Ethics in Hinduism

Hinduism and abortion

Hindu medical ethics stem from the principle of ahimsa - of non-violence.When considering abortion,
the Hindu way is to choose the action that will do least harm to all involved: the mother and father, the
foetus and society.Hinduism is therefore generally opposed to abortion except where it is necessary
to save the mother's life.

Classical Hindu texts are strongly opposed to abortion:

 one text compares abortion to the killing of a priest

 another text considers abortion a worse sin than killing one's parents

 another text says that a woman who aborts her child will lose her caste
Traditional Hinduism and many modern Hindus also see abortion as a breach of the duty to produce
children in order to continue the family and produce new members of society.

In practice, however, abortion is practiced in Hindu culture in India, because the religious ban on
abortion is sometimes overruled by the cultural preference for sons. This can lead to abortion to
prevent the birth of girl babies, which is called 'female foeticide'.

The status of the foetus in Hinduism

The soul and the matter which form the foetus are considered by many Hindus to be joined together
from conception.

According to the doctrine of reincarnation a foetus is not developing into a person, but is a person
from a very early stage. It contains a reborn soul and should be treated appropriately.

By the ninth month the foetus has achieved very substantial awareness.

According to the Garbha Upanishad, the soul remembers its past lives during the last month the
foetus spends in the womb (these memories are destroyed during the trauma of birth).

The Mahabharata refers to a child learning from its father while in the womb.

Hinduism and capital punishment

There is no official Hindu line on capital punishment. However, Hinduism opposes killing, violence
and revenge, in line with the principle of ahimsa (non-violence).

India still retains the death penalty, and the reasons for this are likely to be similar to be those
suggested in the Buddhist section.

The debate on capital punishment in India was revived in 2004 by the case of Dhananjoy
Chatterjee who had been sentenced for rape and murder.

At present more than 100 people are on death row in India, although the number of executions in that
country is actually very low and the Indian Supreme Court has ruled that the death penalty should
only be used in the rarest of rare cases.
 Euthanasia and suicide

There are several Hindu points of view on euthanasia.Most Hindus would say that a doctor should
not accept a patient's request for euthanasia since this will cause the soul and body to be separated
at an unnatural time. The result will damage the karma of both doctor and patient.

Other Hindus believe that euthanasia cannot be allowed because it breaches the teaching of ahimsa
(doing no harm).

However, some Hindus say that by helping to end a painful life a person is performing a good deed
and so fulfilling their moral obligations.

 By helping to end a painful life a person is performing a good deed and so fulfilling their moral
obligations

 By helping to end a life, even one filled with suffering, a person is disturbing the timing of the cycle
of death and rebirth. This is a bad thing to do, and those involved in the euthanasia will take on the
remaining karma of the patient.

 The same argument suggests that keeping a person artificially alive on a life-support machine
would also be a bad thing to do

 However, the use of a life-support machine as part of a temporary attempt at healing would not
be a bad thing
Suicide

Prayopavesa, or fasting to death, is an acceptable way for a Hindu to end their life in certain
circumstances.

Prayopavesa is very different from what most people mean by suicide:

 it's non-violent and uses natural means;

 it's only used when it's the right time for this life to end - when this body has served its purpose and
become a burden;

 unlike the suddenness of suicide, prayopavesa is a gradual process, giving ample time for the
patient to prepare himself and those around him for his death;

 while suicide is often associated with feelings of frustration, depression, or anger, prayopavesa is
associated with feelings of serenity
An example of prayopavesa:

Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami, a Hindu leader born in California, took his own life by
prayopavesa in November 2001.

After finding that he had untreatable intestinal cancer the Satguru meditated for several days and then
announced that he would accept pain-killing treatment only and would undertake prayopavesa - taking
water, but no food.

He died on the 32nd day of his self-imposed fast.

Because Hinduism is a term that includes many different although related religious ideas, there is no
clear single Hindu view on the right way to treat animals, so what follows are generalisations to
which there are exceptions.

The doctrine of ahimsa leads Hindus to treat animals well:

Sacred cows are allowed to wander wherever they like, even through busy traffic.
 Most Hindus are vegetarian

 Butchery and related jobs are restricted to people of low caste

 Most Hindus believe that non-human animals are inferior to human beings

 Some Hindu temples keep sacred animals

 Some Hindu gods have animal characteristics

 Hanuman takes the form of a monkey

The cow is greatly revered by Hindus and is regarded as sacred. Killing cows is banned in India and
no Hindu would eat any beef product.Millions of Hindus revere and worship cows. Hinduism is a
religion that raises the status of Mother to the level of Goddess. Therefore, the cow is considered a
sacred animal, as it provides us life sustaining milk. The cow is seen as a maternal figure, a care taker
of her people. The cow is a symbol of the divine bounty of earth.

Lord Krishna, one of the most well known of the Hindu deities is often depicted playing his flute
amongst cows and dancing Gopis (milkmaids). He grew up as a cow herder. Krishna also goes by the
names Govinda and Gopala, which literally mean “friend and protector of cows.”

Birth control

There is no ban on birth control in Hinduism.

Some Hindu scriptures include advice on what a couple should do to promote conception - thus
providing contraceptive advice to those who want it.

However, most Hindus accept that there is a duty to have a family during the householder stage of
life, and so are unlikely to use contraception to avoid having children altogether.

Because India has such a high level of population, much of the discussion of birth control has
focussed on the environmental issue of overpopulation rather than more personal ethics, and birth
control is not a major ethical issue.

References:

http://ayurveda-sedona.com/knowledge-center/spirituality/holy-cow/

http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/hinduism/hinduethics/organdonation.shtml
Om (or Aum, ॐ) is the sacred sound symbol that represents Universe; the ultimate reality (Brahman).
It is prefixed and sometimes suffixed to all Vedic mantras and prayers. Aum is often said to represent
God in the three aspects of Brahman (A), Vishnu (U) and Shiva (M).