What the West can Learn from India on Abortion Laws

 

My perspective on the abortion ruling debate in the west:

Any religious text that seeks to gives rules for living your life is going to create problems thousands  of years after it is written. Almost all of these texts were written keeping in mind the prevailing times and challenges, to guide the society at a time when there were no written rules like the constitutions today. 

Even in Hinduism, the rule books lost relevance with time and you’ll rarely see anyone quoting them (for example the Manusmriti). Hinduism has been guided by  texts like the Bhagavad Gita which does not give out any rules, or answer any questions. It merely helps you identify what questions you need to ask yourself in order to solve your dilemmas. 

This is why there is no religion called Hinduism. It has been recognised by the Supreme Court that  Hinduism is a way of living life (—as it evolved in the Indian Subcontinent). Any person of any religion can be a Hindu. 

Sanatan Dharma, is the eternal truth that comprises a set of virtues that a person must have, as interpreted from various texts. There are no rules. Everyone who lives a Hindu way of life is free to interpret right or wrong through their own lens. Every interpretation is subject to change and scrutiny based on circumstances. 

This ideology is reflected in our institutions as well. The flexibility with which the Supreme Court of India operates is one of the biggest examples of that. In India there is space for any kind of challenge. A woman can abort her child under special circumstances as deemed fit by the judge on a case basis. This is because, as guided by Hinduism, our institutions run on logic and not ancient rigid rules.

You will see this modernity in thought reflected anywhere in Indian society. We are not conflicted on the basic things that require sound logic. If a woman’s life is in danger or the birth could give the child or mother a difficult life, the SC has been known to recognise that. Our institutions do not directly say it but they are also open about the homosexuality debate. India was among the first countries to give voting rights to all women at the inception of the constitution. No controversial debates. Only logic.

A deep dive into India’s ancient past will show you that when only the Hindu way of life existed in the Indian subcontinent, women didn’t cover heads, there was no dowry system in India and women scholars used to have debates at the kings courts. How was such a so called ‘backward society’ so evolved that they were not debating about these things? Religious texts. 

As long as religious texts spell out rules, they will have the potential to be exploitative for someone or the other because they have been known to not evolve with time. Imagine applying the Manusmriti today. It won’t make sense at a time when women are not just home makers. Same with other religions. 

As difficult at it may be for us to accept. Religious texts that are in the form of rules cannot guide policy decisions. They can guide our soul, but not become our constitution. And this is the whole confusion in the west around abortion rights. In India we are not confused. Because our subconscious is guided by our 3000 year old history. Who we are, what we do, how we think, it’s all guided by the Hindu way of life. We may have adopted different gods as we evolved, but we can never not be Hindu because no one can change the base of their existence. 

The West needs to learn from us. Adopt our modernity, our clarity of thought, our ability to adapt and the freedom with which we live in this country. Anyone who goes outside and comes back speaks of this. In India you can do anything. You are free in your thought and actions. There may be lack of many facilities but they feel liberated here. 

Today if you are an Indian woman, how many ever challenges you face because of patriarchy, you must thank the stars that the day you decide what’s best for you, our institutions will protect you no matter what.