In the wake of today’s U.S. Supreme Court decision upholding a law prohibiting “partial-birth abortion,” Agudath Israel of America’s executive vice president for government and public affairs, Rabbi David Zwiebel, stated: “We have long supported laws like the statute upheld by the Supreme Court, and we are gratified by the decision.
“The laws of civilized societies reflect and shape the values of those societies. At a time when social and cultural trends tend to undervalue human life, laws that prohibit the killing of partially delivered fetuses serve as a vital reminder of the enormity of the moral issues surrounding the taking of human life.
“While Agudath Israel continues to call for legal protection for fetal life as well, we welcome as at least a minimally appropriate step laws like the one upheld by the High Court today.”
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5 Responses
A statement like this is meant for the secular ignorant masses, lest they C’V think that Judaism does not support the unborn children.
I hope that sometimes the Aguda gets this out to the millions of evangelical christians who often think that Jews support abortion – since the reform, for example, so agressively support it – and this is what is seen in the news.
Except that is not so poshut. In a case where the mother’s life is in danger, Christian Law favors saving baby, even if it means that the mother might die.
Halacha – Jewish Law favors the mother – even if saving the mother means that the baby might die. In such a case, abortion would be halachiclally sanctioned.
(Igros Moshe Rav Moshe Feinstein z’tl I believe says this in igros moshe regarding the mother’s life. From what I read concerning the Tzitz eliezer,rav eliezer yehuda waldenberg z’tl also permitted abortion in cases of extreme birth defects and even in cases of mental danger to the mother).
It is not so simple that Jewish Law and Christian law are always in synch in many issues.
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Der Yid: This decision had an exepmtion to save the life of the mother.
der yid, it is only permitted to do that to save a 613 mother. the 7 noahide laws do not allow this exception.