<< I suspect most Gloranthan cultures aren't as fussy about allowing abortion as all this 'But the Earth goddesses would throw a hissy fit!' thinking would suggest. But having CA's perform them does seem more problematic to me -- as I've said before, for them it's not just a matter of making a moral calculation of the greatest good for all parties, but observing the magico-legalistic nuances of their vow-geas.>>
The geas only applies to sentient beings, IIRC. Assuming that a being can't be sentient if it doesn't have a soul*, the question becomes 'at what point in ontogeny does the soul enter the body'? The answer to this may well vary depending on culture, so that the Erissan healers of Dara Happa or the Xemelans of the West have different opinions to the CAs of Dragon Pass.
I'd guess that the Heortling answer is 'when the baby draws its first breath', which implies that abortion is not necessarily a problem for them, magically speaking.
Forward the glorious Red Army!
Trotsky
End of The Glorantha Digest V7 #354
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