Jewish Perspectives about Abortion

It is non to be cadaverous to a position which is tacit as entirely pro biography or prochoice. These polarized positions would misrepresent the Judaic position on abortion. Paradoxic aloney, the American Jewish perspective on abortion is both(prenominal). Yet in mark to understand the complexity of Jewish law and tradition regarding the expectant woman and her fetus more must first be understood about the origins of Jewish thought and life practice. Jewish law traces itself back to the halakhah or "the way." The halakhah can be understood as those social codes which ar to be seen as enforceable in the courts. The halakhah stands in ancestry to agadah or haggadah which is to be write as "the lore." consort to Jewish custom, all actions which are not to be guided formally by halakhah are to be prescribed by the dictums of agadah which seizes for greater individual freedom. In attempting to tinge exactly what the Jewish position on abortion should be and in explaining how it is achieved sometimes an overemphasis upon Jewish law or Halacha has been used. David Kraemer, a professor of Talmud and Rabbinics at the Jewish Theological Seminary, indicates that to equate Halacha and moral philosophy reveals an unacceptably sloppy sociological and theological framework. Kraemer indicates that there are actually four crucial differences between Halacha and ethics: first, Halacha defines a narrow canon while ethics must be much

Feder's three scholarly objections to the abortion-on- supplicate advocates underscores both the volatility and complexity of the topic. Feder appears to stand in direct contrast to Aaron's reasoned commentary. Aaron explicitly states that "it has been the traditional belief in Judaism that life does not begin until the child is actually born." Aaron indicates that even within the rigors of Jewish-Orthodox belief a "strong precedent" exists which "would allow abortion to preserve the physical health of the mother." Yet the rattling ethical status of the rabbi is limited within Conservative and tidy traditions. Here the rabbi can offer counsel, but the congregants must deal for themselves what is the best course of action to take.

Yet this above declared belief is not one which is staunchly held across all spectrums of Jewish thought. Writing in The National Review, Don Feder, a syndicated columnist for the Boston Herald adopts a Right to spirit position. Feder is concerned that the liberal position of Rabbi Stern, incidentally the daughter of far-famed violinist Isaac Stern, will be considered the true Jewish position. According to Feder since Jesus said nothing about abortion and capital of Minnesota very little, the true foundation for Christian opposition to feticide is Judaism. Feder labels the position that "we may do whatever we wish with our avouch person" "is alien to normative Judaism." Feder compares Rabbi Stern's abortion on demand advocacy as representative of Jewish thought as Dignity, the gay Catholic group's representative voice on Catholicism. Feder's feature position cannot be so liberally conceived.

Women. New Brunswick, NJ: Brunswick University Press, 1991.

Borowitz, Eugene B. Exploring Jewish Ethics on Covenant Response. Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 1990.

Conservative, Orthodox and Reconstructionist Traditions in Historical Perspective. San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1984.

M.E. "Abortion." In Encyclopedia of Judaica, Vol. 2 1971.

Fishma
Order your essay at Orderessay and get a 100% original and high-quality custom paper within the required time frame.