TIL. I knew there were many vegetarians in India. I just learned that that vegetarianism excludes chicken eggs, which as a North American caught me off-guard. I looked at a couple webpages, which means I’m an expert on the topic now /s
https://www.thejuggernaut.com/eggetarianism-india-eggs-vegetarianism
Many assume that India is a country of vegetarians, but that’s miles from the truth: 69% of Indians eat meat, and about 23% are egg eaters. Of this latter group, 9% identify as “eggetarians,” or vegetarians who eat eggs.
https://hinduism.stackexchange.com/questions/2601/why-are-eggs-not-consumed-by-many-hindus
Moral Reason: I have been taught that one reason such eggs are not considered suitable for consumption is that by preventing fertilization you are preventing the birth of an animal, which is considered unjust by some. The reasoning here is that blockading the creation of life is similar if not equal to extinguishing it.
Vedic Reason: According to Wikipedia’s article on Sattvic diet, an unfertilized egg is considered Rajasic, or overly stimulating. Such foods are not to be consumed as they lead to an unfit state of mind.
I haven’t heard the argument that eating eggs is wrong because it prevents the birth of another before. This would apply more so in the case of the Philippines as the people eat baluts there, the cooked fertilized eggs with the chicks inside.