In Judaism, the general idea is that the life of the mother takes priority *until* the baby is actually being born; once it's head is engaged, then it's a different matter. But abortion is permitted when there is deemed to be a serious risk of emotional, physical or psychological damage to the mother.
As FEIVEL rightly notes, there are no hard and fast rules. Personally, I respect the Jewish stance on abortion: it employs common sense and compassion.
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You cannot have an abortion for “trivial” reasons like using abortion as birth control or because you cannot afford the child. The child is not a legal person until it is born but it is a potential person so it does have a limitied number of rights. Depending on your personal views, it would be right to say abortion is allowed and also that abortion is frowned upon.
I know of a story where the mother had cancer and refused to get treatment because she was pregnant. The doctors told her she should abort the fetuses (she had twins) so she could get radiation treatment. She refused because she wanted the babies. Her husband died in a car accident a short time after she became pregnant. By postponing her cancer treatment she was signing her own death warrant in a effect. She had the babies and died 3-4 years later.
A debate insued in the community about whether or not she was right in not having an abortion. There was not hard and fast answer.
It is an issue we grapple with just like the world at large.
I have a brother who is autistic and my sister once asked my parents if they could have known he was autistic if they would have aborted him and both said “Absolutely not”.
References :
Modern Orthodox Jew ]]>
There may be exceptions of the mother’s life is in danger.
References :
References :
Modern Orthodox Jew ]]>