On the Beginnings of Life
There have been several debates that simply revolved around whether abortions were morally right or wrong. However, the subject of abortion is not that simple to pass judgment on. Modern society is well aware of the different scenarios that can lead up to the decision to have an abortion. There are unplanned pregnancies arising from assenting relationship. There are also cases of pregnancies arising out of crimes such as rape. Then there is the question of at what point in time an abortion can be acceptable. Most of the time, the hesitancy lies in a single question: when does the life of a fetus actually begin? In other words, when can a fetus be considered to be ‘alive’?
The decision to undergo an abortion is a heavily influenced one, and personal choice often has very little to do with it. Religious and societal views as well as medical conditions, all have a great impact on whether a woman opts to have her pregnancy terminated. Unplanned pregnancies have the highest instance of being aborted. According to a recent survey, over 33.33% of all pregnancies are not planned1. The moral dilemma that affects such a large portion of pregnant women around the world is discussed in the following pages.
THE RELIGIOUS PERSPECTIVE
Most world religions oppose, if not completely prohibit, abortion in one way or another. Hence, if a woman has strong religious beliefs, then this will greatly impact her decisions pertaining to an abortion. Religious beliefs of her family, especially her parents, too have a deep effect on the person’s choice. For example, a woman who regularly attends church or has parents who belong to a church going circle will be more impacted by religious views than a woman with lesser religious inclinations2. As a result, the tenets of a religion about abortion are vital. Figure 1 illustrates how various world religions approach the subject of abortion3:
Figure 1
World Religions’ Views on Abortion
ABORTION – MORALITY AND MEDICINE
Even when a person is not particularly religious, there is the question of whether having an abortion is morally and ethically right. The main objection that a person might have when considering an abortion is whether it will result in the taking of a life. If it is, then will it not be considered a murder? In order to understand the predicament, one should study what various religions have to say about the beginning of life.
The specific moment when life is said to have begun for a foetus is not mentioned in all religions. Religions such as Sikhism, Buddhism and Cathoticism mark the beginning life as soon as an egg is fertilized by a sperm. The Catholic church prohibits abortion and grants the unborn child most of the rights of a born baby. According to Islamic teachings, the soul enters a foetus after 120 days of conception. Having an abortion after this point in time is considered to be a greater sin than having it done in the first trimester of the pregnancy. Earlier Roman Catholic teachings placed the ‘ensoulment’ of a foetus at the time when a woman begins to feel its movements in her womb, which generally happens around the 16th week. This tenet, however, was changed in the year 1869 and the church now says that the foetus has a soul from the very point of fertilization.
Science, on the other hand, points out that a large percentage of eggs that have been fertilized never get attached to a woman’s womb. About 25% of those that do get implanted result in natural miscarriages, with the woman often not even realizing that she was pregnant. Most religions do not have a formal ritual or ceremony to mark the passing away of an unborn child in this manner.
The circumstances in which an abortion is sought is also debated in the moral and religious context. Several religions permit abortions where the life and health of the mother is under serious threat due to the continuation of the pregnancy. However, views differ greatly and have been subject to long standing debates. The Roman Catholic Church, while strictly prohibiting intentionally having an abortion, it permits treatments aimed at saving the life of a mother, even if it endangers the life of the foetus. Religions such as Islam, Hinduism, Orthodox Judaism as well as Orthodox Greek and Russian churches permit abortions in order to save the mother’s life.
While most religions agree that a foetus has life and that life needs to be protected like any other living being, but do not clearly equate abortion to murder. For instance, Judaism teaches that abortions are immoral, yet, the rights of a baby are granted only when the major part of its body has moved out of the mother’s body. As such, aborting a foetus is not considered murder. While murder is condemned in most religions, killing for certain purposes such as wars, capital punishment or when trying to save oneself, is considered permissible. Most monotheistic religions such as Islam that follow a single scripture have not changed any of their tenets pertaining to abortions. However, other that have several scriptures like Buddhism are debatable and views can vary based on individual perception. Similarly, the Roman Catholic Church keeps changing their teachings on the subject as time progresses.
SUMMARY
While most unplanned pregnancies are considered for abortion, an individual’s decision is often not based on personal choice but on the influences of religious and moral beliefs of the person as well as her family. Most world religions condemn abortions and clearly state that it is immoral. However, while some strictly forbid it under any circumstances, other allow abortions to be carried for special cases such as saving the mother’s life. The views on when it is less sinful to carry out an abortion are also divided although no religion classifies them as murder. A few religions have strictly adhered to their original teaching but most have altered their tenets to keep pace with time and the changing mindsets of their followers.
WORKS CITED
[1] Alan Guttmacher Institute, Facts on Induced Abortion, January 2012. http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/fb_IAW.html (accessed April 10, 2012)
[2 ] Scheepers, Peer, Manfred Te Grotenhuis and Frans Van Der Silk. “Education,
Religiosity and Moral Attitudes: Explaining Cross- National Effect Differences.”
Sociology of Religion 63, no. 2 (2002): 157-176.
[3] Education for Choice, Abortion and Religion. 2011. http://www.efc.org.uk/PDFs/Abortion%20and%20religion%20leaflet%202011.pdf (accessed April 10, 2012)
