Quarter 3: Religion/ Belief

In India, the biotechology is growing rapidly. But some American scientist and buisnessmen are questioning if Indian moral and religious values are present in these biotechnologists. "Many Hindus see the soul - the true Self (or atman) - as the spiritual and imperishable component of human personality. After death destroys the body, the soul soon finds a new temporal home. Thus, for Hindus as much as for Catholics, life begins at conception"(Mishra). This shows the difference and some similarities between the Catholic and Hindu beliefs. In many of the studies, they refer back to one of the ancient myths of their religion. For example, there is a myth that they refer back to when discussing human cloning through stem cells extracted from human embryos. But spiritual tradition cannot solve all the ethical issues created by progressing science, ultrasounds are used for pregnant women to identify if the fetus is female so they have to decision to abort. Since, female children are still considered as a burden to the family. And also since the research is so expensive only the rich can afford proper medical help, and for now the poor serve as guinne pigs. The abortion of female fetuses is a belief that dates way back, and is reminding me of the texts we read in world history about post-classical India.

Mishra, Pankaj. "How India Reconciles Hindu Values and Biotech". The New York Times. 21 August 2005. 15 February 2009.