ABORTION & THE BAHA'I FAITH
(please print-out this short article for personal
study, and deepenings)
Dear Friends,
The subject of "Race Unity"
used to be a hotly debated political issue in the United States. But because it
was a "political issue" did not prevent the Baha'is from discussing
it. The Baha'i Faith has a stand on race unity, and it is very clear. Likewise,
the Faith has a stand on the subject of abortion". Some Baha'is feel that
since abortion is "a political issue", it cannot be discussed. This is nonsense. Baha'is are forbidden to
become involved in partisan politics, but abortion is a _moral_ issue; as is
homosexuality, race unity, equality of men and women, etc. All these are
fundamentally _moral_ issues, and the Baha'is must let their stand on these
issues be known. Here are some quotes on the subject of abortion from official
Baha'i sources:
"The practice of abortion--which is
absolutely criminal as it involves the
deliberate destruction of human life--is
forbidden in the Faith." (Shoghi
Effendi to an individual believer, 25
August 1939)
"Regarding the practice of abortion;
as no specific reference has been made
to the subject in the writings of
Baha'u'llah, it devolves upon the
International House of Justice to
definitely pronounce upon it. There can be
no doubt, however, that this practice,
involving as it does the destruction
of human life, is to be strongly
deprecated." (Letter written on behalf of
Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer,
13 November 1940)
Letters from Shoghi Effendi or written on
his behalf are _binding_ upon all Believers; meaning they must accept these
directives as authoritative. The English words "strongly deprecated"
means "vehemently spoken against". To speak well of abortion, or to
remain silent on the issue, is not to 'speak
against' it as the Guardian directed. The term "forbidden"
does not mean "suggested", "advised against" or
"recommended". The phrase "forbidden in the Cause" does not
mean "permitted in the Cause" or "not forbidden in the Cause".
The Jewish Mishnah (Oral Law) forbade
abortion in all cases except when the life (not 'life-style') of the mother was
immediately in peril. Muhammad did not abrogate this. However, in the
Middle-Ages, Muslim jurists began to interpret Islam under the 'light' of
Aristolian logic. Aristotle (the ancient pagan Greek philosopher) believed that
a fetus did not become "human" until the soul entered it. This became
known as the "time of quickening". In Persia, during the 19th
century, abortion was allowed until the time of quickening (about the 120th
day); when the mother could feel the infant in the womb move. Persian Muslim
women were thus allowed to procure abortions until the time of quickening.
Various potions were available to enduce miscarriages. The Bab, knowing that
the human soul came into being at the time of conception, forbade all abortions
in His _Commentary on the Surih of Joseph_; called by Baha'u'llah The Bab's first
and greatest work.
The Bab wrote that both divorce and
abortion (at that time only done before the time of quickening) were
"haram" (an Arabic word which means "absolutely
forbidden"). Baha'u'llah abrogated the
prohibition against divorce in the Kitab-i-Aqdas, but He never abrogated the
prohibition against abortion. All Divine Laws not abrogated remain in force.
The Universal House of Justice has
written:
"Abortion merely to prevent the birth
of an unwanted child is strictly
forbidden in the Cause. There may,
however, be instances in which an
abortion would be justified by medical
reasons, and legislation on this
matter has been left to the Universal
House of Justice." (Lights of
Guidance, 2nd edition, p.34)
When they wrote "Abortion merely to
prevent the birth an unwanted child is stricktly forbidden in the Cause"
it is interpreted by Baha'is in the following ways:
a) abortion is a personal choice.
b) abortion is not in any way forbidden in
the Faith.
c) abortion merely to prevent the birth of
an unwanted child is forbidden,
but, of course, no abortions are ever done
for _merely_ this reason, so all
abortions are permissible.
d) abortion as a form of birth-control is
forbidden in the Faith. Forbidden
means forbidden.
e) abortion is a political issue, so we
can't discuss it (i.e. we can't even
tell New Believers what the Guardian and
House said about it)
f) abortion merely to prevent an unwanted
child is forbidden, but to condemn
others for this is to unloving, and
Baha'is are forbidden to be unloving
towards others, so we cannot condemn
abortion.
Which view do _you_ think is the correct
one? Can we all just pick-one and let that be the right answer "for
us"?
The Guardian has written:
"The soul or spirit of the individual
comes into being with the conception
of the physical body." (October 9,
1947, also _High Endeavors_,
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