Theos-Talk Archives (September 1995 Message tl00895)

Liesel,

I will happily quote HPB chapter and verse, although I think it makes my
opinion no stronger or weaker to do so.

I posted this once before, so please bear with me, folks.

>From THEOSOPHICAL ARTICLES by H.P. Blavatsky, Volume 2, p. 336, under the
article "Is Foeticide a Crime," HPB writes,

"Theosophy in general answers: 'At no age as under no circumstances whatever
is a murder justifiable!' and occult Theosophy adds:--'yet it is neither from
the stand-point of law, nor from any argument drawn from one or another
orthodox ISM that the warning voice is sent forth against the immoral and
dangerous practice, but rather because in occult philosophy both physiology
and psychology show its disastrous consequences.'
 In the present case, the argument does not deal with the causes but the
effects produced. Our philosophy goes so far as to say that, if the Penal
Code of most countires punishes attempts at suicide, it ought, if at all
consistent with itself, to doubly punish foeticide as an attempt to DOUBLE
SUICIDE. For, indeed, when even successful and the mother does not die just
then, IT STILL SHORTENS HER LIFE ON EARTH TO PROLONG IT WITH DREARY
PERCENTAGE IN KAMA-LOKA, the intermediate sphere between the earth and the
region of rest, a place which is no "St. Patrick's purgatory," but a fact,
and a necessary halting place in the evolution of the degree of life.
 The crime committed lies precisely in the willful and sinful destruction
of life, and interference with the operations of nature, hence--with
KARMA--that of the mother and the would-be future human being. The sin is not
regarded by the occultists as one of a RELIGIOUS character,--for, indeed,
there is no more of spirit and soul, for the matter of that, in a foetus or
even in a child before it arrives at self-consciousness, than there is in any
other small animal,--for we deny the absence of soul in either mineral, plant
or beast, and believe but in the difference in degree. But foeticide is a
crime against nature. Of course the skeptic of whatever class will sneer at
our notions and call them absurd superstitions and "unscientific twaddle."
But we do not write for skeptics. We have been asked to give the views of
Theosophy (or rather of occult philosophy) upon the subject, and we answer
the query as far as we know.

THEOSOPHIST, August, 1883