by Bonnie Chernin
The Jewish Journal recently published two articles that caught my attention, because both are wrong interpretations of what Jewish law says about abortion. In the first article, “I Am Pro-Life – the Life of the Living,” author Eva Robbins uses the same stale arguments used by abortion supporters for decades. According to the author, The pro-life view is a Christian view only. She states that in Jewish law life begins at birth (false) and pro-lifers only care about unborn babies and not the living (false).
During the COVID-19 crisis abortion supporters wanted abortion businesses to remain open while pro-lifers wanted them closed so in emergencies hospital resources can be saved for – you got it – the LIVING. Moreover, every unborn child is a unique human being that is created once and will never be reproduced again. Unborn children are alive and have their own unique DNA - inside the mother's womb but not her property. There is nothing in the Torah or any Jewish texts indicating that the mother has property rights over her unborn child to do as she pleases. And the reason is obvious: In Judaism, all human lives and souls, born and unborn, are created by G-d. The same is true in all religious faiths.
The "right" to abort is a legal definition with no factual basis in our religion or the U.S. Constitution, and was created as a right by the Supreme Court in the Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton decisions. If the author is concerned about the “life of the living” she’d care about the fact that nearly 62 million lives have been snuffed out by abortion-on-demand in the United States.
Pro-lifers are compassionate and care about the pregnant women and their unborn children. We also strongly support the rights of fathers to have a say in the abortion issue. After all, the unborn baby would not exist if it weren't for the father.
The second article was written by radical abortion activist Steph Black. Steph works for the National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) an organization advocating for radical social reform and unlimited abortion-on-demand. Steph Black’s screeching outburst on the first day of Justice Kavanaugh’s hearings got her arrested. She opposes states laws that make abortion clinics safer by requiring abortionists to have hospital admitting privileges, which protect women who are tragic victims of botched abortions. She also says that because of pro-life legislation, her rights as a Jew are being stripped away. If she can vote, go to synagogue, study her Torah (assuming she has one), observe Shabbat, pray and not be forced to convert, then her rights are intact.
For the authentic view of Judaism and abortion, please visit my page, Pro-Life Judaism. I've written a series of articles including comments by prominent rabbis who explain the pro-life position. Elliot Resnick, Chief Editor of the Jewish Press, wrote an outstanding article defending the right to life, from the authentic Orthodox Jewish viewpoint.
