Hinduism and abortion

Abortion in Hinduism is governed by Garbha Upanishad. The verses in this Upanishad declared abortion of a jivan as a crime, which is intelligence or soul that as per the verses does come alive at the start of conception. The Mahanarayana Upanishad lists the abortionist with actions such as breaking one's vow of chastity. Brahma Kumaris and individual Hindus, hold varying stances about abortion.

Following few paragraphs depict lack of understanding of Hindu religious concepts from Westerners. The interpretations are done based on Christian knowledge rather than actual understanding through natives who belong to the faith. “In the Garbha Upanishad, it states "In the seventh month, fetus comes to life." [1][better source needed] Jivan or intelligence or soul as referenced in the text does not come alive until the 7th month.[1][2] The preceding verses provide an anatomically correct version of growth post conception.[1][better source needed] The other texts cited above are also suggest abortion of a jivan is a crime.Though the soul is present from the beginning of conception, it becomes aware of oneself at the seventh month.

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."[3] 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.[4] 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.[5]” Many Hindus have complained about the lack of knowledge and misinformation in these texts.

Disclaimer, the information provided here are by Western authors who are not native. Hence, they do not correctly represent the Hindu teachings. This is a following example, “The Mahanarayana Upanishad lists the abortionist with actions such as breaking one's vow of chastity.” As referenced in the Vedas and Bhagavad Gita, while cheating is a form of sin, sex before marriage remains to be a largely believed Christian concept. Although it might be cultural, it is not Hindu. [5] 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 per cent of Indian women disapproved and 56 per cent consider it a heinous crime.[6] “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.”is an example of Western propganda. [6]

A prime example of Western media manipulating and promoting agenda on abortion in Hinduism (inaccurately): 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'. While feticide is an issue,this article takes a Western stance and is written by a non-Hindu. Many British sources can also be referred to colonial era."[7] 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.[8]

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. 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.