainism is based on principle AHIMSA, or do no harm. So, some Jainists are opposed to abortion, however some realize that in certain cases, it is the least harmful option and should therefore be permitted.

The Jewish View:According to Rabbi Raymond A. Zwerin and Rabbi Richard J. Shapiro, Jewish law teaches that the fetus is not considered a full human and therefore has no rights. It is however considered a part of the woman’s body. Woman are not allowed to harm themselves and therefore cannot harm the fetus. However, a woman can sacrifice a part of her body to save her life. Therefore, a woman can abort a fetus to save her life. And in fact, it is her duty to do so. This is an interesting twist on the abortion debate. Jews are also against abortion unless it is necessary, but in this case it is not because of the rights of the fetus, but the fact that the woman is harming herself. There is also controversy as to what other reasons justify an abortion.

The Muslim View: The Islamic opinion on abortion is fairly complex. All Islamic scholars agree that once the fetus has a soul, it is a living being. In the case that the fetus does have a soul, not only is abortion a crime except to save the life of the mother, but the fetus is subject to the laws of inheritance. In other words, if the mother is sentenced to death by capital punishment, her life should be preserved to protect the fetus. However, there is much debate as to when exactly the fetus gets a soul. Several schools within the Muslim tradition have been created. Among Sunni Muslims, followers of Mohammed, the main schools are Hanafi, Shaf’I, Maliki, and Hanbali. Among Shi’ite Muslims, followers of Ali, the main schools are Zavdi, Imami, and Isma’ili. The majority of Muslims from the Hanafi and Zavdi schools believe ensoulment doesn’t occur until 120 days after fertilization. Hanbali scholors believe ensoulment occurs after only 40 days. Some Shafi’I scholars believe ensoulment occurs after 80 days, while other believe it occurs after 120 days. So once again, there is much disagreement over the issue of abortion.

The Native American View: Most Native Americans discourage overpopulation and believe it is a disgrace to have too many children. They also believe in the right of the woman to choose what she does to her own body, this implies that they do not believe life starts at conception.

The Pagan View: Most pagans look a lot at the Greek gods such as Artemis or Diana, the Huntress. Her myth also contains similar contradictions to the contractions of the abortion issue. For instance, she is both the protecter and killer of animals. Why? Pagans believe she can’t fully protect life without having power over death, which she does not. Abortion is about love life and death. From a pagan point of view, it is absurd to sacrifice a mother for the sake of an unborn child, because the child obviously needs her. In most Goddess religions, it is morally acceptable that a woman who gives life may also destroy life under certain circumstances. Just as Artemis might kill a wounded animal rather than allow it to suffer, A mother may spare the child a painful destiny by aborting it. The woman doesn’t dislike the fetus, she has to make a sacrifice for something more important. Also, Paganism denies a true God and therefore denies that we are His greatest gift. This means that a sacrifice can be made. But, some pagans also say that if the woman had more support, she wouldn’t need to abort. They argue that the child is often aborted out of convenience, and that the mother does not have that right. They argue that the unborn child is important and should have someone to stick up for it. So, like most religions there are different and conflicting viewpoints within the religion.

The Protestant View:Contrary to popular belief, there is no one Protestant position on abortion. Protestants who oppose abortion often portray themselves as the only real Christians and are very vocal in their opinion. However, pro-choice Protestants are also common, although not as vocal. In fact, some say pro-choice Protestants are even the majority.

The Taoist/Confusionist View: There is nothing in Taoism or Confucianism that explicity forbids abortion and there is evidence that it was practiced in ancient Chinese culture. With an emphasis on compassion and harmony, the Chinese did see it as justifiable under certain circumstances. However, it has always been used as a last resort and was seen as wrong if it was unnecessary. The decision of whether it is necessary is left entirely up to the parents.

The Unitarian Universalist View: The Unitarian Univeralist Association’s official position paper states that a woman is entitled to safe and affordable abortion services including government funded counceling. Unitarian Universalists believe in the worth and dignity of every person and their individual decisions. They believe people have the ability to determine for themselves what is moral. They therefore believe in the woman’s right to terminate an unwanted pregnancy.

So, for most of the worlds religions, there is a lot of controversy and dispute surrounding abortion. That is not even people of the same religion hold any one opinion.

Contact Info: msanders@mtholyoke.edu