# What do religious texts, other than the Bible, have to say about abortion? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 14, 2026, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-religious-texts-other-than-the-bible-have-to-say-about-abortion/1027656 "2026-02-14T02:42:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2026, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-religious-texts-other-than-the-bible-have-to-say-about-abortion/1027656/21 "2026-02-15T21:32:00Z")
> [@kanicbird](#): > > Pagan society, where Christianity spread to at least during Paul’s ministry, seemed OK with exposure, not sure about actual abortion. Here is something we have to understand- most religions are old. In the old days, having an abortion was extremely dangerous. Surgery in ancient days was a death sentence, so they used herbs- which did one of three things- Mother got sick, baby kept- Mother got sick, had miscarriage, Mother died. The risk is why few religions were okay on abortion, except maybe to save the life of the mother. Today, medical abortion poses little risk. Religions havent caught up. The LDS church, which is fairly new (1830)-" _opposes elective abortions “for personal or social convenience” . It also states that abortions are acceptable in cases of rape, incest, danger to the health or life of the mother, or where the fetus will not survive beyond birth."_ And see quite new faiths like neopagans and Wiccans have many different opinions, but most will agree government interference is wrong- > **[Pagans, Abortion, and Personal Responsibility](https://www.learnreligions.com/abortion-in-paganism-and-wicca-2561713)** > > Ever wonder what Pagans and Wiccans think about the issue of abortion? You may be surprised to learn that not everyone agrees on the subject. _Most Pagans believe in personal responsibility, and that viewpoint extends even to controversial political issues._ _While some Pagans support a woman’s right to make her own reproductive decisions, others believe that terminating a pregnancy is murder._ _Even among Pagans who believe abortion is wrong, there is often reluctance to condone government interference in a woman’s reproductive system._\* > [@eburacum45](#): > > The Hippocratic Oath includes a segment that is sometimes interpreted as being against abortion, but there is some uncertainty about its original meaning. In the ancient days “First, do no harm” would nix any abortion not to save the Mothers life. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2026, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-religious-texts-other-than-the-bible-have-to-say-about-abortion/1027656/22 "2026-02-15T21:37:51Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > In the ancient days “First, do no harm” would nix any abortion not to save the Mothers life. It means that if personhood is first bestowed upon the fetus, I would think. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2026, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-religious-texts-other-than-the-bible-have-to-say-about-abortion/1027656/23 "2026-02-15T21:45:54Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > It means that if personhood is first bestowed upon the fetus, I would think When the Oath was written, there was a really good chance that an attempt at an abortion would kill the Mother. Thus- “Do no harm” . Now if it looks like the Mother will die without one, then that is different. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2026, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-religious-texts-other-than-the-bible-have-to-say-about-abortion/1027656/24 "2026-02-15T21:46:18Z")
Got it. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2026, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-religious-texts-other-than-the-bible-have-to-say-about-abortion/1027656/25 "2026-02-15T22:28:39Z")
Shinto has no opinion on the matter. The religion basically just recommends that you throw regular festivals and try to make your local spirits happy, so they take care of you. > [@Smapti](#): > > The Talmud says an unborn child is not a life until the mother goes into labor and that it may be aborted to protect the mother. Likewise, Numbers 5 describes a ritual to either use a bowdlerized abortifacient, water torture, or God’s magic to abort a fetus when a woman is believed to be carrying another man’s child. ---
**Author:** ![Dereknocue67](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6de8d8/32.png) [@Dereknocue67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dereknocue67)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2026, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-religious-texts-other-than-the-bible-have-to-say-about-abortion/1027656/26 "2026-02-16T06:24:48Z")
A guess isn’t something that can be justified with specifics—if I had that information, it wouldn’t be a guess. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-religious-texts-other-than-the-bible-have-to-say-about-abortion/1027656.md?page=1)