Status of human life in/and foetus in Hindu, Christian and Islamic scriptures
Department of Zoology, Univ.
Madras, Guindy Campus, Chennai 600 025
It has been pointed out
that the word 'life' is difficult to define (Azariah 1995) and
Leavitt (1995) remarked that it is important to address this question
as it" is certainly central to bioethics: "The ethics
of life or it is the love of life" (Macer, 1994). The approach
to this question could be scientific and spiritual/scriptural.
In this article, the status of life in human embryo is considered
from the view of ancient scriptures.
One egg-one sperm scenario:
The human egg
and the sperm do not resemble a human being in any discernible
form. The egg and the sperm represent a product of a human being
- a single human cell. Procreation of human beings is done through
internal fertilization of an egg with a sperm. One egg can be
fertilized by only one sperm. There are no polyandry and polygamous
scenarios. Neither the fusion of two eggs (from two different
individuals) nor the fusion of two sperms can produce a human
embryo. The fusion results in fetal life. Life begins at the
time of syngamy/conception/zygote.
No half life: In
the formation of a new human being, the sperm and the egg have
n number of chromosomes while the father and mother have 2n chromosomes.
Although each parent contributes half the number (n) of chromosomes,
the egg and the sperm which have undergone a reduction division
contain "full life". It will be unrealistic to say since
2n (full complement) chromosomes has become half the number of
chromosomes in gametes, the life in a gamete is also half is not
valid because life is an entity and cannot be divided because
of reduction division in chromosomes. Each gamete contains full
life i.e. 2n life just as their parents. There is no 'n life"
i.e. half life situation. Secondly, even though the father and
mother differ in their genotype and phenotype the life they possess
is the same. But there is no scientific method to prove that father
and mother have same life. But since father and mother have the
same life, fusion is possible and rejection is impossible. Thirdly,
two lives fuse to form one life i.e. 1 + 1 ø 1. The logic
of the statement is that there is no sex difference with respect
to life and life is one continuum. Probably there is also no
difference between two human lives! All human life is the same.
Meiotic division does not divide human life into half but only
the chromosome number is reduced. To construe that `half of human
life is derived from the egg and the other from the sperm ` is
misleading. Life cannot be divided. There is no half life. Both
life and truth are an indivisible ONE. It agrees with the Biblical
doctrine that "The two shall become ONE." - a statement
true at the very begin of human life and in marriage (Gen. 2:
24, Mt. 19: 5; Mk. 10: 7; 1 Cor. 6: 16; Eph. 5:31).
2. Fractured human existence
The life history of human
beings can be divided into two major parts. One part is spent
in the womb of the mother and the other as extra uterine existence.
The intra uterine-occupant-human being is called the fetus and
the extra uterine occupant is nurtured as a child to adult on
earth. This is similar to plankton (the floating wandering organisms
in the surface water of the sea). A holoplankton (complete) is
one whose entire life cycle, both adult and larval phase, is
spent in planktonic phase. A meroplankton (partial) spends its
larval life in planktonic phase and the adult life as a seabottom
dweller. The larvae do not resemble the adult in any respect.
Human beings are mero-humans since human existence is in two
major phases. In viewing human life holistically, it is seen
that human life is fragmented into many fragments. Human beings
spend their life in three major ecosystems: (I) intra uterine
- (a) Fertilized egg, zygote (b) embryo, fetus (Prenatal ) (ii)
Postnatal - Epi-terrestrial baby, child, young adult and adult
(III). and intra terrestrial (after death in the womb of the
earth). It is all one continuum (Kischer 1995).
The
intra uterine residency is an "once-through occupancy".
Such a specialized intra human - specialized - ecosystem cannot
be stimulated under laboratory conditions. What has not been revealed
in science, technology cannot actualize it. As far as today's
scientific knowledge goes, it is certain that various laboratory
experiments that have been carried on adult persons cannot be
performed on the fetus. Recent reviews indicate that all behavioral
aspects in fetal teratology of human beings (Pollard, 1996) and
animals (Leonard, 1983) are post partum. There is no definite
scientific study to establish the personhood status of a fetus
from the view point of behavioral teratology. Hence, the only
alternate source is to search the scriptures - Hindu, Christian
and Islamic.
3. Pristine qualities
of fetus
A perusal of data obtained
in medical examination of fetuses reveal that there is generally
a reduction in the number of oocytes between fetal life and adult
life as well as in the number of times cell division can occur
in a fetus and in an adult. These divisions does not include the
replacement of body mass change. The total number of cells in
human body and their sizes are fixed even though the human body
calls divide about 47 times to reach the fixed number of body
cells. Secondly, a surgical scar can be seen in an adult after
an operation. But in a fetus such scars are either not seen when
born or rare. It may be noted that in amniocentesis "scar-like"
markings may be seen on embryos in later stages of development.
Moreover the "medical properties" of fetus decreases
in its adult stage. Pristine qualities of life decreases from
prenatal-fetal life to postnatal adult life.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Indices Fetus Adult
Old age
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Cell division 40 7
0
2. Scar formation Nil/rare
Yes Yes
3. Number of oocyte 5,000,000
2,50,000 1000
4. Medical properties Excellent
Poor Nil
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Source: BBC World television,
1994-95)
4. Status of life and
fetus in Vedic Culture
The Vedic culture date backs
to about 3000 years BC. During this cultural period there were
Pancha Maha Pathakas (five cardinal sins). They are: Stree
Hatya (Killing of women) (2) Go Hatya (Killing of Cow) (3) Bhruna
Hatya (killing of fetus) (4) Brama Hatya (Killing of a Brahmin)
Shishu Hatya (Killing of a baby). Bhruna (Sanskrit = fetus)
Hatya = kill is a mahapapam (Maha = great, papam = sin).
Out of the five sins, four relate to human life - fetus (Bhruna),
baby (Shishu), Woman (Stree) and Brahma (all those men and women,
irrespective of caste/color/creed, who have adopted the Brahmanical
way of life by choice) Note: during Vedic period one is not a
Brahmin by birth but any one who has adopted that type of life.
If we take the French Medical
Associations version of human embryo "as an object whom one
can have at one's disposal and which may be subjected to manipulations"
(Beaufils 1995) then fetus is not a person. If we consider that
fetus has no adult human quality then the fetus is not a person.
But the Vedic culture's recognition of Bhrunahataya as a cardinal
sin emphasizes the point that fetus is a person with awareness.
In their view, fetus is a person just like a baby (Shishu), woman
and adults. They have equated fetal life with adult life.
5. Hindu - Mahabaratham
In
the famous epic of Mahabaratham, Krishna tells Subhathra, his
sister, who is pregnant with a child (Abhimanyu), how to break
into the military formation of CHAKRAVYHA. Unfortunately Krishna
did not complete the story and stops in the middle, without telling
how to get out of it, once the formation is broken. At the age
of 16 or so Abhimanyu got into CHAKRAVYHA to brake the formation
but did not know how to come out it. Being unsuccessful in his
attempt to get out of it, he was killed.
This means that the child
in the womb was able to listen to the story and apply and put
that information into practice in real life situation after birth.
The story is from a Hindu mythology: These religious stories
can be accepted or rejected and may not be questioned. The following
generalizations can be made:
(I) the fetus has the ability
to listen to conversations originating outside of its milieu
(ii) the fetus has the ability
to understand the essence of the conversation
(iii) It can learn and reason
out
(iv) can retain it in postnatal
life and put into practice.
6. Christian - Bible
Jesus
told Nicodemus "I tell you the truth, no one can see the
Kingdom of God unless he is born again. Nicodemus asked "How
can a man be born when he is old?". Surely he cannot enter
a second time into his mother's womb to be born" (John 3:3-4,
New International Version Bible, NIV). The conversation indicates
that the intra uterine occupancy of human person is an one-time-event.
Similarly the human's journey on earth, either above the earth
or below - in the case of burial of a dead body or merged with
the earthen elements, in case of the cremation of a dead body,
is also one-time-event.
Fetal Learning: The
word learning is used for want of a better word. In educational
pedagogy learning is a desired change in the right direction.
In the case of fetus it is not used in the sense of education.
The pristine quality of learning is indicated in the fetal life
of John the Baptist. His learning in fetal stage is an example
of an highest order. The conversation between Mary, the mother
of Jesus Christ and Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist
reveals that the intra uterine occupant - the fetus (John) is
a person since the fetus (John at the fetal age of 6 months, Lk.
1:26,36, NIV) can understand and relate and express emotion by
physical expression. All these are different aspects of learning.
When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb
and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit... (Lk. 1: 41).
It is Elizabeth who understood that Mary is going to be the mother
of Messiah. Hence she was overjoyed that the mother of Jesus
should visit her. The fetus in her womb realized her reasoning,
thinking, factual analysis and comprehension. This is affirmed
by the personal testimony of Elizabeth who testified "As
soon as the sound of your greetings reached my ears, the
baby in my womb leaped for joy" (Lk. 1: 44). Joy is the resultant
expression of emotion of integrating and understanding the situation/event
in one's mind. Moreover, such understanding is immediate: "
As soon as... "
Secondly, the fetus had
awareness of both internal and external environment and situation.
He was able to analyze the content of the conversion, understand
the meaning and respond to it. Mary's response was in poetry.
It seems that language and the style is no barrier to fetal understanding.
It must be borne in mind that Luke is a medical doctor and this
event stands up to his medical reasoning and has the stamp of
authenticity of the medical profession.
Such a fetal learning is
long lasting. After 30 years (Lk. 3:23), John the Baptist, recognized
Jesus, even though the latter was an ordinary man with no public
significance. So John testified "I baptize you with water
for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful
than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you
with the Holy Spirit and with fire (Mat. 3: 11). He plainly told
Jesus that he is not worthy to give baptism to him (V. 14). But
within a few months he entertained doubt. John verified the fact
of Jesus Christ as the Messiah ( Are you the one who was to come
. . . ) at a later date (11:2b). John was in doubt, probably about
the identity of the Messiah ( . . . or should we expect someone
else?). He was able to put his fetal experience on judgment.
The doubt in his mind may be due to the fact that while he was
in prison (11:2) Jesus did nothing to release him from prison
and the Messianic work in terms of Judgment and deliverance, has
not yet been accomplished. If Jesus is Messiah then he must be
able to deliver. But John needed to be reminded of the works of
Jesus (Mat.11: 4-6) as the fulfillment of Old Testament prophet
(Is.29:18; 35:5; 61:1). These personal glimpses of both Elizabeth
and John tell us that the fetus-person can relate what he/she
hears, through the mother's ears, to real life situation during
later years as an adult. But one's personal achievement through
education, training and experience may alter or confirm such fetal
understanding and judgment.
Marks of fetal human being:
It has been suggested that in human personhood it is possible
to recognize five aspects namely physical, mental, moral, emotional
and spiritual (Azariah, 1995 a, b). In the fetal life of John
the Baptist, he has a physical life, mental life (he was able
to relate and intelligently integrate) moral (blameless and his
moral reasoning, ability to communicate clearly and unambiguously
his decision, attitude to the conversation was right) emotional
(expression of joy) and spiritual (he was able to internalize
the spiritual significance of the conversation). Biblical record
agrees with the definition of personhood by Macer (1990) who defined
" A person is generally referred to as someone who is rational,
capable of free choices, and is a coherent, continuing and autonomous
center of sensations, experience, emotions, volitions and actions,
these are what may be called the characters of a person."
The present analysis agrees with the conclusions of Jones (1994):
" There is full recognition that the beginnings of adult
human life are found in the unborn, and that there is continuity
between life before and life after birth. Fetuses are recognized,
therefore, as an essential part in the continuum that makes up
the prenatal and postnatal facets of human lives". The truth
is that the human embryo is selectively, distinctly and specifically
human from the very first moment of fertilization and during human
development features (Kischer 1995).
7. Islamic- Koran
Islam is the youngest of
worlds' monotheistic religions (6 A. D.). In Islamic culture
procreation is a blessing from God (Hassan, 1995). But in the
pre-Islamic Arabia, the practice of burying female children alive
was prevalent. Qur'anic verses prohibit the killing of children.
"... do not kill your children for fear of poverty for it
is We who shall provide sustenance for you as well as for them
" (Surah 6: Al An'am:151). Muslim jurists both allow and
prohibit abortion. To Maliki School and Ja'fari School totally
forbid abortion. However, Islamic medieval jurists and also Hanafi
School, Shafi'i School and Hanbali School, permitted abortion
within four months of pregnancy before the ensoulment of the fetus
(Macer, 1990, Hassan, 1995).
8. Conclusions
Human
life is one single continuum but lived in two different phases:
one in the womb of the mother and the other as extra uterine occupancy.
Although the egg and sperm under go reduction division in the
number of chromosomes of the parent, the life continues to be
full. There is no half life. The fusion of two individual-full-life
does not result in two lives in one body but one life in one body.
In the Vedic culture, killing
the fetus is considered as a great sin. It does not permit a
person to hold the view that fetus in not a human being since
fetal killing is equated with the killing of infants, woman and
adults. The fetus has extraordinary qualities in wound healing
without scar production and in having the maximum number of cell
division. The life of fetus is pristine.
Both Hindu and Christian
scriptures provide some insight into fetal behavior. Fetus has
remarkable ability for instant comprehension, expression of emotions
and understanding which is of a highest order. Attributes of personhood
such as physical, mental, moral, emotion and spiritual aspects
are common to both fetus and adult human beings. On this basis
fetus is considered as a person.
Acknowledgment
I
thank Dr. Chitrasena Bhat, Professor, Department of Computer
Science and Electronics, S.J. College of Engineering, Mysore 670
006 for the delightful discussion on Hindu Scriptures and culture.
References
To Bioethics in India book contents
1. Introduction
Azariah, J., Biophysics,
Biology and Bioethics: A fusion of Horizons. EJAIB 5: 120-123.
Azariah, J., 1995a
Marks of Human Person. CERPH Newsletter, France. No.
4, April-May, p. 2 .
Azariah, J., 1995b
Bible and Personhood CERPH Newsletter. France. No. 5,
Sept-Oct., p. 2 .
Beaufils, D., 1995
Bible and genetics in the approach of human personhood: the orthodox
point of view. CERPH Newsletter. France. No. 4, April-May
p. 2-3.
Hassan, R., 1995 Family
Planing and Islam: a Muslim woman's perspective. IDOC International
2/95: 35-38.
Jones, D.G., 1994
The Human Embryo: Between Oblivion and Meaningful Life. Science
and Christian Belief 6:3-19.
Kischer, C.W., 1995
Genomic studies pertaining to phytogenesis and ontogenesis of
human beings. CERPH Newsletter. No.3, Feb-March, France,
p. 2.
Kischer, C.W., 1995
The Real Problem in Defining The Human Being CERPH Newsletter
No. 5 Sep-Oct. p.2.
Leavitt, F.J., 1995
Commentary on Ors and Azariah, EJAIB 5: 155-156.
Leonard, B.E., 1983
Behavioral Teratology IN Proclinical Psychopharmacology.
Ed. Smith D.G.G. Excrpta Medica. Amsterdam. 248-299.
Macer, R.J. Darryl,
1994 Bioethics for the People by the People, Eubios Ethics
Institute, Christchurch, New Zealand.
Pollard, I., 1996
Preconceptual/prenatal care of our children: On the ethics of
drug-induced disabilities. EJAIB 6: 2-6.
Please send comments to
Email <
Macer@biol.tsukuba.ac.jp >.
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