Abortion within the Framework of Intercultural Ethics

PDF (ελληνικά)
Published: Mar 25, 2020
DOI: https://doi.org/10.12681/ethiki.22697
Keywords:
Abortion; Intercultural Ethics; Bioethics; Buddhist Ethics; Hindu Ethics; Islamic Ethics; Jewish Ethics; Moral Status of the Fetus
Angeliki A. Bembi
Abstract

This article examines the ethical, social, and legal dimensions of abortion through the lens of four major religious and cultural traditions: Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, and Judaism. The author explores fundamental questions regarding the moral status of the fetus, the point at which human life begins, and the rights of the pregnant woman to self-determination. The study highlights that while these traditions generally view life as sacred, they offer nuanced perspectives on exceptions, such as cases of rape, threats to the mother's life, or specific developmental milestones of the fetus (e.g., "ensoulment" in Islamic thought). By comparing these intercultural viewpoints, the article aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of how different moral frameworks navigate the tension between the protection of potential life and the autonomy of the individual.

Article Details
  • Section
  • Articles

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:

  1. Authors retain copyright and grant the journal the right of first publication, with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). This license allows others to share and adapt the work, provided that the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal are properly acknowledged.
  2. Authors are permitted and encouraged to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
  3. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their personal websites) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
Downloads
Download data is not yet available.
References
Aramesh, Kiarash. “Abortion: An Islamic Ethical View.” Iranian Journal of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology 6 (2007): 29–33.
“Buddhism and Abortion.” BBC. Accessed February 16, 2008. http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/buddhism/buddhistethics/abortion.shtml.
Brockopp, Jonathan E. Islamic Ethics of Life: Abortion, War, and Euthanasia. Columbia: University of South Carolina Press, 2003.
Coward, Harold G., Julius J. Lipner, and Katherine K. Young. Hindu Ethics: Purity, Abortion, and Euthanasia. Albany: State University of New York Press, 1989.
Giannoulatos, Anastasios. Traces of the Search for the Transcendent [Ίχνη από την αναζήτηση του υπερβατικού]. Athens: Akritas, 2006.
Keown, Damien. Buddhist Ethics: A Very Short Introduction. London: Oxford University Press, 2005.
Larijani, B., and F. Zahedi. “Changing Parameters for Abortion in Iran.” Indian Journal of Medical Ethics 4 (2006).
Moad, Edward Omar. “Hindu Ethics on the Moral Question of Abortion.” Eubios Journal of Asian and International Bioethics 14 (2004): 149–50.
Morgan, Peggy, and Clive Lawton. Ethical Issues in Six Religious Traditions. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2005.
Steinberg, Avraham. Encyclopedia of Jewish Medical Ethics. Translated by Fred Rosner. Nanuet: Feldheim Publishers, 2003.
Turner, Bryan S. Islam: Critical Concepts in Sociology. London and New York: Routledge, 2003.