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972. Medical Science will Greatly Improve with the Spiritual Awakening of Man
"‘Abdu’l-Bahá does often state that the medical science will much improve. With the appearance of every Revelation a new insight is created in man and this in turn expresses itself in the growth of science. This has happened in past dispensations and we find its earliest fruits in our present day. What we see however is only the beginning. With the spiritual awakening of man this force will develop and marvelous results will become manifest."
- (From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer, January 14, 1932: Selections from Bahá’í Writings on Some Aspects of Health, Healing, Nutrition and Related Matters, April 1984, p. 10)
973. Surrogate Mothers and Artificial Insemination
"Regarding surrogate mothers and artificial insemination, you will find the following extracts from statements made by the Universal House of Justice relevant to your questions:
'The beloved Guardian, in a letter written on his behalf to an individual believer who enquired on the same subject, said "…there is nothing in our teachings about this, therefore there is no objection to having a baby by means of artificial insemination as long as your husband is the father of it.'
'Artificial insemination is, therefore, permissible to a Bahá’í wife provided her husband is the donor.' "
- (From a letter dated 11 July 1978 written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to an individual believer)
"Also, after quoting the above statement of the Guardian, the following comment was made in another letter:
'In view of this, the House of Justice has stated that it would not be proper for a Bahá’í to donate semen to a hospital for the artificial insemination of a woman other than his wife.' "
- (From a letter dated 25 May 1979 written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to the National Spiritual Assembly of Australia)
- (From a letter written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to the compiler of this compilation, October 27, 1981)
- Bahai.works note: There is a link here from No. 1168
974. Artificial Production of Life
"As to your question regarding the possibility of an artificial production of life by means of an incubator: This is essentially a matter that concerns science, and as such should be investigated and studied by scientists."
- (From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer, December 31, 1937: Selections From Bahá’í Writings on Some Aspects of Health, Healing, Nutrition and Related Subjects, op. cit.)
975. Conception Without Male Sperm
"… As to the possibility of conception without the presence of a male sperm in the future: This is a question which lies entirely within the province of science, and which future scientists will have to investigate."
- (From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer, February 27, 1938)
976. Hypnotism
"Hypnotism hath a weak influence over bodies, but hath no result. But the power of the kingdom of God is great. If thou canst, endeavor to obtain a share of that power."
- (Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Vol. I, p. 169)
977. Auto-Suggestion or Hypnotism
"What comes under the healing of psychic practices ‘Abdu’l-Bahá has warned us against; but any form of auto-suggestion or hypnotism which is used by medical science and by properly qualified physicians we are free to take advantage of, if we feel that the doctor using such practices is qualified and will not abuse his rights."
- (From a letter written on behalf of the Guardian to an individual believer, February 15, 1957: Spiritualism and Psychic Phenomena, February 14, 1974, p. 2)
978. Cancer
"Cancer is such a terrible scourge in the world today! But when the believers are called upon to go through such bitter ordeals they have the Faith to sustain them, the love of their Bahá’í friends to comfort them, and the glorious words of Bahá’u’lláh regarding immortality to give them confidence and courage. Blessed are we, indeed, even, in the midst of our greatest trials."
- (From a letter written on behalf of the Guardian to an individual believer, September 5, 1949: Bahá’í News, No. 231, p. 1, May 1950)
979. Cancer—Not Stated It is a Spiritual Disease
"There is no authority for the statement which is alleged to have been said by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá to the effect that cancer is a spiritual disease. The saying is quite unauthoritative, and should not be circulated."
- (From a letter written on behalf of the Guardian to an individual believer, July 10, 1939)
980. Chiropractic
"There is nothing in the Teachings about chiropractic as a method of healing. People are free to turn to it if they please and find help through it."
- (From a letter written on behalf of the Guardian to an individual believer, February 10, 1951: Some Aspects of Health, Healing, Nutrition and related Matters, April 1984, p. 14)
981. Circumcision
"The beloved Guardian says that the question of circumcision has nothing to do with the Bahá’í Teachings; and the believers are free to do as they please in the matter."
- (From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer, March 27, 1954: Ibid.)
982. Reference to Certain Aspects of Medical Profession not Found in Sacred Writings
"We were impressed by the spirit of your letter of 15 Sultan seeking guidance concerning certain aspects of the medical profession. Your desire to avoid doing anything in your study of medicine which would be contrary to the Bahá’í Teachings is most commendable.
"As you have keenly observed, the Universal House of Justice may consider it untimely to make definitive rulings on certain matters to which no direct reference can be found in the Sacred Text. Among these are euthanasia and certain aspects of birth control and abortion, and until such time as rulings are made, these matters are left to the consciences of those concerned who must weigh the medical advice on the case in the light of general guidance given in the Teachings. Your National Spiritual Assembly has specific references regarding birth control and abortion which might be useful to you."
- (From a letter of the Universal House of Justice to an individual believer, March 18, 1975)
983. Heart/Kidney Transplant
"We have your letter of September 13, 1968, making inquiry about instructions which may apply to organ transplants such as the heart or kidney.
"On 18 September, 1968, we wrote to the National Spiritual Assembly of Argentina as follows:
'We have not come across anything specific in the writings on transplants of hearts and other organs or regarding the time of death, and the Universal House of Justice does not wish to make any statements on these points at this time.'"
- (From a letter of the Universal House of Justice to the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States, September 23, 1968)
984. Organ Donor for Parts of the Body Including the Eyes
"In reply to your letter of October 1st inquiring about organ transplants and Bahá’ís acting as donors for parts of the body, we refer you first of all to our letter of March 3rd 1967 in which we quoted to you a passage from one of the beloved Guardian's letters on this subject.
"We are also able to give you the following from a letter of the beloved Guardian by his secretary: 'There is nothing in the teachings which would forbid a Bahá’í to bequeath his eyes to another person or for a hospital; on the contrary it seems a noble thing to do.' This passage is from a letter dated September 6th 1946.
"The House of Justice does not wish at the present time to go beyond the elucidation contained in the above statements."
- (From a letter of the Universal House of Justice to the National Spiritual Assembly of the British Isles, October 16, 1969)
985. Euthanasia (Mercy Killing)
"As to the questions relating to euthanasia … the House of Justice has asked us to share with you these two statements…
'As to the Bahá’í viewpoint on the removal or withholding of life support in medical cases where intervention prolongs life in disabling illnesses, nothing has been found in the Sacred Text specifically on this matter. In such cases decisions must be left to those responsible, including the patient.'
- (From a letter dated 31st May 1979 written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to an individual believer)
'We have received your letter of March 18, 1974 in which you ask for the Bahá’í viewpoint on euthanasia and on the removal of life support in medical cases where physiological interventions prolong life in disabling illnesses. In general our teachings indicate that God, the Giver of life, can alone dispose of it as He deems best, and we have found nothing in the Sacred Text on these matters specifically but in a letter to an individual written on behalf of the beloved Guardian by his secretary regarding mercy killings, or legalized euthanasia, it is stated:
"…this is also a matter which the Universal House of Justice will have to legislate."
'Until such time as the Universal House of Justice considers legislation on euthanasia, decisions in the matters to which you refer must be left to the consciences of those responsible.'"
- (From a letter dated 17 May 1974 from the Universal House of Justice to the National Spiritual Assembly of Alaska)
- (From a letter written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to the compiler, October 27, 1981)
986. When Dissecting Human Body, it Must Be Treated with Respect
"To your fourth question, a Bahá’í, when dissecting a human body for the purposes of medical study, should keep in mind that since the body was once the temple of the spirit it must be treated with respect even though there is no further connection between the two."
- (From a letter of the Universal House of Justice to an individual believer, March 18, 1975)
987. Life Support
"With reference to your letter of 1 July 1985, we are asked to say that, in general, our Teachings indicate that God, the Giver of life, can alone dispose of it as He deems best. The Universal House of Justice has found nothing in the Sacred Text about the matter of withholding or removing life support in disabling or terminal illnesses where intervention prolongs life. Therefore, until such time as the House of Justice considers legislation on these matters, it is left to the conscience of the individual concerned whether or not to subscribe to a 'living will'."
- (From a letter written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to a Local Spiritual Assembly, July 23, 1985)
988. Telepathy
"The Teachings bear no reference to the question of telepathy. It is a matter that concerns psychology."
- (From a letter written on behalf of the Guardian to an individual believer, February 28, 1938: Spiritualism, Reincarnation and Related Subjects, p. 10)
989. Before Serious Operation Consult More Than One Physician
"He is pleased to see that you are feeling better, and will certainly pray for your full recovery. Before having any serious operation, you should consult more than one qualified physician."
- (From a letter written on behalf of the Guardian to an individual believer, April 8, 1954)
990. Protect Your Health by Sleeping Enough
"Regarding your question: There are very few people who can get along without eight hours sleep. If you are not one of those, you should protect your health by sleeping enough. The Guardian himself finds that it impairs his working capacity if he does not try and get a minimum of seven or eight hours."
- (From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to two believers, September 15, 1952)
991. Take Care of Health as a Necessary Means of Serving the Cause
"You should always bear in mind Bahá’u’lláh's counsel that we should take the utmost care of our health, surely not because it is an end in itself, but as a necessary means of serving His Cause. In case of illness, He emphatically tells us, we should refer to the most competent physicians.
"Now your father has taken you to the best nerve specialists in …, and they all recommend that you should suspend all your activities until you are fully recovered. It is now your duty as a Bahá’í, and specially as a young believer who has still great services to render the Faith, to make every effort to recover your health, and to be confident that by making such an effort you will be attracting the confirmations of Bahá’u’lláh, without which no true and lasting healing is possible."
- (From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer, July 17, 1937)
992. Vaccination
"Regarding your question about vaccination: These are technical matters which have not been specifically mentioned in the teachings, and consequently the Guardian cannot make any statement about them. No doubt medical science will progress tremendously as time goes by, and the treatment of disease become more perfect."
- (From a letter written on behalf of the Guardian to an individual believer, December 24, 1943: Bahá’í News, No. 173, p. 3, February 1945)
993. Vivisection
"As regards the question the Auckland Assembly has asked about vivisection, there is nothing on this subject in the Bahá’í teachings. At a future date such matters will no doubt be taken up by the International House of Justice."
- (Letters from the Guardian to Australia and New Zealand, 1923-1957, p. 130)
994. Torture of Animals—When the Hearts of Men Change Medical Research will Eliminate as Much Suffering of Animals as Possible
"The Guardian fully sympathizes with your repulsion against any torture to animals. However, he feels that as there are human beings being tortured much worse than animals all over the world, often physically, and more often mentally, that it is more important for the Bahá’ís to concentrate on what will free man from the cruelty and injustice which oppress him, rather than animals. Once we change human hearts, there will be no more cruelty to animals, and medical research will be carried out in a way which will eliminate as much suffering in experiments as possible."
- (From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer, December 27, 1952)
995. During Vivisection Animal Must be Well Anaesthetized
"The Universal House of Justice has received your letter of 19th January 1978 enquiring the Bahá’í point of view on the vivisection of animals. The beloved Guardian was asked a similar question to which his secretary replied on his behalf, on 29 November 1955: 'As there is no definite and conclusive statement on Vivisection in the Bahá’í Teachings, this is a matter which the International House of Justice will have to pass upon in the future.'
"The House of Justice does not wish to legislate upon this matter at the present time. It is left to the consciences of the individual friends, who should make their decisions in light of the teachings concerning animals and their treatment.
"In this connection the House of Justice instructs us to say that in a Tablet in which He stresses the need for kindness to animals, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá states that it would be permissible to perform an operation on a living animal for the purposes of research even if the animal were killed thereby, but that the animal must be well anaesthetized and that the utmost care must be exercised that it does not suffer."
- (From a letter of the Universal House of Justice to the National Spiritual Assembly of Italy, March 9, 1978: Some Aspects of Health, Healing, Nutrition and Related Matters, April 1984, p. 16)
996. Sins are Potent Cause of Physical Ailments
"… It is certainly the case that sins are a potent cause of physical ailments. If humankind were free from the defilements of sin and waywardness, and lived according to a natural, inborn equilibrium, without following wherever their passions led, it is undeniable that diseases would no longer take the ascendant, nor diversify with such intensity.
"But man hath perversely continued to serve his lustful appetites, and he would not content himself with simple foods. Rather, he prepared for himself food that was compounded of many ingredients, of substances differing one from the other. With this, and with the perpetrating of vile and ignoble acts, his attention was engrossed, and he abandoned the temperance and moderation of a natural way of life. The result was the engendering of diseases both violent and diverse."
- (‘Abdu’l-Bahá: Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, pp. 152-153)
