abortion, religion and souls

[sylvia morscher]

maybe relevent to recent threads is "Liquid Life" by William R. LaFleur, Princeron, 1992
(sorry if you have already seen this)

it is about the buddhist response to abortion in Japan.  while abortion does not quite fit
into a strict buddhist worldview, it happens, and people must cope with it.  rituals help
with passages, and abortion is such.  So there are temples devoted to remembering foetuses,
and soothing their spirits until they are born into another body.  People have little
statues respresenting their loss, which they visit and  pray to.  i feel that having
funerals for abortions would help people feel better about it, and would allow respect for
potential life to be observed.