A Buddhist View of Abortion PDF

Journal of Religion and Health, vol. 26, No.
B, Fall lgg7
A Buddhist View
of Abortion
PHILLP A. LECSO
ABSTRACT: This paper examines the abortion issue from a Buddhist perspective. As the con-
sciousness is held to enter the embryo at conception, it is felt to be fully hum"n at that moment.
Thus' Buddhism strongl-v discourages abortion except in the situation'of an immediate threat to
the mother's life. Though Buddhism has clearly a "pio-life" position on abortion, the final decision
should be left to the pregnant woman.
The abortion debate rages on. Many difTerent secular and religious viewpoints
have been expressed. To this date, little has been written from the standpoint
of the Buddhist teachings. I will attempt in this paper to present Buddhist as-
pects of the abortion issue. First will be a more traditional discussion based on
standard teachings within Mahayana Buddhist scripture and commentary. To
my knowledge there are no specific teachings per se within the voluminous
Buddhist scriptures and commentaries on abortion, so that one must extrapo-
late from ethical and cosmological positions implicit within them. Following
this discussion, I will undertake a short examination of the political implica-
tions ofthe abortion issue from the Buddhist perspective.
within this paper I have drawn mainly from Tibetan Buddhist sources for
two main reasons. First, there now exists a substantial body of works trans-
lated into English, available for a general audience. Second, Tibetan works,
especially those of the Gelugpa sect, are known for their scholarly and philo-
sophical clarity. It is a commonly held misconception that Tibetan Buddhism
is an unusual form of Buddhism offof the mainstream. Most Buddhist scholars
now accept that Tibetan Buddhism is solidly based on traditional Mahayana
Buddhist teachings and its main difference is in the cultural expression, not in
substance.
As with all religious traditions, there are varying opinions amongst Bud-
dhists, especially western Buddhists, concerning abortion. Abortion is widely
performed in some countries in which Buddhism is influential, such as Japan
and south Korea. In other Buddhist countries, such as sri Lanka, Thailand,
and Burma abortion is more restricted. There seems to be a trend toward in-
Phillip A. l^ecso, M.D., is Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Oflice of Geriatric Medicine at
the Medical College of Ohio at Toledo.
2t4 C lgE? Institutes of Religion and Health

Phillip A. Lecsa 215
creased abortion practices directly related to increased industrialization and

movement away from traditional values.
The writings of Western proponents of Buddhism vary on the topic of abor-
tion. Robert Aitken, a teacher of the Japanese Zen tradition, focuses on the
woman's dilemma but is unclear on the ethical issues.' Roshi Philip Kapleau.
also a teacher of the Japanese Zen tradition, states that "abortion is a grave
matter."' However, he goes on to say, "There is no absolute right or wrong,
no clear-cut solution."' A more clear stance has been taken by the Buddhist
Churches of America, a Japanese Shin Buddhist sect. In a recent position pa-
per on abortion, they state that "abortion, the taking of a human life. is funda-
mentally wrong and must be rejected by Buddhists."'
Key to the arguments in the abortion debate is the central question of rvhen
human life begins. The answer to this question has many times been obscured
by the infoduction of such concepts as viability or functionality of a central
nervous system. Buddhist teachings are explicit as to rvhen human life begins.
This is in clear contradistinction to the following comment published from a
symposium on the abortion issue. ". . . although Buddhism, the predominant
religion, condemns 'killing of Iife,' it defines the commencement of life rather
loosely."" Buddhist teaching holds that human life starts at conception.
From the moment of conception on, the embryo is already a human being."
The cornerstone of Buddhist cosmology is a belief in rebirth. All sentient be-
ings constantly undergo the cycle ofbirth-death-rebirth and have done so from
beginningle.ss time. The-v will do so through the foreseeable future until ended
by the realization of enlightenment, the goal of Buddhism. Between consec-
utive lives, one's mental continuum passes through an intermediate state,
known in the Tibetan tradition as the Bardo.'The following passage describes
the emergence from the intet'mediate state to a new rebirth.
After that, these drops of semen and blood, which definitely do emerge from both
nralc and fl'male. are nrixed irr the nrother's womb. 'Ihe consciousness ol'the df ing
internrediate be.ing ente'rs into the middle of'this. . . .'
Thus, the mental continuum enters at the moment of conception and conse-
quently the embryo is felt to be fully human. As opposed to the current materi-
alistic viewpoint of consciousness as dependent upon the central nervous
system for its existence. Buddhism teaches that this is not the case. Conscious-
ness exists prior to the physical form. Therefore. arguments based on either
development or functionality of a central nervous system as a basis for defin-
ing human life are not acceptable. This does not deny that there is a qualita-
tive difference in the functionality of a fetus as it grows, but this carries no
moral weight in argumentation concerning abortion. Consciousness is a whole,
and its expression, not its development, follows along with the increasing com-
plexity of the fetus.
It is quite diffrcult to defend logically any position that argues that one be-
2r6 Journal of'Religion and Heolth
comes human at any other time than at conception. A single human life starts
at conception and ends at death. This is true of any sexually reproduced ol.gan-
ism' It is interesting to note that one rvould be hard pressed to nnd a scientist
who rvould argue that a dog fetus is not really a dog until some arbitrarily des-
ignated time period has elapsed. As pointed out by Mary Meehan, many of the
arguments put forth in defense of abortion "appeal. to be guided by sociopoliti-
cal goals rather than scientific interest."" Life is a continuum that on" .un u"-
bitralily divide into phases such as embryo-fetus-infant-adult. However, these
al'e mere conventions. and to base actions on these relative and arbitrary des-
ignations is quite logicall,"- unjustilied.
'l'hus. to destrol'an embrvo or fetus rvould entail the taking of a human life.
'fhis is in direct opposition to the first Buddhist precept, which enjoins us to re-
li'ain lium destroying lil'e.'" Does this apply to the "special circumstances"
common in the abrlrtion de'bate: rape, fetal delbrmity or disease. a thleat to the
nrother's ph1'sical or mental health? These are difficult and complex issues.
We art- all the same in that rve wish to avoid suffering and desire to increase
our happiness. ln the "special circumstances," situations are such that in order
to relieve her orvn suff'ering. a mother may seek an abortion. Where does this
lcavetheli{t rvithinher?Inthecaseofrape,theconceptionoccursduringavi-
olcnt assttult. placing the rvoman in the diffrcult situation of canying the child
ol'her assailant. Does her suffering justify the taking of the human life within
her as the means ol'resolving the problem? The Buddhist would argue against
this. basing the position on the high value placed upon the human rebirth. The
human rebirth is "a life {irrm hard to find and once found, very meaningful; a
treasule more precious than a rvishfulfilling gem."" Also:
'rhis brd.r'. the completc. opportune. Ibrtunate basis, is of immense value. in no

rva.\' t() be convcl'cd cvetr b1' such un examplc'as finding a systent of realms thrice-
thouslndlbld. rrll lull ol' precious jetvels.',
Thus. the human rebirth is considered rare, difficult to obtain, and to be

highl.v protected. This in no way relieves the rvoman of her suffering but is
nleilnt t(, encoul'age her to protect the life within her. Buddhism encourages
tultruistic attitudes enrphasizing the benefit of others as opposed to our own
nan'ow self-interest. Concern for the other life and its inherent value and po-
tential may prevent the woman from adding another injustice to the situation.
The issue ol'fetal malformation andlor disease is basically one of euthanasia
for the Buddhist. I have dealt with this issue in more detail elsewhere.,,, In
cases such as Dorvn's syndrome or spina bifida where a meaningful life is possi-
ble. Buddhism is strongl-r' against aborting these individuals. There is insuffi-
cient reason to abort their existence merely because they cannot function as
full.v endowed human beings. More difficult are .ur", problems
"on."rning
such as anencephalv or Tay-Sachs disease. In these situations where viable ex-
trauterine life is neither possible nor of prolonged duration, for some it would
Phillip A. Lec'so 217
seem justifiable to terminate the life early. However. Buddhism teaches that
life and life's events are complex, karmic interactions and undue interference
in natural processes is to be avoided.
Last is the issue of a threat to maternal health. If the mother's life is truly
endangered by continuation ofthe pregnancy so that both lives are at stake. it
is permissible to abort the fetus." Much less clear is the situation of implied
threat to the mother's mental health. Here it is extremely difficult to predict
the outcome upon her health and. therefore. aborting the fetus would not be
permissible. It does not seem reasonable that one could pledict inexorable and
permanent mental injury from a completed pregnancy to the extent that the
taking of another's life would be justifiable.
Thus it is clear that Buddhism has a "pro-life" position on abortion. How-
ever, unlike many fundamentalist Christian positions. Buddhism does not
agree with attempts to legislate individual morality. lt is recognized that we
live in a pluralistic world and societ"v- in rvhich tnleration of divergent viervs is
encouraged. As stated by his Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama:
With thc basic understanding ol'ull humans as brothels and sistels. \rc can ap-
preciate the usel'ulness ol'ditlt'rent ststems and ideologies thatt carn acc<lnl-rdate
dillercnt dispositions. dilll'rent tastes. l'or certain people under certain condi-
tions. a ccrtain ideologv or cultural heritagc is nrorc uselul. Each pc'rson lras the
right to chtxrsc rvhatcver is nrost suitablt'. This is tht individual's business on the
basis ol'dct'p understunding of all oiher per*,rns as brothets and sistet's.'
Also:
At the s:rnre tinrc. we must opcnl.v accept all ideologics and systems as nteans ol'
solving hunranit.v's pnrblenrs. ()ne countrr. onc n:rtion. one ideologv. one sJ-ste'm
is not sullicient. lt is helpt'ul to huvc a tnriet.v ol'dilll.rent approaches on the basis
ol'a det'p I'ecling ol'thc basic samen('ss ol'humanit.v.'"
Specifically on the issue ol'abortion, I will again quote ft'om the Buddhist
Churches of America position paper:
Although others may be involved in the decision-nraking. it is thc'\r'oman carry-

ing the fe.tus. lnd no one else. who must in the end make this most diflicult de'ci-
sion and live r,r'itlr it the rest of her lil'e. As Buddhists. \\e c.in only'encourage her
to make a decision that is both thoughtful and compassionnte."
To summarize, Buddhism is firmly against abortion. only clearly allowing it

in the unusual circumstance of a physical threat to the mother's existence. Hu-
man rebirth is rare, of great value. and filled with potential. As has been
shown, Buddhism rejects the arguments favoring abortion and argues strongly
for protecting all human life. However, the decision concerning abortion
should be left with the pregnant woman.
218 Journal of Religion and Health
References
l. Aitken.R.'TheMindofclouer.sanFrancisco,Northpointpress, Lgg4,pp.2L-22.
2. Kapleau.P.,zen:Dau:ninthewest.Gardencity,N.y.,AnchorpresvDoulieday,isao,p.zaa.
3. Ihi<l..pp.249-250.
4. Buddhist Churches of America Social Issues Committee, "A Shin Buddhist Stance on Abor-
Iion," Buddhist Peace tr'ellowship Newsletter, July 19g4, 6. B, 6.
5. chow. L.P., "Abortion in Taiwan." In Hall, R.E.,6d., Abortion in achanging world, volume 1.
New York and London, Columbia University press, 19?0, p. 251.
6. Rabten. G', The Essential Nectar, M. Willson, verse trans. and ed. London, Wisdom publica-
tions.1984. p. 122.
7. The T-ibetan Booh ol'the Dead, F. !'remantle and c. Trungpa, trans. Berkeley and London,
Shambhala Publications. 19?5.
8. Rinbochay' L.. and Hopkins, J.. Death, Intermediate Stnte and Rebirth in Tibetan Buddhism.
Valois. New York. Gabriel/Snow Lion, 1980, p.60.
9. Meehan. M., "More Trouble Than They're Woith? Children and Abortion." In Callahan S. and
D.. eds.. Abortion: IJn<lerstanding Diffbrences. New york and London, plenum press, lgg4,
149.
I
10. G-vatso. T.. The Openin6l of'the Wisdont-.8ye. Wheaton, Illinois, The Theosophical publishing
House. 1974. pp.53-64.
ll. :._ _Essenrz of Refined Gtild, G. H. Mullin, trans. and ed. Ithaca, New york,
GabrielrSnow Lion, 1982, p.58.
12. Rabten. op- t'it.. p. 197 .
13. Lecso. P.. "Euthanasia: A Buddhist Perspective,"J. Religion and Health,25, l, sl-bs.
l4' Based on an audience with His Holiness Ganden Tri Rinpoche tJamphal Shenphenl duringhis
recent North American tour at Washington, New Jersey, September lgg5.
15. Gyatso.'f., Kirrrlness. clarity and Insight,J. Hopkins, trans. and ed. Ithaca, New york, snow
Lion Publications. 1984. p.60.
16. /6irl.. p.60.
17. Buddhist Churches of America. op. <'it.,7.

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Journal of Religion and Health, vol. 26, No.

2t4 C lgE? Institutes of Religion and Health

creased abortion practices directly related to increased industrialization and

'rhis brd.r'. the completc. opportune. Ibrtunate basis, is of immense value. in no

Thus. the human rebirth is considered rare, difficult to obtain, and to be

Although others may be involved in the decision-nraking. it is thc'\r'oman carry-

To summarize, Buddhism is firmly against abortion. only clearly allowing it

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