Why an Orthodox Jewish organization welcomed the end of Roe v. Wade – JTA News – Jewish Telegraphic Agency
Posted By admin on July 10, 2022
(JTA) Agudath Israel of America, the national Orthodox Jewish organization for which I work, welcomed the U.S. Supreme Courts reversal of Roe v. Wade. Predictably, we were immediately cast into an enemy or ally box, depending on who was doing the casting.
The first group assumed that we dont care about women; the second, that we were embracing the Christian evangelical agenda.
Neither is remotely the case. We care about Judaism and embrace only it.
From a Jewish perspective, to be sure, the contention that there can be entirely proper reasons for a woman to seek an abortion is not arguable.
RELATED: Leading Orthodox groups cheered the end of Roe v. Wade. Many Orthodox women are panicking.
There are cases in which, according to Jewish tradition, the option of abortion needs to be available such as when a pregnancys progression threatens the life of the potential mother. Moreover, in cases where a fetus has genetic abnormalities or will face a fatal disease after birth, there are Jewish decisors who would sanction abortion, at least up to a point.
Nor can anyone claim that American women, including Jewish ones, havent suffered, or even died, as a result of pre-Roe abortion restrictions. The stories are many, and they are rightly wrenching.
But no one can claim, at least not with the support of facts, that the Jewish religious tradition considers abortion to be a mere matter of a womans (or, for that matter, a mans) personal choice, the abiding mantra of so many Americans today. The most common reasons in 92% of cases, according to a 2004 Guttmacher Institute study that women give for having an abortion have to do with economic, timing or partner-related concerns.
While such motivations may be endorsed by many Americans as worthy, legitimate reasons to opt for abortion, Judaism rejects them as entirely inappropriate factors to be weighted in a decision of such gravity as the decision to end a developing life.
Abortion is a topic dealt with in detail by a wealth of both time-honored and contemporary Jewish religious law responsa. While various Jewish legal opinions may take different approaches to the nature of the issue, the decisors of Jewish law who guide us indisputably hold that, absent extraordinary circumstances, terminating a pregnancy is a grave sin.
And so, the fact that a number of Jewish groups have wholeheartedly joined the womans choice chorus, no less in the name of Judaism, compelled us to speak up, if only to clear the Jewish record.
However, because of the exceptions, rare though they blessedly are, that allow abortions under certain circumstances, Agudath Israel of America has never supported, and cannot support, any state legislation that would outlaw abortion unqualifiedly or give a fetus the status of a person. Abortion-limiting laws must preserve a right to terminate a pregnancy in cases like those mentioned above, both as a matter of constitutional free exercise of religion and of moral principle.
But the bottom line for us is Jewish religious laws indisputable judgment about fetal life: It is entitled to our protection. And no one should be allowed to misrepresent as a Jewish view anything other than that well-established truth.
Now, of course, there is no reason that American law need reflect Jewish values. But even without looking to Judaism for guidance, a civil society, through its laws, should want to promote a social ethic that affirms the supreme value of life. Allowing abortion at will does the opposite. It behooves Jews and non-Jews alike to be deeply concerned by the millions of potential lives Jewish and non-Jewish alike yearly snuffed out because fetuses were not protected.
RELATED: Overturning Roe would be an unconscionable infringement on the religious freedom of Orthodox Jews
In this post-Roe world, citizens in each state are charged with, through their elected officials, crafting laws to govern abortion. Our goal as Jews should be to promote laws that treat developing life with reverence, even while accommodating the protection of womens lives according to our religious concerns.
The ready availability of safe at-home abortifacients that can be mailed across state lines, and the ability of women to travel, at no expense, due to various groups offers, to other states where abortion is unfettered, would allow women to undergo an abortion in the rare circumstances sanctioned by Jewish law. Nevertheless, outlawing abortion without allowing for exceptions, including sincere religious convictions, is unacceptable arguably, unconstitutional.
And so, in the end, some of the laws that the pro-choice movement will oppose will be opposed as well by observant Orthodox Jews.
Not, though, because we embrace the idea of abortion as a choice to be made by anyone for any reason. But, rather, because of what our faith requires of us.
What it also requires, however, is that we and all people do all we can to greatly decrease the number of developing lives that some would, without the requisite contemplation, destroy. To embrace, in other words, a culture that celebrates life.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of JTA or its parent company, 70 Faces Media.
Read more from the original source:
- Holocaust - Jewish resistance, liberation of camps, Nurnberg - June 8th, 2023
- In first, artificial intelligence used for Holocaust education - The Times of Israel - June 8th, 2023
- Torah transported in bazooka case among artifacts in Toronto's new Holocaust museum - The Globe and Mail - June 8th, 2023
- A first look at the Holocaust Museum set to open in Boston in 2026 - WBUR News - June 8th, 2023
- The mystery of the Holocaust survivor and the Dukes cricket ball - The Guardian - June 8th, 2023
- Opinion: In Poland, the truth about the Holocaust continues to come under attack - The Globe and Mail - June 6th, 2023
- A new miniseries has reminded me again that the Holocaust was not 'long ago or far away' - WBUR News - June 6th, 2023
- Opinion | The Postcard and the Urgency of Holocaust Storytelling - The New York Times - June 6th, 2023
- Harvard affirmative action challenge partly based on Holocaust deniers work - The Guardian - June 6th, 2023
- New images released of Holocaust museum coming to Boston in 2026 - CBS Boston - June 6th, 2023
- Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education plans to reopen this weekend - Oregon Public Broadcasting - June 6th, 2023
- At 12, I was in Auschwitz. My parents and seven siblings were murdered. Here is how I built a life - The Guardian - June 6th, 2023
- We Must Acknowledge Hard Truths About the Holocaust in Poland - Europe - Haaretz - May 20th, 2023
- The Zone Of Interest Review: Jonathan Glazers Stunning Look At The Holocaust In A Way It Has Not Been Seen Cannes Film Festival - Deadline - May 20th, 2023
- Jonathan Glazer On His Holocaust Pic Zone Of Interest & The Dangers Of Far-Right Resurgence Today - Deadline - May 20th, 2023
- The Zone of Interest review Jonathan Glazer adapts Martin Amiss chilling Holocaust drama - The Guardian - May 20th, 2023
- US antisemitism envoy slams Abbas: Goebbels speech an affront to Holocaust victims - The Times of Israel - May 20th, 2023
- The Zone of Interest, a Holocaust Drama, Debuts at Cannes - The New York Times - May 20th, 2023
- The Zone of Interest review from Cannes: Five stars for Jonathan ... - BBC - May 20th, 2023
- Now on display, UK Jews correspondence shows the Holocaust unfolding in real-time - The Times of Israel - May 17th, 2023
- David Starkey lambasted for saying Left-wingers want to 'replace' Holocaust with slavery - The Telegraph - May 17th, 2023
- 2 books on Holocaust rejected by Florida Department of Education - FOX 35 Orlando - May 17th, 2023
- I'm an educator and grandson of Holocaust survivors, and I see public schools failing to give students the historical knowledge they need to keep our... - May 15th, 2023
- Holocaust Museum Houstons newest exhibit celebrates the history, culture, and food of the Jewish deli - Houston Public Media - May 5th, 2023
- Meet the Texan who liberated the first German concentration camp nearly 78 years ago to the day - WFAA.com - May 3rd, 2023
- Ohio draft budget increases security, Holocaust education funding - Cleveland Jewish News - April 30th, 2023
- Andrew Bridgen: MP kicked out of Tory party after comparing COVID vaccines to Holocaust - Sky News - April 27th, 2023
- Fashion icon Diane von Furstenberg: Holocaust survivor mother is my main inspiration - The Times of Israel - April 24th, 2023
- Cello that survived the Holocaust now 'sings' in Cincinnati - WKRC TV Cincinnati - April 24th, 2023
- Holocaust Remembrance Day 2023 honors Jewish victims of WWII Nazi genocide - USA TODAY - April 20th, 2023
- Auschwitz Memorial criticizes WWE for using image of concentration camp in promotion - CBS News - April 10th, 2023
- Michigan GOP faces backlash for tweet tying gun reform to Holocaust - CNN - March 25th, 2023
- The Holocaust: Facts, Survivor Stories, Documentaries & More - PBS - March 14th, 2023
- An apology to the victims of the Holocaust for the silence of my great-uncle Subhas Chandra Bose - Scroll.in - March 14th, 2023
- Rare Marilyn Monroe footage preserved by Holocaust survivor who escaped Nazis with help of Superman publisher - Fox News - February 19th, 2023
- A Timeline of the Holocaust | My Jewish Learning - January 21st, 2023
- British parliament member booted from Conservative Party after comparing COVID-19 vaccination to Holocaust - JTA News - Jewish Telegraphic Agency - January 12th, 2023
- Trump Meets With White Supremacist And Holocaust Denier Nick Fuentes ... - January 2nd, 2023
- Online Bookstore: Books, NOOK ebooks, Music, Movies & Toys - November 23rd, 2022
- Fact check: Poster was once sold at U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum - November 23rd, 2022
- Two new movies, Till and U.S. and the Holocaust, help us connect the dots between Jim Crow and fascism - Andscape - November 23rd, 2022
- Villager Maggie Wacker recently donated her fathers diary to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum - The Villages Daily Sun - November 23rd, 2022
- The Holocaust | Facing History and Ourselves - October 27th, 2022
- Kanye was invited to tour a Holocaust museum. Would it have worked? - eJewish Philanthropy - October 27th, 2022
- Sisters who survived Holocaust die days apart in Alabama - October 19th, 2022
- How one Colorado Republican shaped what students will learn about the Holocaust - Chalkbeat Colorado - October 19th, 2022
- Holocaust-surviving lawmaker opens Italy's Senate, even as the far-right takes office - NPR - October 19th, 2022
- Child Survivor of the Holocaust - aish.com - Aish.com - October 19th, 2022
- The moral corruption of Holocaust fiction - The New Statesman - October 19th, 2022
- Historian: Holocaust Comparisons Are Frequent In US Politics - Texas A&M University Today - October 8th, 2022
- 'Hidden child' Holocaust survivor to speak at S&T - Missouri S&T News and Research - October 8th, 2022
- Powell-Heller Conference explores before, during and after the Holocaust - Pacific Lutheran University - October 8th, 2022
- It's Yom Kippur. What is the holiday? How is it observed? | Opinion - Pennsylvania Capital-Star - October 8th, 2022
- Eastern Michigan University to host "The U.S. and the Holocaust" documentary webinar - Oct. 13 - EMU Today - October 6th, 2022
- S&T professor to give a talk on liberation of concentration camps - Missouri S&T News and Research - October 6th, 2022
- On the Anniversary of the Massacre at Babyn Yar: Joint Statement from Special Envoys for Holocaust Issues Condemning Russian Actions in Ukraine - U.S.... - October 2nd, 2022
- Ken Burns Turns His Lens on the American Response to the Holocaust - The New Yorker - September 23rd, 2022
- 'Shadowland' Could Be a Sequel to 'The U.S. and the Holocaust' - TIME - September 23rd, 2022
- A life of remarkable resolve - The story of Shaul Ladany, survivor of the Holocaust and Munich massacre - ESPN - September 23rd, 2022
- The U.S. and the Holocaust - Eight, Arizona PBS - September 23rd, 2022
- US Response to the Holocaust Explored in New PBS Documentary - WTTW News - September 23rd, 2022
- Iranian presidents remarks on the Holocaust spark outcry in Israel - PBS NewsHour - September 19th, 2022
- The U.S. and the Holocaust. Revisiting America's Role | THIRTEEN - New York Public Media - MetroFocus - September 19th, 2022
- Stand against Israel's attack on Palestinian human rights organisations - rabble.ca - August 30th, 2022
- Japhetites - Wikipedia - August 25th, 2022
- Common sense is not so common! You'll never believe the stupid answers and quotes given by these stars! - The Daily Post-Athenian - August 25th, 2022
- Biden meets with Holocaust survivors at memorial in Jerusalem - ABC News - July 14th, 2022
- Holocaust: Meeting the last witnesses to the Vl d'Hiv roundup, 80 years on - FRANCE 24 English - July 14th, 2022
- 'The Jewish Experience': Films find multiplicity of cultures - Rutland Herald - July 10th, 2022
- New archway brings recognition to Jewish cemetery in South Haven - Herald Palladium - July 10th, 2022
- Libya sees rebirth of traditional jewelry craft once taught by Jewish artisans - The Times of Israel - July 10th, 2022
- Jewish Population of the World - June 30th, 2022
- Good Within Bad - The Jewish Press - JewishPress.com - June 30th, 2022
- From Loneliness To Oneness: The Endless Expansion of Self - The Jewish Press - JewishPress.com - June 30th, 2022
- What's The Real Purpose Of Aleinu? (Part II) - The Jewish Press - JewishPress.com - June 30th, 2022
- Cambridge to mark Refugee Week and Holocaust Memorial Day at free civic event on Sunday 26 June - Cambridge City Council - June 26th, 2022
- Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff Visits USC Shoah Foundation - University of Southern California - June 14th, 2022
- Opinion | Russia's Missiles Are Burning the History of Ukraine's Babyn Yar Ravine - The New York Times - June 14th, 2022
- Guildhall exhibitions focus on emigration and exile ahead of Refugee Week - Leicester News - June 14th, 2022
- 80 years ago Anne Frank started her diary, a landmark of world literature - FRANCE 24 English - June 13th, 2022
Comments