Although it triggers back in the old times, the practice of abortion
has nowadays reached unprecedented dimension not only in
the West, but also in other geographical, cultural and religious
areas. The present article deals with abortion as seen by Hinduism,
Buddhism, and Islam. Having the sacred texts as a guiding foundation,
Hinduism forbids abortion. Buddhism, based upon the traditional
embryology, moral precepts, and some texts of the monastic
rules, also forbids abortion. As for Islam, there is a distinction
between the “before the en-soulment” embryo / foetus and the ensouled
one, 120 days after the conception; anyway, since the 121st
day abortion is strictly forbidden in Islam.
Despite these, abortion is practiced in all the countries where
these religions hold the majority. The explanation is that there is
correlation between the level of secularization and the increasing
number of abortions.