QA177 QUESTION: [1969] In questions of sex, there is birth control and abortion. I think most women in their lifetime, now and then, have questions on both birth control and abortion. Regarding abortion, legally they’re now working with it in terms of sometimes it’s best for the woman’s health, therefore it’s permissible; sometimes it’s due to rape, therefore it’s permissible; but an unwanted child – does she have the right to abortion? And on birth control, are you denying having pleasure sexually? Are you denying fulfilling yourself in not having a baby in terms of birth control or in terms of abortion?
ANSWER: From a spiritual point of view – let us first go into the problem of abortion – the soul takes possession of the body only after the first cry has been emitted. It is therefore entirely wrong to assume that a murder is committed when the growing body of a future soul is aborted.
The movements that take place within the mother’s body are often erroneously assumed to be a proof of the spirit, from a religious point of view, already being in that body, but this is not true. These movements are pulsatory reflexes of the mother’s functioning and processes. So it is spiritually not wrong.
But, you see, it always depends on the motives. Anything can be right or anything can be wrong. Any single act can be right, and any single act can be wrong. The religious and civil laws that have to be changed at this time are still coming from periods when birth was a tremendously important thing, because more births had to be encouraged, while now the situation is entirely different.
So, spiritually, there can be no question about murder. And it is much more damaging for a soul to be born and not have the proper love and proper care, and not be desired and wanted. Now, I realize what I say goes very much counter to the thinking of organized religion.
But I can only speak from the point of view of the spiritual realities. Actually, from the spiritual reality, we do not even see death as the terrible tragedy you human beings see. Death is a phenomenon that is only a transition into a different state. And sometimes this may even be a preferable state.
So a lot of destructiveness could possibly be avoided by determining birth when it is really to the best of circumstances. As far as birth control is concerned, this is even more true, for to equate sexual pleasure with giving birth is absolutely wrong. It denies pleasure as a goal per se, and sexual pleasure as a goal per se.
The total sexuality is a rounded, valid thing in itself. The healthier the human being is, the more loving sexuality will be. Whether or not this leads to birth has nothing to do with it.
