I'm not sure how much to believe, but this Mainichi Daily News article about abortion in Japan is enough to make me sick.
It is common knowledge that abortion has long been one of the most popular forms of birth control in Japan, largely because it's such an enormous money-spinner for those who perform the procedure that they have fought tooth-and-nail to prevent proliferation of alternative means. ...With abortion so common, there's a thriving business in the disposal of the trade's waste products, not to mention the fabulous amounts of money spent on buying absolutions or offering prayers at the numerous temples devoted to mizuko, the name the Japanese give to aborted babies that translates literally as "water children." ...
Also suspected of making a packet out of aborted fetuses are uglier elements of the beauty business, according to Tokudane Saizensen.
Placenta beauty treatments are hot in Japan for their purported beneficial effects in combating the effects of aging and menopause.
I won't even quote the worst parts of the article, it's just too disturbing. Is this the future of America envisioned by abortion "rights" activists?
The answer to your question is "no", and I think you know this.
I wonder could placenta from after birth be used for the cosmetic purpose, not that it appeals to me. Actually, how are placenta disposed of normally? Is it dealt with as infectious waste in the west? -- I guess it must be pretty infectious, being full of blood and stuff.
If I become a father I'd kind-of planned to maybe eat the placenta, or maybe the mother should. I know that's what quite a lot of other mammals do, even the herbivors.
Abortion is relatively common in Japan, when compared to the United States, but I'd never heard that it was the 'preferred' means of birth control.
I *do* know that abortion is considered murder by most major schools of Japanese Buddhism, all of which consider life to begin at conception. According to the traditional Buddhist view, a child is considered one year old at the time he or she emerges from the womb. However, the vast majority of Japanese are not well-versed in Buddhist philosophy or theory, and for the most part simply participate in Buddhist ceremonies as important cultural and familial traditions, rather than as religious acts.
When I lived in Japan, I was given the impression that individual Japanese viewed abortion as socially acceptable, yet personally troubling (at least). Another instance of the great inner conflict that plagues many members of that culture.
This is the first time I've heard of some of these awful practices and trends in Japan. Sometimes I try to think with a Japanese mind, but this information is hard to grasp.
I support some version of three strikes, although I object to the idea put forth by some that there are people who are unredeemable. The question for me is risk to society. As the Bible teaches and I believe, no one is outside the reaches of God's grace.
Michael,
I have been working on this topic and I would be interested in getting a copy of the whole article and its author that you presented here. Many things have changed in Japan since the BC Pill was legalized in June 1999. Abortion was not actually the "preferred method of birth control" as some articles claim. Having lived in Japan for some time and working with this topic, part of the issue that I have found in the research I've been doing looks at the medical community (where the majority of OB/GYN's are male and the birth control they did have available to them (the diaphram) was not made a priority for the medical community to offer the women. It is a rather large money-making endeavor. Also, there are some teachings in Buddhism that, if I understand the research, do not necessarily condone abortion, but will allow it in the name of carrying out a "compassionate act" (e.g. will there be danger to the mother...will bringing the child into the world bring hardship on the family, the marriage, etc.etc.). It is a very complex issue and much has been written on it.
That article you posted was a new piece to me and I'd appreciate a link or connection to it...or if you have a way to email it to me, I'd appreciate it.
ML
M: I linked to the article in the post above!
What is the reason women in Japan have abortions? Is it because they can't afford children? Or is it because boys are afavored ?
no because i think it can't be. Even i am not sure.
Historically, abortion is not looked at in a negative light in Japan. Through necessity, farming families used to have female children killed at birth because they could not work hard enough to earn their keep. With this cultural tradition in mind, it is easy to understand why abortions would be so widely accepted in Japan. Also, the Japanese do not tend to think of the unborn baby as a "soul" that is being denied life, but rather as a spirit who is returning to the gods to await a more appropriate time to be born.
From the discussions I have had with Japanese friends I have come to understand one important fact about Japan. It is a society built upon shame. One of the most shameful things is to bare a child out of wedlock. So often when a man is unwilling to marry a woman she does what most Japanese women would do in her case, abort.
(It doesnt help that many Japanese choose not to use condoms, being an isolated country dor so long it is a common misconception that one can only cacth a STD from foreigners)