In this episode of “5 Minutes,” Dr. Robert Svoboda explores abortion through perspectives from Ayurveda, Vimalananda’s teachings, and the understanding of karma.

This is a very controversial subject, and there is a great deal to say about it. I am going to try to provide a perspective from Ayurveda, a perspective from my mentor Vimalananda, and my own perspective.

I will begin with the perspective of my parents. Both of my parents were born a little more than one hundred years ago, and they were Southern Baptists. They were not particularly liberal people. However, they said that although they were not in favor of abortion, if a woman became pregnant and was convinced that she would not be able to properly care for the child, then it would be better for her to have an abortion rather than bring a child into the world who would not receive proper care or who would enter a situation that would be extremely harmful for that child. This was the approach they taught me, and it has remained my basic perspective.

This understanding was extended when I went to India, studied Ayurveda, and met Vimalananda. He said something similar. He explained that abortion is a very significant karma. In fact, he said that once the heart begins beating, the karma of abortion is essentially the karma of murder because one is interfering with a being that is attempting to be born.

However, he also explained that an individual soul, a jivatma, is attempting to take birth through a woman and requires a womb in order to enter this world. Therefore, there is the karma of the woman and the karma of that individual spirit. Sometimes, he said, it may simply be the karma of that spirit to remain in the womb briefly and not be born. This may be one reason why a significant number of pregnancies end in miscarriage, sometimes without the woman even knowing she was pregnant.

It may also be the case that when a fetus is deliberately aborted, the karma of that being includes that experience. This is a very complex situation, and it should not be approached from either extreme. One extreme is the belief that abortion should never be permitted under any circumstances. The other extreme is the idea that there are no serious consequences at all. Neither extreme, in my opinion, represents a sensible, compassionate, or fully human understanding.

We need to make every effort to understand each situation clearly. Ideally, a woman should enter into sexual relations with the awareness that whenever she has sex with a fertile man, pregnancy is a possibility. Ideally, some form of contraception should be used. It is also important to understand the effects of different methods on the body, and Dr. Claudia Welch’s work provides valuable insight into hormonal balance.

Anyone, woman or man, who engages in sexual activity where pregnancy could occur should understand that pregnancy may happen and should be prepared to address the karmic realities of that situation. If two people are willing participants and a pregnancy occurs, they should together consider what response they will take.

However, situations involving abuse, rape, incest, or circumstances where the woman’s life would be endangered by carrying the pregnancy to term are different. A woman should have the ability to decide what she will do in such circumstances. Forcing someone to undergo something so deeply harmful, especially when it was not something she chose, is also wrong.

This is a very difficult subject, and I am not suggesting that any woman who has had or is considering an abortion should be condemned. I have known many women who have had abortions, and I have great compassion for the difficult and painful decisions they have faced. This is a decision that should be approached with seriousness, sobriety, and care.

I pray that anyone who faces this decision is able to act in a way that is right for her circumstances. It is also important to understand that the karma involved is not only the karma of the woman who chooses to have an abortion. The karma of the man who contributed to the pregnancy is also deeply connected, especially if he pressures her either to have an abortion or not to have one. That act of force creates its own karma.

Similarly, when others attempt to make such decisions for a woman, including through laws and government actions, those who impose those decisions also take on the karma of those actions. Everyone needs to think carefully about the karmas they are creating.