Buddhism and Abortion: A Western Approach

Cultural practices around abortion in Buddhist Asia do not reflect the moral weight of murder, but rather a regretful, compassionate apology to a transmigrating soul. The Western appropriation of Buddhist psychology is consistent with a developing moral status over the course of the pregnancy as the new consciousness integrates and wakes up in its new form, rupa. The parallel of this gradual integration of the five skandhas is seen as parallel to gradual integration of the fetal brain. If the person (or illusion of personhood) is not present yet, the karmic consequences are less, consistent with Asian cultural practice.