Such comparisons will help to remove the apparent otherworldly nature of hindu. Can a world without religious values ever be consistent when it comes to ethics. Traditional hindu views and the contemporary debate katherine k. Concept of euthanasia philosophical ramification in. Citation prepared by the library and information services group of the kennedy institute of ethics, georgetown university for the ethxweb database. A decision that a woman makes about an abortion must contribute towards her happiness. He or she can still exercise free will by either nurturing or uprooting what. Religious perspectives on bioethics, part 1 georgetown library. Dec 05, 2005 contemporary hindu attitudes to euthanasia were examined in 1988 in hinduism today. Distinguished scholars of islamic studies have collaborated to produce a volume that both integrates muslim thinking into the field of applied ethics and introduces readers to an aspect of the religion long overlooked in the west. Aug 25, 2009 hinduism and abortion hinduism and abortion. Dilemmas of life and death hindu ethics in a north american context. The present volume includes a detailed introduction and is divided into three chapters. For all six groups, attitudes toward sexual morality exhibit the strongest relationship with abortion attitudes, followed by the effects of attitudes toward human life.
I do not deny that if one accepts abortion on the grounds provided in chapter 6, the case for killing other human beings, in certain. The topic in this clip can be further explored on twitter by subscribing to twitter humanism1893 htt. Purity, abortion, and euthanasia mcgill studies in the history of religions suny series, mcgill studies in the history of religions, a series devoted to international scholarship. Even with a high rate of abortion in india statistics showed 80 percent of indian women disapproved and 56 percent consider it a heinous crime. Blurring the line between abortion and infanticide. Hindus their religious beliefs and practices julius lipner london and new york.
These ethics dont say that abortion is right or wrong but that it is up to the individuals personal character. Abortion and euthanasia christian medical fellowship. In view of increasing public interest in euthanasia, and in the light of the nigel cox and tony bland cases, the house of lords set up a select committee on medical ethics to look seriously into the issue of euthanasia in 1993. Pdf hinduism, the oldest religion of the world contains various. As in buddhism, hindu views of euthanasia and suicide are grounded in the doctrines of karma, moksa, and ahimsa. Among his books are the face of truth on ramanuja, hindu ethics. Their religious beliefs and practices, 2nd edition. It includes the study of values the ethics of the ordinary. Abortion, contraception, and responsible sexuality. Hindu views on euthanasia, suicide and abortion in the. Ethics and morality are not the only underlying principles affecting the euthanasia, suicide and abortion debate.
The ethical theories employed in health care today tend to apply a western philosophical framework to issues such as abortion, euthanasia and informed consent. Physicians with hindu and sikh patients need to be sensitive to and. Voluntary euthanasia could be the start of a slippery slope which may lead to involuntary euthanasia. In the course of this essay i will try to explain the different views about the abortion and euthanasia and will. This is the sixth of seven fully resourced lessons for gcse hinduism, thematic studies. The following resources are intended to provide information that will help in making thoughtful, wellinformed decisions about both the morality and the legality of abortion. Proponents of physicianassisted suicide pas feel that an individuals right to. Ethical debates in abortion and euthanasia uk essays. It is also moral discernment as it relates to medical policy and practice. The chapters of this book offer case study explorations that are selected and presented to invite comparisons. Oct 31, 2000 abortion at any stage of fetal development is thus judged to be murder.
Resulting from a unique partnership of a husbandwife team of yoga experts, it shows mothers how to maintain perfect health during pregnancy and how to prepare for a natural childbirth free of all anxiety and emotional stress. The lesson uses videos and professionally designed videolearning worksheets to provide an overview of hindu perspectives on the theme. There are several hindu points of view on euthanasia most hindus would say that a doctor should not accept a patients request for. Islamic ethics of life considers three of the most contentious ethical issues of our timeabortion, war, and euthanasiafrom the muslim perspective. Such comparisons will help to remove the apparent otherworldly nature of hindu thought from the minds of western readers, as well as give depth and new significance to indian ideas in the areas of medical ethics, social ethics, and human rights. About the series the library of religious beliefs and practices. While theoretical andor ethical distinctions between euthanasia and pas. Traditional hindu views and the contemporary debate. Bioethicists are concerned with the ethical questions that arise in the relationships among life sciences, biotechnology, medicine, politics, law, and philosophy. Opinion polls in many western democracies would appear to show increasing support for euthanasia and physicianassisted suicide, and a number of recent legal developments have further advanced the cause. Harold coward editor julius lipner editor katherine k. Free abortion and euthanasia how sacred is human life. The infamous singer himself acknowledges in his book practical ethics that we have already started down the unctuous slope. For this reason it has become common to not state the hindu view on abortion but rather one hindu view on abortion.
These beliefs relate not to the endoflife period, but to transition to another life, whether by reincarnation, life in heaven with god, or absorption into brahman the ultimate reality. Dec 23, 2015 andrew fiala lecturing applied ethics, abortion, and euthanasia for osher lifelong learning institute at fresno state, november 2015. Euthanasia was granted its current status in 1984 after a dutch supreme court decision authorized this practice, provided a number of conditions were met. Contemporary hindu attitudes to euthanasia were examined in 1988 in hinduism today. Hindu views on euthanasia, suicide and abortion in the durban. The following chapters on purity, abortion, and euthanasia offer case study explorations into specific topics of dharma or hindu ethicscase studies which are selected and presented so as to invite comparisons with modern western thought to develop in the critical reflection of the reader, such comparisons, which are merely suggested here. The classical hindu view on abortion and the moral status of the unborn julius j. Items related to hindu ethics purity, abortion and euthanasia philosophy books. A read is counted each time someone views a publication summary such as the title, abstract, and list of authors, clicks on a figure, or views or downloads the fulltext. Originally a scholar of hinduism, in later life her interests have turned to the topic of misandry. Concept of euthanasia philosophical ramification in indian society. Part two will be published in the december 1994 issue of the kennedy institute of ethics journal, and as a. Euthanasia is allowed in some countries of the european union.
Andrew fiala lecturing applied ethics, abortion, and euthanasia for osher lifelong learning institute at fresno state, november 2015. Religious perspectives on withdrawal of treatment from. Mar 18, 2015 modern hindu views of suicide and euthanasia. Modern western approaches to india often have focused on metaphysics at the expense of ethics, leading many to see hinduism as only concerned with the esoteric and the otherworldly. Until a few decades ago, euthanasia easy death was scarcely understood even as a word, let alone discussed except in a small circle of social theorizers. Students of hindu and buddhist ethics have been less explicit about this issue. Human life questions and answersabortion and euthanasia. Abortion remains one of the most controversial issues in the united states today.
Abortion and euthanasia are amongst the most controversial topics to be found in the world today, everyone holds different views about them some are in favour whilst some are against it. Purity, abortion, and euthanasia mcgill studies in the history of religions suny series, mcgill studies in the history of religions, a series devoted to international scholarship suny series in public administration. He or she can still exercise free will by either nurturing or uprooting what has been laid down in the unconscious. The presence of four potentially competing values tells us that secular ethics is not free of tensions, conflicts, and value disputes. According to penal code 1860, active euthanasia is an offence under section 302, punishment for murder or at least under section 304, punishment for culpable homicide not amounting to murder. Purity, abortion, and euthanasia mcgill studies in the history of religions mcgill studies in the history of religions suny series, mcgill studies in the history of religions, a series devoted to international scholarship series.
Bioethics is the study of the ethical issues emerging from advances in biology and medicine. Although euthanasia and abortion are strongly condemned by the conservative hindu they are accepted on medical, social and utilitarian grounds. From conflict to compromise biomedical law and ethics library read more. Karma is the net consequence of good and bad deeds in a persons life, which then determines the nature of the next life. The subjective correlates of abortion attitudes for six different religious traditions roman catholicism, protestantism, eastern orthodoxy, buddhism, hinduism, and islam. Although euthanasia and abortion are strongly condemned by the conservative hindu they are accepted on.
Also by cameron pierce shark hunting in paradise garden ass goblins of auschwitz lost in cat brain land the pickled ap. This may not be because there is any logical connection between holding the one view and. From a moral point of view such choices are seldom easy to make. Hindu medical ethics stem from the principle of ahimsa of nonviolence. Aug 20, 2005 nevertheless, hindus have specific beliefs in common that influence their attitudes to death. Even with a high rate of abortion in india statistics showed 80 percent of indian women disapproved and. There are several hindu points of view on euthanasia most hindus would say that a doctor should not accept a patients request for euthanasia since this will cause the. Coward the classical hindu view on abortion and the moral status of the unborn julius j. If it is allowed or legalised, there will be no limits to its abuse in india and elsewhere. With particular reference to patanjalis yoga sutras harold g.
Euthanasia traditional hindu views and the contemporary debate. Concept of euthanasia philosophical ramification in indian. Its four values of autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence, and justice reflect the importance and centrality of individual decisionmaking, individual wellbeing, and the avoidance or reduction of suffering. Individual hindus hold varying stances on abortion. Essays related to abortion and euthanasia how sacred is human life. The classical hindu view on abortion and the moral status of the unborn. Young is a canadian religious studies professor at mcgill university. Purity, abortion, and euthanasia, edited by harold g. However, abortion is accepted by hindus and sikhs if essential to preserve the life of the mother. They demonstrate that hinduism has a firm grounding in ethics, even when the most difficult questions are raised.
Hindu ethics purity abortion and euthanasia pdf best of all, they are entirely free to find, use and download, so there is no cost or stress at all. In this way, the strengths and weaknesses of hindu ethics will be immediately apparent to the western christian, jew, humanist, or secularist who wrestles with how abortion, euthanasia, and purity are to be dealt with m our modem world. The chapters of this book offer case study explorations that are selected and presented to invite comparisons with the modern west. Euthanasia weakening the respect in society and the sanctity of life, and all human beings are valued regardless of age, religion, sex etc. Hindu ethics purity, abortion and euthanasia exotic india art. He is the author of the keynote article in the hindu world routledge 2004, on hinduism and hinduisms. Summary a consideration of three of the most contentious ethical issues of our time abortion, war and euthanasia from the muslim perspective.
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