Pro-Life Rabbis

On July 11, 1970, the New York Times published comments by two rabbinical leaders regarding the New York State abortion law: "The two top leaders of Orthodox Judaism in this country issued a joint statement yesterday condemning "indiscriminate and blanket" abortions:"

Rabbi Berzon was president of the Rabbinical Council of America from 1970 to 1972, and was vice president of the Religious Zionists of America from 1971 to 1973. As reported in The New York Times, the following statement is taken in part from a joint statement released in July of 1970 by Rabbi Joseph Karasick and Rabbi Bernard L. Berzon. The rabbis condemned "indiscriminate and blanket" abortions. At this time abortion laws in New York had been liberalized and abortion was legalized in the state for the first 24 weeks of pregnancy.

“We are surrounded – even engulfed – by waves of obscenity and pornography. We are told that the woman who has many children is polluting the environment while the abortionist is performing a great humanitarian service...It is now a matter of history: Before the passage of the landmark New York State legislation that legalized abortion, the vote was evenly divided, which would have meant defeat for the measure.

"Orthodox Jews must stand in opposition to any proposed legislation to liberalize abortion laws." ​"For too long now, secularist Jewish organizations and Reform and Conservative groups have been allowed to give the impression that their pronouncements off national, civic and moral laws represent the total Jewish view."

“Shedding of innocent blood in Jewish life is so reprehensible that at times even those not responsible for the act of murder who hear of such an incident must dissociate themselves from it.” “How then, are we to respond with less than shock to the killing of 100,000 fetuses through abortion in Israel, year after year? "