Between Life And Death

Abortion is divided into spontaneous abortion and induced abortion. Induced abortion has been a highly controversial ethical issue. Western culture has a dispute on Pro-life or Pro-choice. The existing ethics theories have their own advantages and shortcomings when making ethical judgement on induced abortion. To evaluate induced abortion ethically, we directly face to the definition of life as well as the definition of humanity. The key question lying in the ethical controversy on induced abortion is whether a fetus a human being and has the same ethical status as a human being. Before answering this question, we must first answer these questions, such as what life is and what human being is. Based on different answers to these questions regarding life and humanity, we will make very different or even totally opposite ethical judgement on induced abortion. Based on Buddhist classics and doctrines, especially Buddhist concept of life and death, theory of causation and theory of reincarnation, this thesis will mainly focus on Buddhist perspective on induced abortion. Also, taking the social reality into consideration, this thesis will make a comparison between Buddhist perspective with other existing ethics systems regarding the issue of induced abortion. The practical application of the Buddhist perspective on induced abortion as well as its social significance will also be discussed in this thesis.