Studies in Religion

Hinduism

There is no dominant view in the Hindu society on abortion within their tradition. Due to the changing economic and social realities, India, the world's largest predominantly Hindu nation, had alarmingly high rates of maternal mortality and morbidity, thus leading to the adoption of a liberal abortion law in 1971.

• Some ancient Hindu medical ethicists thought abortion was permissible – but not desirable – only under certain circumstances. For example, A founder of Hindu medicine wrote that when an early pregnancy posed a threat to health, abortion was the proper response. In the 17th century, another Hindu scholar wrote that abortion was a "useful remedy" for pregnant widows and women in poor health.
• In India, abortion is permitted to protect a woman's life and her physical or mental health and in cases of fatal impairment. Injury to mental health is defined to encompass rape and contraceptive failure. A woman's actual or foreseeable environment may be taken into account when evaluating potential injury to her health.
• In Nepal, the world's only official Hindu state, many women seek abortion despite the country's strict prohibition of the procedure. Nepal's maternal mortality ratio is 1,500 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births, one of the highest in the world. It is estimated that more than half of maternal deaths in five major hospitals in Kathmandu result from unsafe abortions.

Buddhism

Buddhist teachings give a variety of interpretations regarding the permissibility of abortion. The four nations in which Buddhism is the official state religion - Bhutan, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, and Thailand - have divergent approaches to abortion. While Bhutan, Sri Lanka, and Thailand have relatively restrictive laws, Cambodia permits abortion at the woman's request during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. In Japan, a predominantly Buddhist state, abortion is widely tolerated, both legally and socially.

• Among Buddhist scholars, there is debate about whether an unborn foetus has acquired "personhood" and thus whether abortion constitutes the taking of a person's life. Assuming the foetus is a person, there are varying opinions on whether there are circumstances under which abortion could be justified. Further, there is no clear Buddhist stance on whether abortion should be regulated by law or, rather, left to the individual conscience of the pregnant woman.

Judaism

Within every branch of Judaism - Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform – there are many beliefs about when abortion is a lawful solution to an unwanted or dangerous pregnancy. Israel, the world's only official Jewish state, permits abortion on numerous grounds.

• Within Conservative, Reform, and Reconstructionist branches of Judaism, some authorities view women who have terminated their pregnancy as an exercise of a woman's right to control her own destiny. Others approve of abortion on broad physical and mental health grounds. There is considerable agreement, even among Orthodox Jews, that abortion is a religious duty when the pregnant woman's life is in danger.
• Abortion is permitted in Israel when a pregnancy poses a threat to a woman's life or to her physical or mental health. Abortion is also permitted when the pregnant woman is under 17 or over 40; the pregnancy is a result of a criminal act (rape), incest, or extra-marital relations; or there is a likelihood of fatal impairment.