Is family planning justified or not?

[Maha Shiva Raatri Satsanga on 8^th March 2024 at Hyderabad]

[A question by Shri Satthi Reddy]

Swami replied:- In the present economic conditions, family planning is justified. In family planning, you are taking preventive steps to avoid pregnancy. After getting pregnancy, if you destroy it, it is a sin because you are killing a living human being. ‘Ahiṃsā paramo dharmaḥ’ is the highest justice, which means that non-violence is the highest merit. Dharma or the justified rules change from time to time as the social conditions change. “Kriyāyāṃ vikalpaḥ na tu vastuni” means there can be change in the action related to an item but not in the item. Justice is the action whereas God is item. There is no change in the existence of God, but there can be change in the actions of human beings as per the context of circumstances. But, in this change also, the highest justice (Ahimsa, which means non-violence) should not be affected.