Book Title: ISJS Jainism Study Notes E5 Vol 03
Author(s): International School for Jain Studies
Publisher: International School for Jain Studies

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Page 162
________________ 1. Abortion 2. Artificial womb 3. Contraception 4. Euthanasia 5. Organ donation INTERNATION SCHOOL OF SELF STUDY IS THE SUPREME AUSTERITY स्वाध्याय परमे response to bio-ethical issues and not the elaborate description and discussion of bio-ethical issues. The issues for present lecture are: HAN STUDIES The changing set of values, varied ideas of pleasure and enjoyment, individual freedom, social status etc. have given rise to a different theorization of human life and consequently the issues related to span of human life, unwanted birth or craving for baby etc. have arisen. 1. Abortion In the light of the emphasis on absolute non-violence, Jainism repudiates and prohibits abortion regardless of reasons. The Jaina explanation of this approach of non-violence could be as follows: STUDY NOTES version 5.0 As the possibility of new birth exists, killing that life is high level of violence and cannot be justified under any reason. If the intention of abortion is to get rid of the female child, Jainism will respond on the backdrop of equality of all life, and condemn the killing of a female child. If possibility of defective delivery is the reason of abortion, Jainism will take into account the theory of karma and will argue that as the child will have to suffer because of his-her own past karmas, child will live or die of natural causes and hence deliberate killing of a child is not justified. Jainism will also support saving the pre-maturely delivered babies at any cost even though there is every possibility that such a child does grow with disabilities from slow learning to overt physical disabilities. If the reason of abortion is social, e.g. poverty or getting rid of un-wanted or illegal child, Jainism will respond with the support of two principles of non-violence and doctrine of karma and argue that as the child has to bear the fruits of past karmas and hence aborting the child will be a sin of interfering with other karma. Page 149 of 273

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