宋代儒家视野下的堕胎问题

The Confucian Concept on Abortion in the Song Dynasty

与认为儒家思想并不重视堕胎问题的刻板印象相反,从宋代的法律和儒医关于妇产医学的论著中可以看到,胎儿的生命已经作为一个潜在的人类生命在法律上被加以重视和保护。鉴于当时系统而完整的胎儿发育及胎教学说,儒医普遍把胎儿时期看作人类生命的开始。基于对胎儿的这种看法,儒医一般来说对堕胎持反对立场,但是他们也秉承了儒家在处理实践问题时一贯采取的整全性态度,在复杂的现实中,对堕胎所涉及的多方面的价值和考量加以重视和权衡。

Opposite to the stereotype of Confucianism as indifferent to the ethical issues of abortion,a detailed examination of law and the medical works shows that the status of fetus and the morality of abortion have been considered from the Confucian perspective in Song dynasty.Fetus has been treated as a potential human life and protected by the law.Confucian physicians have established a systematic theory of fetal development and education,which implies that human life starts from pregnancy.Given their understanding of fetal life,they are in principle against abortion.But by employing an all-things-considered perspective typical of Confucians,they recognize and attempt to harmonize different values and considerations of abortion in complicated reality.