A Buddhist Perspective on Abortion

A Buddhist’s Perspective on AbortionDharma talkSunday, April 2, 2017Peg SyversonPlease forgive me for reading this; I want to be careful in speaking about such asensitive subject. I’ve been thinking about this topic because it is so polarizing in oursociety, and because I have been asked directly about it. It seems that two extremeviews have overtaken the public discussion in ways that are strident, rigid, and evenviolent. I would like to offer a perspective in hopes of expanding the range of viewsrepresented in the debate. My view is not an official “Buddhist” one; there is no suchthing. And Buddhists have a range of views themselves on this issue. However, thisview is from a person who has practiced Zen deeply for fifty years, ordained as a SotoZen priest, and received dharma transmission in the Shunryu Suzuki lineage. So it isone Buddhist’s perspective, informed, I hope, by the wisdom and compassion of ourZen tradition. I have not, myself experienced an abortion, but I have friends who have.There are many dimensions in my thinking about it:1.The taking of life is always a tragedy. Life energy is unique and present in theworld as a luminous gift. All wisdom traditions proscribe the taking of life. InBuddhism this precept is expressed in different translations, but its meaning isclear: a disciple of the Buddha does not take life (or harm that which is living). Inour ceremonies the precepts are received by participants as a gift, a gift thatsupports well-being and harmony among all beings. It is also a gift we offerothers. Life is sacred, and in realizing this, we also realize that it is vulnerable.We are vulnerable beings, as are all living things. We fear pain and suffering anddeath, and so we are attuned with the pain and suffering and death of otherbeings. The loss of life brings grief, remorse, dread and a reft in the fabric of theliving. We cannot ignore or minimize those effects.2.We are all engaged in taking life, both directly and indirectly. Our taxes fund airstrikes in Syria, the products we use pollute the water, air, and earth, they aremade in sweatshops under inhumane conditions, we allow millions to starvewhile we overeat, we trap the rat in the attic, we spray the wasps with poison,we hunt, we fish, we even kill bacteria in our own bodies with antibiotics. Thegovernment we support wages wars, executes criminals, polices with deadlyforce, conducts covert assassinations. Our retirements funds are invested incorporations with no moral compass or social or environmental responsibility.Our way of living has even created climate change that has resulted in hundredsof thousands of deaths. There is no privileged, saintly place for us to stand.Those who hold extreme views about not taking life should look more carefullyin the mirror. Our aspiration must be to pay attention to all of the carnage that---2 of 4supports our lives and to do our best to minimize it. We cannot pretend that weare somehow not implicated in taking life. This is what we stand up andacknowledge every morning: all my ancient twisted karma, born of body,speech, and mind, I now fully avow.3.Unwanted pregnancies will always occur. There are so many ways that peoplecan get into this situation, that there is no point trying to list them. We do havesome experience and wisdom about how to reduce the numbers of people whowill experience unwanted pregnancies, including education and social supportfor mindful prevention. Even so, incest and rape will happen, a mindlessmoment of blind passion will happen; our world is not yet perfect. But once ithas happened, a pregnancy has a profound effect not only on the womanherself, but on others as well. Sometimes we treat it as a personal condition,something for the individual to deal with. Sometimes we treat it as a moral issueof right and wrong. Sometimes we treat it as a legal issue, of rights and justice.Sometimes we treat it as a social welfare issue. Sometimes it is treated assimply a biological issue. But no matter how many ways we look at this issue,unwanted pregnancies will always occur. How should they be met? This is adeeply spiritual, moral, and ethical issue most of all.4.An abortion is a serious medical procedure with potential risks. Those risks arenot only physical, but psychological, societal, relational, and spiritual as well. It isa procedure that takes an unborn life. No one should undertake such a procedurewithout an opportunity for serious reflection and education about all possiblealternatives. A woman considering an abortion should have access toinformation that will help her clearly understand the range of possibilitiesavailable to her. She should be able to discuss her particular circumstances notonly with a doctor but with a social worker and a psychological counselor and aspiritual guide. If appropriate, she should discuss it with her family and the fatherinvolved. This is not always possible, but it is what we should aspire to. The goalis for the best possible decision to come about through deep reflection andsupport. Is it truly necessary, or is there some other possibility?5.Ultimately, a decision will be made, about whether to proceed with an abortion.In some cases, the decision may be clearly based on deciding factors, such asthe age, physical condition, or capacities of the mother, incest or rape, war ordisease. In other cases, the decision is not as clear. The societal question is:who should make that decision? There is a tendency to legislate issues such asthese, yet they are always dependent on circumstances that require individualdiscernment, wisdom, and compassion. Laws are made far from the livedrealities of those affected by them, and often by lawmakers with no relevant lifeexperience. It seems to me that this decision must be a collaborative onebetween the mother and the doctor performing the procedure. The doctor is the---3 of 4best person to determine the relative safety and risks of any particular operation,and the mother is the best person to decide whether it is truly necessary, forher.6.An abortion is traumatic, in any circumstance. There is physical trauma to thebody, loss of a life, and psychological and emotional trauma as well. When theprocedure is treated as routine, casual, or something to be quickly “gottenover,” it is violent. Our question must be, how should we regard it in Buddhistterms, which is to say, through the functioning of wisdom and compassion? Ourwisdom and compassion must extend beyond just a woman and her unbornchild. It must include the father, the families, the social fabric, including thosewho are bitterly opposed to abortion and those who defend the rights to it, thedoctors and nurses who assist it, those who minimize or dismiss it, and all thoseit touches in the wider universe. Our Buddhist universe is a universe of care, andthere are no limits to the exercise of our care, and our wisdom.7.Followup care is essential as part of recovery, both individually and collectively.Pain, grief, shame, and a whole range of emotional and psychological reactionsare likely experienced not only by the mother, but by anyone touched by thisevent. It takes time. It takes support and willingness to listen. Sometimes ittakes professional counseling. On the spiritual side, ceremonies can providecomfort, support, and closure. We grieve together formally to help weave aperson into the fabric of a supportive community. Our Jizo ceremony here atAppamada in May is one way that we can formally offer comfort and support forthose who have lost children, of any age.8.Most of all, I believe we must learn how to talk about this issue in a way that issane, speaking and listening together from all different perspectives. We mustbring our collective wisdom and care into a respectful cherishing of life, in all ofits manifestations, together. There are always difficult decisions to make at theboundary between individual well-being and social well-being, between those inpower-up positions and those in power-down positions, between the letter ofthe law and actual human behavior. The issue of abortion is no different. It isimportant to remember that the question is not only “who” should make thosedecisions, but “how” those difficult decisions are arrived at. The process ofdiscernment and ultimate action is something that can be much better designedfor an enlightened society. There will be no perfect answer that applies toeveryone at all times. Human judgment, wisdom, and compassion will always beneeded, and it will always be fallible. We must accept the inevitable misstepsand errors that get made in human systems of thought, speech, and action. Sowe Buddhists must be, as usual, both brave and heart-broken. But we cancontinue to envision and work toward an enlightened approach to this issue,both individually and socially. We cannot allow the polarized extreme views on---4 of 4either side to tear our social fabric apart. We must look for, as they say, notcommon ground, or middle ground, but higher ground.This is not, as I said, an “official Buddhist” perspective. I try to imagine how theBuddha would have regarded this issue, and I imagine his own heartbrokenness aboutthe suffering arising in it. Our carelessness, casual and willful cruelty, ignorance, andfixed views are what his own teachings addressed. The suffering we create for eachother is unnecessary, and we can free ourselves from it. We need to see this clearly.But this is a hopeful, bodhisattva view of the world and its troubles. This is not anintractable issue, one which will forever divide us. It is an arena for the Buddha’s workof compassion, wisdom, clarity and care. At least, that is my view. And now I would bevery interested to hear your questions and points of view.