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JEWISH BELIEFS
ABOUT ABORTION
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Background:
Within Christianity, Judaism, Humanism and other religions and ethical systems, the morality of abortion is grounded in the precise belief of the nature of the fetus. ...
With the exception of some Orthodox authorities, Judaism supports abortion access for women. ... " 1
Abortion-related passages in the Hebrew Scriptures & Talmud:
The Babylonian Talmud Yevamot 69b states that: "the embryo is considered to be mere water until the fortieth day. ...
There are two additional passages in the Talmud which shed some light on the Jewish belief about abortion. ... A D&X procedure (often called Partial Birth Abortion in recent years) might be used under these conditions today. ... An abortion would be permitted in this case. An abortion of the fetus, a potential person, would be justified to save the life of the child, an actual person.
An abortion would be permissible if the woman was suicidal because of her pregnancy. ... She obtained permission for an abortion from the Chief Rabbi of Israel.
Many Jewish authorities permit abortion in the case of a pregnancy resulting from a rape, if needed in order save her great mental anguish.
Most authorities do not permit abortion in the event that the fetus is genetically defective or will probably pick up a disease from its mother. ... He "allows first trimester abortion of a fetus which would be born with a deformity that would cause it to suffer, and termination of a fetus with a lethal fetal defect such as Tay Sachs up to the end of the second trimester of gestation." 3
An abortion is sometimes permitted if the woman suffers great emotional pain about the birth of a child who will experience health problems. ... 4
Political aspects of abortion access:
http://books. ... htm
Conservative, Reconstructionist and Reform Judaism are formally opposed to government regulation of abortion. ...
All recognize that the decision to have an abortion is a difficult one, and is not to be undertaken without considerable thought.
Abortion in Judaism presents a complete Jewish legal history of abortion from the earliest relevant biblical references through the end of the twentieth century. For the first time, almost every Jewish text relevant to the abortion issue is explored in detail. These texts are investigated in historical sequence, thereby elucidating the development inherent within the Jewish approach to abortion. ... The impact of Jewish abortion law upon Israeli legislative enactments is evaluated, along with the social outcomes of such legislation. ... org/jsource/Judaism/abortion.html
The traditional Jewish view of abortion does not fit conveniently into any of the major "camps" in the current American abortion debate. We neither ban abortion completely, nor do we allow indiscriminate abortion "on demand." To gain a clear understanding of when abortion is sanctioned, or even required, and when it is forbidden, requires an appreciation of certain nuances of halacha (Jewish law) which govern the status of the fetus. ...
It follows from this simple approach, that as a general rule, abortion in Judaism is permitted only if there is a direct threat to the life of the mother by carrying the fetus to term or through the act of childbirth. ... Nevertheless, as explained in the Mishna (Oholos 7:6), if it would be possible to save the mother by maiming the fetus, such as by amputating a limb, abortion would be forbidden. ... However, the danger posed by the fetus (whether physical or emotional) must be both probable and substantial to justify abortion. The degree of mental illness that must be present to justify termination of a pregnancy is not well established and therefore criteria for permitting abortion in such instances remains controversial. ... Therefore, almost all major poskim (Rabbis qualified to decide matters of Jewish law) forbid abortion in cases of abnormalities or deformities found in a fetus. Rabbi Moshe Feinstein, one the greatest poskim in this century, rules that even amniocentesis is forbidden if it is performed only to evaluate for birth defects for which the parents might request an abortion. ... While most poskim forbid abortion for "defective" fetuses, Rabbi Eliezar Waldenberg is a notable exception. Rabbi Waldenberg allows first trimester abortion of a fetus which would be born with a deformity that would cause it to suffer, and termination of a fetus with a lethal fetal defect such as Tay Sachs up to the end of the second trimester of gestation.
The question of abortion in cases of rape, incest, and adultery is a complex one, with various legal justifications propounded on both sides. ...
I have attempted to distill the essence of the traditional Jewish approach to abortion, but in reality, the parameters determining the permissibility of abortion within halacha are subtle and complex. ...
Movements in Ancient Times
Perhaps the oldest records we have of a formal difference of opinion among Jews dates back to the time of the Maccabean revolt, which is the basis for the story of Chanukkah. ... Hellenizing Jews were opposed by a religious traditionalist group known as the Chasideans (no direct relation to the modern movement known as Chasidism). As the Selucid Greeks began to oppress the Jews, war broke out and the Jewish people united in their opposition to the Greeks. ...
The Pharisees believed that G-d gave the Jews both a written Torah and an oral Torah, both of which were equally binding and both of which were open to reinterpretation by the rabbis, people with sufficient education to make such decisions. ... There were some differences in practices and customs between the Ashkenazic Jews of Eastern Europe and the Sephardic Jews of Spain and the Middle East, but these differences were not significant. See Ashkenazic and Sephardic Jews. ... Today, Karaites are a very small minority, and most Rabbinical Jews do not even know that they exist. For more information about the Karaites, see The Karaite Jews of America. ...
Chasidic sects are organized around a spiritual leader called a Rebbe or a tzaddik, a person who is considered to be more enlightened than other Jews. ...
Movements in the United States Today
Approximately 5 million of the worlds 13 million Jews live in the United States. ... They believe that the Torah contains 613 mitzvot binding upon Jews but not upon non-Jews. ... The 1990 National Jewish Population Survey (NJPS) performed by the Council of Jewish Federations found that 7% of the Jews in America identify themselves as Orthodox. ... Reform Jews do not believe in observance of commandments as such, but they retain much of the values and ethics of Judaism, along with some of the practices and the culture. ... Many non-observant, nominal, and/or agnostic Jews identify themselves as Reform simply because Reform is the most liberal movement, but that is not really a fair reflection on the movement as a whole. The NJPS found that 42% of the Jews in America identify themselves as Reform. ... The NJPS found that 38% of the Jews in America identify themselves as Conservative. ... Everyone I know seems to have had a Reconstructionist rabbi at college or in a community center, yet according to the NJPS, only 1% of the Jews in America identify themselves as Reconstructionist. ...
Though most Jews do not have any theological objections to praying in the synagogues of other movements, liberal services are not "religious" enough or "Jewish" enough for traditional Jews, and traditional services are too long, too conservative, and often basically incomprehensible to liberal Jews (because traditional services are primarily, if not exclusively, in Hebrew). ... htm
Movements in Israel Today
Approximately 5 million Jews live in Israel. ... Until very recently, only Orthodox Jews could serve on religious councils. ... For example, the hiloni of Israel often observe some traditional practices in a limited way, such as lighting Shabbat candles, limiting their activities on Shabbat, or keeping kosher to some extent, all of which are rare among American Reform Jews, and unheard of among American Jews who describe themselves as secular.
Movements in the United Kingdom Today
There are an estimated 350,000 Jews in the UK. ... And yet, there are militant atheists who insist that they are Jews! ... If you were to say so, most Jews would think you were an antisemite! ... See What do Jews Believe? ...
However, many people who call themselves Jews do not believe in that religion at all! More than half of all Jews in Israel today call themselves "secular," and dont believe in G-d or any of the religious beliefs of Judaism. Half of all Jews in the United States dont belong to any synagogue. ...
The most traditional Jews and the most liberal Jews and everyone in between would agree that these secular people are still Jews, regardless of their disbelief. ...
Are Jews a Race?
In the 1980s, the United States Supreme Court ruled that Jews are a race, at least for purposes of certain anti-discrimination laws. ...
But many Jews were deeply offended by that decision, offended by any hint that Jews could be considered a race. The idea of Jews as a race brings to mind nightmarish visions of Nazi Germany, where Jews were declared to be not just a race, but an inferior race that had to be rounded up into ghettos and exterminated like vermin.
Approximate Word count = 7636
Approximate Pages = 30.5
(250 words per page double spaced)
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