The discovery of more than 2,000 foetuses stored at a Bangkok temple has made front-page news across Thailand. As most abortion is illegal in Thailand, the case has shone a spotlight on a massive backstreet industry and sparked national debate about the country's current abortion laws, which date from the 1950s. With abortion routinely recognised as a "sin" in Theravada Buddhism, religion has played a significant social and political role in this debate. Buddhism is the state religion in Thailand and Thais try to setup their legal system in line with Buddhist principles. Buddhism is generally depicted as extremely tolerant without attempting to impose its teachings on individuals. Although Buddhist morality is contextual and relative, it is not generally antinomian. Basically, the moral consequences of an act are determined by one's will or motivation. If the will behind an act is driven by greed, hatred, or delusion, which Buddhists regard as the three fundamental aspects of selfishness, then the act is deemed unskillful and be doomed.
The pro-life principle applies in case of abortion simply because "there is no qualitative difference between an unborn fetus and a born individual" in Buddhism. And the extent of the offence is proportionate to the intensity of the wish to kill. The moral consequences of abortion concern not only the kinship between the pregnant woman and her fetus, but also entails physical and mental trauma to the woman and all involved i.e. friends, family, advisors and technicians. People agreed that it is important to note that contraception, if it do no harm to the fetus or lovers, is reckoned to be skilful means. Obviously, from the Buddhist point of view, preventing unwanted pregnancies is far better than terminating them. Buddhism, however, advocates compassion for the individuals involved. According to Buddhist's precept, the state should not intervene in matters of conscience. Buddhist community in Thailand is deeply divided on abortion issue. Some political leaders like Major General Chamlong Srimunang are firmly opposed to any liberalisation of the abortion law. Their position is based on the absolute sanctity of life in Buddhist tradition. Others, including some monastic leaders, take a much more global view, pointing out that in Buddhist morality, the intent of the action has much to do with the karmic result of the act. Thus, in some cases, abortion could be a skilful act that should be morally permissible, especially when it serves against greed, hatred, and delusion.
As the matter of fact, legal abortions are very seldom in Thailand. Even though, the abortion law is widely broken. Virginity is highly valued and there is a heavy social stigma against unmarried mothers, so that fear and shame drive many single pregnant women to illegal abortions. They are unable to face the social consequences of their situation and thus sacrifice their Buddhist principles against taking life. Contrary to the traditional Buddhist understanding, some rationalize that a very small fetus is not yet conscious and thus an abortion does not involve killing. A latest horrific discovery (spotlit in November 2010) of thousands illegally aborted human foetuses wrapped in newspapers and plastic bags dumped at several Bangkok temples (wat in Thai) has brought the abortion issue back to surface. Keep in mind, Buddhist temples in Thailand commonly perform cremation ceremonies, and also store bodies in refrigerated storage areas. In the wake of gruesome revelations, the issue of unwanted pregnancies and abandoned babies has been put forth in the public eye once again.