ISJS Jainism Study Notes E5 Vol 03

Author(s): International School for Jain Studies
Publisher: International School for Jain Studies

Page 173

rare cases were such child is conceived for the purpose of bone marrow transplant or other such reasons. But I see many issues:
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Purpose of institution of marriage & meaning of family. Exploitation of poor women for money.
Question of successes in full implantation of fertilizes egg or the women naturally got pregnant due to her sexual activity. Is it buying or selling children. Are we making child a commodity?
Should the child be told of real mother or what if child finds out later in life?
Jainism probably will not care how the child was brought into this world because this child was to be born regardless of the ways and means. There is mythological story concerning transfer of Mahāvīra's embryo from the womb of Devaki to Trišalā in Svetāmbara tradition, Digambaras question the validity of the story. The question is, 'Will Jainism considers this to be a physical and emotional violence to the surrogate mother?'
Jain view on artificial procreation would point us to the fact that children are the cause of attachments and aversions leading to influx of karmas and therefore a follower should be satisfied if they can have children by natural means. If not, then they have to accept it as a result of their past karmas and childlessexperienceprovides them a chance to accumulate less karmas to improve future and future births. As we see life of a monk or a Sadhvi is of renunciation of family and children for spiritual progress.
4.3 Ethics of Abortion, Birth Defects and Sex Selection In general Jainism prohibits abortion because of the basic principal of non-violence regardless of the reasons. As there are possibilities of life to be born, killing that life is high level of violence (equal to killing a human being) especially if abortion is done for the reasons of sex selection (elimination of female child to be born). Though statistics are mounting towards shortage of females of marriageable age by year 2010, this issue of sex selection will hopefully disappear.
In case of birth defects Jainism will bring in Karma of that child to be born in play and decide against abortion, stating that if that child has to suffer because of his / her own past karmas,
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STUDY NOTES version 5.0