Some 200,000 ardent opponents of abortion are gathering today (Thursday) on the National Mall in Washington, DC to let the country and its lawmakers know where they stand on what has become one of the pivotal moral issues of the past half-century.
A very small but identifiable contingent of Frum Jews were also present to join in the outcry on this anniversary of the Supreme Court’s 1973 Roe v. Wade opinion legalizing most abortions.
They also wanted this overwhelmingly Christian crowd to know that the Jewish view on this issue is supportive of their position, and that indiscriminately destroying an unborn child is viewed by the Torah as a terrible crime.
“Prolifers”, as the anti-abortion demonstrators calls themselves, in contrast to those who are “Pro-choice,” are generally unaware that the traditional Jewish view upholds the concept of the sanctity of life, and in general, is allied with morality.
The crowd was scheduled to be addressed by an array of senators, governors, and persons of note. Included on the roster of speakers was Rabbi Yehuda Levin, whose speech calls for America to return to its traditions of morality.
After the rally, the throngs of marchers are scheduled to make their way along Constitution Avenue to Capitol Hill and past the Supreme Court, to lobby legislators to take action to undo the effects of the Roe v. Wade decision.
The abortion protesters arrive confronting a new challenge: A president who supports abortion rights and how has appointive power over a Supreme Court that teeters on the edge of potentially reversing Roe v. Wade.
It remains to be seen how many seats President Barack Obama will get on the court, but every one he gets represents a potential setback for the anti-abortion cause.
(Dov Gordon – YWN)
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15 Responses
A very small but identifiable contingent of Frum Jews were also present to join in the outcry on this anniversary of the Supreme Court’s 1973 Roe v. Wade opinion legalizing most abortions.
IMO this is a huge mistake. The Religious Right’s view on abortion is NOT the same as the halachic view. If the radical anti abortionists get their way, all abortion would be criminalized in this country. A fetus would be regarded exactly as a living human being. That is NOT the way halachah views the issue. This is not the forum to get into the minutia of the halacha but suffice it to say that the torah’s view does not fit into any of the popular camps. And even assuming the law would recognize various exceptions, who is to say that those exceptions would be equivalent to the halachic view? It seems to me that there may even be potential pikuch nefesh concerns that might not allow frum yidden to engage in promoting the view of the anti abortionists.
Kol Hakovod! It is about time that Jews were not portrayed as abortion lovers, chas v’shalom, like the “other” denominations like to but celebrating and choosing life!!
Rabbi Levin is a tzadik. How many other frum people found the time to go there and show the country. Of course 200,000 people and no mention on any media outlet. Anybody know why? So is the media biased?
To LkwdGuy (no. 1):
Participation in this march does not mean endorsement of the legislative program.
To most people, it simply means you are against wholesale slaughter of innocent human beings.
Chazak Viematz to Rabbi Levin who is acting as our Shliach to be Marbeh Kvod Shomayim! What a tremendous Kiddush Hashem!
The halachic view is very similar to most of the pro-life views. It is only a minority position among goyim that oppose abortion when the mother’s life is in danger. They have a different theory behind their positions, but that shouldn’t affect practical politics.
It’s hard for American Jews to get excited about the issue since very few frum women would want an abortion, and secular Jews generally avoid unwanted pregnancies (indeed, they seem to have trouble reproducing at all, but that’s a different issue). A factor in our community is that people (especially women) are still seen as “kids” until they have children, which is radically different than the situation among goyim, and that our community is incredibly child-focused. Another factor is that most abortions in America are among people we probably wouldn’t know, or get along with (cf recent studies showing the fall in crime rates was a factor not of better police work, but of the generation aborted by Roe v. Wade reaching adolescence).
In Eretz Yisrael the issues are different, and I believe the coerced abortions are more common, and the victims there are all Jews. But that has, unfortunately, never motivated American Jews to get involved in the pro-life movement in the US.
akuperma,
In a case where the mother may or may not be at risk, who do want making the decision, the court or your rov?
Participation in this march does not mean endorsement of the legislative program.
To the extent that these demonstration have an impact on the legislative process my points stand.
I know frum people that took time to go down there. thats the way!!
For the anti abortion crowd there to see Rabbi Levin as a spokesman for the frum Jews is an embarrassment. Despite his claims to the contrary, he represents very few. Certainly there are more appropriate spokesmen for the community, if this was an event that Yidden should have attended. I assume that the more rational spokesmen chose not to attend for good reasons.
Yasher Koach Rabbi Yehuda Levin!
There is an issue of pikuach nefesh – there is a heter in such a case, which contradicts the pro-lifer’s, on the other hand, hefkerus and baby-killing with the ‘abortion on demand’ pro-choice crowd is worse, since the instances where a woman’s life is in danger are (according to my understanding) less than the incidents of casual abortions, committed by immoral, licentious irresponsible women. An uber is not the same as a person – however it is not a pile of flesh to be discarded – as usual, halacha is the rational choice – no immoral teenagers murdering the babies produced by their pritzus, and no mothers dying from medical complications.
You folks are missing the point. Roe v. Wade is not being reversed wholesale any time soon in this country. But when 200,000 non-Jews gather to speak out on a moral issue (how often do you see that?) it is scandalous if frum Jews, with full rights as citizens of this country to take part in the discussion of – and influence – public policy, would not have some representation at such an event. The gentiles think that Jews actually oppose their efforts to try to put the brakes on runaway abortion (as Pres. O. would like with the Freedom of Choice Act). I’ve been down to Washington for this event, and have been approached by hundreds of participants who were overwhelmed to know that Orthodox Jews and rabbis basically share these views. I believe it is a real kiddush Hashem, that the gentiles should see the Am Yisroel in a favorable light, as a decent and moral people.
To lakewood guy and others,
The hundreds of thousands of people attending this march have no idea about Rabbi Levin whether he davens in skver, lakewood, bobov or lubavitch.
All they know is that they traveled in many cases thousands of miles and took of work and all to stand up for whats right and they see that the jews and Rabbis are on this side as well. This is a big kiddush hashem and I can tell you as someone who has been there personally in the past. Don’t start getting so technical. What did you do today for klal yisroel besides blogging?
Can anyone clarify who is Rabbi Y Levin??