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What is the Torah's View on Abortion?
Discuss (47)Question:
What does the Bible say about abortion? Is a child's life worth less than an adult's? Does life begin at birth or conception?
Answer:
Judaism contains a lot more wisdom than what you can read in the Bible. There's a very rich tradition that tells us how to understand the Bible and how to apply it. That tradition has been passed down from teacher to student in an unbroken chain since Moses. Eventually, much of it was written in the Mishnah and the Talmud, along with many of the discussions and later enactments that were based on these traditional teachings.
For example, the Bible tells us "Thou shalt not kill." But what does that mean? What if someone is going about killing others? What if he is trying to kill me?
So our tradition tells us that the Bible is not talking about those cases. If someone is out to kill you or other innocent people, you need to protect those innocent lives, even if it means killing the murderer.
This applies to an abortion, as well. A fetus is a potential life, so we are not allowed to kill a fetus. However, if the fetus is endangering the mother's life and the only way to protect the mother is by taking the life of the fetus, then we must do so.
However, this is all only as long as the fetus is a life-in-potential. Once the baby's head has emerged from the birth canal, s/he has become a full-fledged human being of the same status as the mother. Even though the mother has a family to take care of and has proven herself viable and valuable, we consider this a matter of one life versus another. At that point, we can't give precedent to either life. Life, according to our tradition, is not something to which you can apply relative values.
There is a very large literature on this topic. And as in all areas of complex halachah (Jewish law), every case needs to be individually evaluated by a rabbi -- who when necessary will consult with medical professionals and/or rabbis who are experts in this particular field of law.
By Tzvi Freeman
Rabbi Tzvi Freeman, a senior editor at Chabad.org, also heads our Ask The Rabbi team. He is the author of Bringing Heaven Down to Earth. To subscribe to regular updates of Rabbi Freeman's writing, visit Freeman Files subscription.
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santa clarira, ca
Riverside, CA, USA
Riverside, CA, USA
And as you read this Ex 20:22-23 you see that if the fetus is harmed the perpertrator shall be punished as is seen fit.
If the child dies , its a life for life , the "fighting men" lose their life, I dont see how it can be clearer , if you cause a fetus to die , you must die.
As for the woman who chooses death of both herself and the fetus , this is the result of bad life management by all , and who is to say that she would not hae taken her own life after the child was born . Once you begin to think you are wiser that what God wrote , Ex 21:22-23 is quite clear , if the fetus dies as a result of an action by a person , that person must die.
yeppoon, australia
Nevertheless, it's important to avoid obfuscating the matter with euphemisms: The fetus is still considered a living being--just not at the same status as one who has already been born. It is not being aborted--it's being killed.
Once, however, the head of the fetus has emerged, both mother and child are at equal status.
Concerning the suicidal woman, this is also a factor that is taken into account in halacha.
But if the woman dies, they have murdered her and must face trial.
Clearly the death of the unborn fetus DIFFERS from the death of one who is already born. Ending the life of an already-born person can be murder, as distinct from destroying the life of a fetus, which is NOT murder according to this Torah quote. So how does Rabbi Tzvi call it murder to abort an unborn child?
If there is some way to call it murder despite this text, please tell us how.
What is the general category for permitting abortions? Doesn't the risk to the mother's life count a lot?
Is the mother even permitted to put her own life in serious jeopardy? Isn't there a law against putting one's own life in danger?
I know a rabbi who in 1969 told a woman she could not get an abortion. She committed suicide. He never said that ever again.
Buffalo, New York
Lev 20:15 If a man lies with a beast put him to death.
So sometimes you have to kill a man, but its not murder .
Then we have , Ecles 11:5 "how the bones grow in the womb" , there it is clear , we begin our lifes journey in the womb .
If you end that life by what we now call "abortion" , then you have committed murder , unless there is extreme circumstances of health issues , or perhaps rape of a child leading to pregnancy . I cannot say there are no reasons for ending the lfe of a child, but to do so at the whim of the mother could be murder.
Yepoon, Qld , Aust
St Louis, MO
No. The percentage is not the same. The death rate is higher for women giving birth than for women having abortions.
However, in industrialized countries with modern "western" medicine (this describes most places with large Jewish populations, including the U.S., Canada, Israel, Australia, the UK, etc., but NOT Russia), the maternal death rate is extremely low either way. (In the U.S., many of the deaths result from unneeded C-sections, when a vaginal birth would have been safer.) In some places, the death rate for pedestrians is higher than for drivers (being hit by a car is safer if in a car than if on foot), but this is not generally held to justify drivng on Shabbos. The "saving a life" justification only applies when there is significant risk of death, not when it is an excuse for convenience.
Camarillo, CA
chabadcamarillo.com