Last night, the Stanford Students for Choice (SSfC) held a panel that presented an alternative perspective on the relationship between religion and reproductive rights in the context of the American Pro-Choice movement. A panel of clergy and religious leaders from Christianity, Judaism and Hinduism held a discussion on how their respective religions affirm their Pro-Choice beliefs.

“The intersection of Pro-Choice views and religious ones is something that many people are interested in understanding better,” said SSfC co-President Selena Simmons-Duffin ‘08. “We hope that the discussion will be fruitful inasmuch as it allows students to think more broadly about the task of deciphering one’s moral views along with political and religious ones.”

Dean of Religious Life Patricia Karlin-Neumann explained that in Judaism, the fetus is not considered an individual until the baby’s head is out of the womb.

“Abortion may be necessary depending on the circumstances,” she said. “The life of the mother also takes precedence over the baby.”

Karlin-Neumann added that the Exodus 21:22-25 states that if a pregnant woman has a miscarriage as a result of injuries she receives during a fight between two men, the penalty for the loss of the fetus is a fine for the men. If the woman is killed, the penalty is death. She explained that the passage implied that men whose fighting has caused a woman to miscarry were not regarded as murderers because they had not killed the woman. The woman had greater moral and religious worth than the fetus.

“There is also more invested in the living person than in life that is to be created, so the mother takes precedence,” she added.

Reverend Coryl Lassen, Episcopal Lutheran campus ministry’s interim minister, agreed that it was difficult to determine when the fetus becomes a complete person. However, she explained that the physical reality of the situation of the mother was an important aspect in determining whether an abortion is appropriate.

“The woman obviously has to think in physical terms,” said Lassen. “What is her calling? Will she be able to provide for the child as she would want to?”

Somik Raha, a Management Science and Engineering graduate student and an advisor for the Hindu Students Council, agreed. He explained that in the Hindu spiritual texts, there are no direct references to abortion but it is mentioned in the constitutional and legal texts of the time. He does not, however, consider those texts to be true Hinduism.

“The constitutional and legal, like any legal document, are full of flaws and mistakes and are not considered to be true Hinduism by most scholars,” he said.

Informed by religious tenets, some people believe that the fetus is a person, and these people are often unalterably opposed to abortion. Others, meanwhile, believe that human life does not begin at the moment of conception and that abortion is a permissible option. Raha explained that in Hinduism, there is the concept of a unity that connects all creations.

“Everyone is united on a divine essence which goes beyond the surface differences,” Raha said. “One can assume that God is present in the embryo and mother as well, but what is right is to do best for both mother and embryo according to each person’s unique circumstances. I have a problem with the blanket terms of Pro-Choice or Pro-Life.”

“The two polarized perspectives don’t have to be only way to see it,” Karlin-Neumann agreed.

Lassen added that many Pro-Life supporters quote sections of the Bible, namely Psalm 139 from the Old Testament, as evidence of Biblical writing against abortion. The verse is about God knowing individuals before they were created.

“Most Christian scholars treat that an as exception,” Lassen said. “It is about God’s infinite abilities to know you and is not a sound argument to treat the unborn as a complete person.”

On the whole, the three panelists agreed that while they had different reasons for supporting abortion, each case should be treated individually according to the circumstances.

“The worst time to think of ethical issues is when you are in it,” Raha said. “Now is a good time to think about where you stand on abortion.”