Being a strict vegetarian for 24 years and making a concerted effort to avoid killing even insects for about as long, I have some insights on abortion.

A pro-life movement does not exist. The vast majority of so-called pro-lifers eat meat, wear leather, are anti-gun control and support the death penalty. Many of them are hunters. Their concern for the life of the fetus is not based on the sacredness of all life but on a kind of human oriented ethic often based on a conservative interpretation of the Bible. Logically, though, life is life be it human or nonhuman.

I do not eat eggs because of the possibility of eating a fertilized egg which may or may not contain a sufficiently conscious entity to be concerned about. When entity-life begins is an unknown and someday we may know the answer to this. My particular concern with the “pro-life” movement is its gross indifference to life that has clearly attained entity status, i.e., animals. We know they are sentient. If “pro-lifers” really want to be known as such, they will have to be logical and give up their pet beliefs. Gandhi pointed out that morality is an objective as any other science if we can get beyond the prejudices of personal beliefs.

In this deeply controversial and complex subject, wisdom dictates that we first take care of what we know before dealing with the unknown. The day we embrace the obvious forms of nonviolence may very well be the day we reject possible forms of violence, the gray areas.

Arthur Shimkus

Siddha Yoga Worker