ENGLISH

Liquid Life: Abortion and Buddhism in Japan

By William R. LaFleur

Book information

Publisher
Princeton University Press
Year
2020
ISBN
9781400843671, 0691074054, 1400843677
Language
english
Format
PDF
Filesize
63 MB (66345933 bytes)
Pages
280\276
Library
Fulcrum
Time added
2023-06-13 11:46:31

Description

Why would a country strongly influenced by Buddhism's reverence for life allow legalized, widely used abortion? Equally puzzling to many Westerners is the Japanese practice of mizuko rites, in which the parents of aborted fetuses pray for the well-being of these rejected "lives." In this provocative investigation, William LaFleur examines abortion as a window on the culture and ethics of Japan. At the same time he contributes to the Western debate on abortion, exploring how the Japanese resolve their conflicting emotions privately and avoid the pro-life/pro-choice politics that sharply divide Americans on the issue.

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