abortion

abortion. Abortion as a moral problem is not discussed at length in Buddhist literature. However, there are sufficient references in the Pāli Canon and other ancient sources to indicate that the practice was regarded as gravely wrong. Buddhist disapproval of abortion is related to its belief in rebirth and its teachings on embryology. It is widely held that conception marks the moment of rebirth, and that any intentional termination of pregnancy after that time constitutes a breach of the first of the Five Precepts (see pañca-śīla). Broadly speaking, this continues to be the avowed view of most Buddhists, although this position is not always reflected in the abortion statistics in Buddhist countries. In the more conservative countries of south-east Asia abortion is generally illegal unless there is a threat to the mother's life. Illegal abortions, however, are common, with an annual figure of perhaps 300,000 per annum in Thailand. In certain east Asian countries abortions are even more numerous, and a figure of one million per annum or greater is sometimes cited for countries such as Japan and South Korea. In Japan a memorial service known as mizuko kuyō has evolved as a response to the large number of abortions carried out in recent decades.