The Crime of Killing by Pressing the Abdomen

Original text of the first section of the Upāsaka Five Precepts Sūtra: 按腹者。使怀妊女人重作。或担重物。教使车前走。若令上峻岸。作是念。令女人死。死者犯不可悔。若不即死。后因是死。是罪不可悔。若不因死者。是中罪可悔。若为胎者。如上说。是名按腹杀也。

Explanation: The method of killing by pressing the abdomen with external objects is to make a pregnant woman do heavy physical labor, or have her carry heavy loads, make her walk in front of a cart, or make her climb a steep cliff, while thinking in one's mind: let this woman die. If the woman actually dies, the upāsaka commits an irremediable (unconfessable) offense. If the woman does not die immediately but later dies because of this, the offense is also irremediable. If the woman does not die immediately and later does not die because of this, the upāsaka commits a moderate, remediable offense.

If the upāsaka makes her carry such heavy loads in order to kill the fetus, and the fetus dies, the upāsaka commits an irremediable offense. If the fetus does not die, he commits a moderate, remediable offense. If the mother dies, he commits a moderate, remediable offense. If both die, he commits an irremediable offense. This is the manner of killing by pressing the abdomen.

Original text: 乃至母胎中。初得二根。身根命根。迦罗逻时。以杀心起。方便欲令死。死者犯不可悔。余犯同如上说。

Explanation: Furthermore, when the fetus in the mother's womb has just acquired the two faculties—the body faculty, namely the fertilized egg (kalala), and the life faculty—if a killing intention arises from the very first week of the fertilized egg stage, and one schemes in every way to make the fetus die, and the fetus actually dies, the upāsaka commits an irremediable offense. If the fetus does not die immediately but later still dies because of this, the offense is also irremediable. If the fetus does not die immediately and later does not die because of this, he commits a moderate, remediable offense.