Why do people feel so strongly about abortion? What role does religion play? How do I, as a Buddhist, feel about abortion?
In the debate over the moral status of abortion, legitimate conservative, moderate, and liberal viewpoints attempt to prove the validity of their stances by appealing to rational thought and human reasoning. This type of logical argument (like most political rhetoric), while entirely necessary from a democratic secular nation's perspective, is forced to refrain from explicitly stating a key reason as to why Americans either oppose or support abortion - that reason being spirituality (this term meaning beliefs).
Explicit religious reasonings are not legitimate arguments in the realm of "rational" and "free" community rhetoric and decision making. Religious views (specifically those religious views based on improvable and, to many, "infallible" truths) can prove dangerous in a political setting. For example, if a public official were to claim that he made a specific legislative decision based upon the fact that "God does not approve of homosexual behavior and I must obey God's will", he not only destroys all possibility of compromise, he also labels all those in disagreement with him as non-followers of God. This is unproductive and dangerous.
Yet, while explicit religious reasoning doesn't suffice as legitimate in public discourse, spiritual beliefs are one of the greatest motivation for political and moral opinion (the other being logical reasoning). Many logical arguments are built around a spiritual belief or viewpoint.
This is true for everyone. An atheist, for example, has moral beliefs - a reason for calling something right or something wrong. I believe this can also be called spirituality.
Yet, without a strict tie to an organized religion, I believe one is free to form more informed, personal, and logical opinions due to the fact that one is not (as) restricted in choice by (potentially) a static belief system, opinionated leaders, social pressures, or religious tradition.
All that being said, I believe that people consider two things when determining their political (and often moral) opinions - their spiritual beliefs, and their logical reasoning. As I mentioned above, I believe that individuals not pressured or conditioned by strict religious standards are more likely to attempt to make informed and unbiased decisions and arguments - and often ones that align more closely with their personal consciences.
Now - back to abortion. I will lay out my opinion on the matter of abortion. First - I will explain how I feel about it logically. To determine the logic of abortion I studied the liberal, conservative, and moderate view by reading a number of essays printed in Social Ethics - Morality and Social Policy by Mappes and Zembaty. I will not go in to depth as to what both sides consider their logical reasons for opposing or supporting abortion. Rather, I will cite a few points of the argument that I found logically sound - which happen to be part of the liberal viewpoint.
The pro-choice arguments I found logically sound:
-Although a fetus has the potential to be a person, and thus has the potential to have rights, it's mother's (an actual person) rights supersede its potential to have rights.
- A fetus does not meet the requirements we commonly associate with being a person: namely self-awareness, reasoning, consciousness, ability to communicate, etc.
- A clarification: This may lead to the idea that infantilism is ok, as infants do not meet all of these requirements either. Yet, the fact that an infant is no longer within its mother and its rights are no longer superseded by the mother's rights, means that the infant has the right to live, if only because society gives it that right.
Logically, I feel that abortion is not immoral at any term, for any reason. However, I have not considered my spiritual response.
I consider myself a Buddhist. I do this because I believe in the Buddha, in enlightenment, in reincarnation, and in the basic truths the Buddha considers the path to achieving enlightenment. I believe most of what the Theravada school of Buddhism teaches. However, I also believe that blind loyalty to any religion is, in reality, contrary to some of the most basic truths taught by the Buddha, and (more importantly) some of my most basic instincts. I need not be called a Buddhist to achieve enlightenment. Buddhism itself is as much an illusion as immortality. It is simply a label placed in the void - this void of life where all is impermanent and all is one. I actively participate in my spiritual study of Buddhism - I embrace the subtle truths of existence - the ones that I believe the Buddha recognized - and I apply them to my own life. And if I come upon a practice or belief that my instinct finds untruthful or inconsistent with my view of life, I reject it, and assume the Buddha did the same for himself - as I assume he achieved enlightenment, which means he rejected all untruths (which may be subjective).
Being a Buddhist, I believe that all life is sacred. All life is part of a great cycle and a great consciousness. We have a duty to do no harm to any part of that consciousness around us.
So what about unborn babies? Are they not a part of that consciousness?
ALL living things are sacred vehicles for souls - tangible projections of a disjointed and illusioned consciousness. As a Buddhist, I feel it is one of my responsibilities to try and ease the suffering of these souls and their bodies, as they are actually one with myself.
But, I must say that I can't assume an unborn fetus is an actual vehicle for that consciousness if it has not yet passed the point of viability (the point to where it can survive outside its mother's womb). And, if the loss of the baby (who I believe has not yet fully developed to the point where it can maintain and contain a soul) will ease the suffering of a mother or a family in any way, then I believe that loss (that abortion) to be moral.
In short, my spiritual and moral consensus on abortion is this:
An abortion should be legal and is moral at any time prior to the point of viability.