Expert: Alex Wilding - 6/8/2010

Question
Hi Alex!
I am currently doing an assignment on Buddhism and Bioethics. Could you please answer the following questions:

1. what is your position on abortion and embryonic stem cell research?
2. What is the Tibetan position on abortion and embryonic stem cell research?
3. Are there any circumstances in which these ethical issues are permissible?
3. How do the 5 moral precepts, karma and other Tibetan teachings relate to these ethical issues?

Thank you so much for your time and knowledge
Kirsten

Answer
Hi Kirsten,
I received almost the same question from someone else yesterday, so perhaps you don't mind if I just quote that reply to "Chantelle":

Traditional Buddhism, of course, had no knowledge comparable to what we now understand about embryonic development. It is largely believed that consciousness "attaches" in some, perhaps rather dim, way very close to or at the moment of conception, and would therefore, for instance, be inclined to discourage abortion wherever possible and practical. Generally speaking, I think, Buddhists would not be very keen on, for example, the destruction of fertilised embryos.
On the other hand I think it would be risky to take any sweeping stance; everything has to be balanced, very few actions are either perfectly good or perfectly bad. To go into this in detail would require close and careful consideration of many, many aspects that would be beyond the scope both of this forum and of the time and knowledge at my disposal. I can see books being written...
Best wishes
Alex W