RABBI: One of the ten great commandments delivered by Moses
was "Do not commit murder." [Torah, Exodus, Yithro, 20:13] Although
there is virtually no argument about the meaning of this commandment in
reference to killing people, there is much controversy in the world about
its application regarding the abortion issue. Some people do not consider
the child in the womb as a living person until the seventh month of pregnancy.
They argue that if there is no movement, it is only a lifeless lump of flesh
and can be removed just like a cancer.
DEVOTEE: There is life from the first moment of conception, as immediately
the cells begin dividing and expanding. In the womb of a human mother, the
fetus at any stage of growth is already a human being. If that fetus is
killed, it is the same as murdering an adult.
The Vedas warn us that those who abort their own children, perform the abortion,
facilitate it or even support them are thoroughly condemned. They will themselves
enter the wombs of other mothers and be aborted again and again.
RABBI: Many people argue in favor of abortions because they facilitate their
desire for unrestricted sex. They want sex without responsibility, but that
is not pleasing to God. That will not help one to return to the Garden of
Eden, the kingdom of God. The Torah's laws are meant to guide man in practical
day to day life so that he can ultimately qualify himself to realize God.
DEVOTEE: Materialists think that sex is required to be happy. They have
no idea that one can learn to be satisfied without sex life. If a person,
man or woman, had no interest in sex then abortions would be unnecessary.
They are unable to do that. Therefore, in the Vedas it is said, adänta-gobhir
viçatäà tamisram. "By nonrestricted sense enjoyment
they are gradually going down to the lower species of life." [Bhäg.
7.5.30] We were recently discussing that there are millions of species of
life in the universe, but why so many? One reason is to facilitate the variegated,
animalistic desires of those persons who are addicted to sex enjoyment.
The only activities of the animals are eating, sleeping, mating, and defending.
They have no interest in, or ability to understand religious subject matter.
If we waste our human birth engaging only in animal propensities, we will
be forced to take birth among those species. The Vedic culture teaches one
to become detached from all kinds of sense desires while cultivating God
consciousness, and to feel very satisfied in that way. Thus, the abortion
problem is merely one of the symptoms of the world's spiritual starvation,
proving that people need to be educated in the science of God.
RABBI: Many people, not wanting to take responsibility for family life nor
to experience guilt for having an abortion, utilize contraceptives to prevent
pregnancy. Once a person in my congregation told me confidentially that
although he was married, he was not at all prepared to accept the responsibility
for raising a family proportionate to the number of children who would likely
result from his indulgences with his wife. He asked me which was better,
to prevent pregnancy with contraceptives or to abort the unwanted children?
I told him that of the two, the use of contraceptives seemed to be the lesser
of two evils. Personally, I was not very satisfied with my advice. What
do you think?
DEVOTEE: According to the Vedic literatures, there is practically
no difference. First, we must understand why it is wrong to kill the child
in the womb. In one sense, it is the same reason that we do not kill other
living entities. As we discussed recently, the soul undergoes a spiritual
evolution from one species of life to another, from one human body to another
until he fully realizes his eternal loving relationship with God. Whenever
you kill a person, an animal, or the child in the womb, you are interrupting
his progress on the spiritual path. You are detaining him from perfecting
his life though self-realization. Through the act of sex, a man and woman
are in effect inviting a soul to take shelter of the womb to continue its'
progress toward realizing God. By the use of contraceptives, a person is
actually rendering the womb unfit for that soul, thus interfering with his
progress. Therefore, both abortions and the use of contraceptives are sinful
because they are obstacles on the soul's journey back to God. If I was in
your position, I would have told him that both choices are totally sinful
because either one would interfere with a soul's spiritual progress. I would
have tried to convince him and his wife to seriously cultivate God consciousness
and experience the higher taste of spiritual happiness. By experiencing
that higher taste, they would automatically be able to control their sexual
desires and avoid any consideration of sinful alternatives.
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