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- ~ { , :;,' ,$ v.¥. ' ~ n:zb1~)eibi,Gs' '• :,) t,-. ~ "' ' < ' ' ·,;::t_;, 1/' t· i ·.-....-=$: 1 ~❖ :::: Chinese Moral Perspectives on Abortion and Foetal Life: An Historical Account Jing-Bao Nie, MD(tcm), MA, PhD Lecturer, Bioethics Centre, University of Otago, New Zealand Adjunct Professor, Institute of Ethics, Hunan Normal University, China Abstract It is accepted wisdom that, at the present time as well as historically, the typical Chinese attitude toward abortion is very permissive or 'liberal'. It has been widely perceived that Chinese people usually do not consider abortion morally problematic and that they think a human life starts at birth. As a part of a bigger research project on Chinese views and experiences of abortion, this article represents a revisionist historical account of Chinese moral perspectives on abortion and foetal life. By presenting Buddhist and Confucian views ofabortion, traditional Chinese medical understandings offoetal life, the possible moral foundation ofa 'conservative' Confucian position, and some historical features ofabortion laws and policies in twentieth century China, this paper shows that blanket assumptions that the Chinese view of abortion has always been permissive are historically unfounded. As in the present, there existed different and opposing views about abortion in history, and many Chinese, noi only Buddhists but also Confucians, believed that deliberately terminating pregnancy is to destroy a human life which starts far earlier than at birth. The current dominant and official line on the subject does not necessarily accord with historical Chinese values and practices. ) Man [sic] has in fact no past unless he is conscious of having one, for only such consciousness makes dialogue and choice possible.
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