Judaism and Abortion
Yes, we went there...
(Scroll down for an update on the next edJEWcation Book Club selection)
Oh boy. Here we go…
This week we decided to tackle the oh-so-non-controversial, milquetoast, mundane topic of the big A.
No, the A does not stand for Alcoholism, Agamemnon, or Adult Diapers. It stands for Abortion.
We’ve batted around discussing it for a while now and decided to avoid it (for probably obvious reasons). However, the great Kat Rosenfield wrote an article for The Free Press last week, which hit me like an AK-47 round right in the feels and made the time seem right to touch the seven million-degree stove.
In an article entitled, The Men Who Lost Their Babies, Kat describes the emotional pain men experience from a lost pregnancy by interviewing around a half dozen men who have gone through this painful experience, either due to miscarriage or abortion.
As one of those types of men, the article was a challenging but also cathartic read, as I expressed in the podcast this week.
In this conversation, we delve into the nuances of Jewish law regarding abortion, the concept of a Rodef (someone pursuing another person with the intent of killing them), and the cultural shifts in understanding reproductive rights.
We discuss the complexities of grief, parenting, and societal attitudes towards abortion over time, the emotional experiences of both mothers and fathers in the context of pregnancy loss, the spiritual beliefs surrounding unborn life, and the cultural shifts in how abortion is perceived.
We close out by emphasizing the need for support structures for women facing unexpected pregnancies and discuss the moral implications of valuing life based on desire versus inherent value and the importance of shared grieving within relationships.
Of course, we’re always interested in hearing your thoughts, but we’ll be particularly interested in this episode, so please comment below or send us a note to edjewcationpod@gmail.com
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Finally, if you read along with the edJEWcation Book Club, you’ll be excited to know we are announcing our next selection…The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis
I went to shabbat services this past Friday because the news of the Bibas family is so heartbreaking and I wanted to hear something meaningful from the rabbi. The Bibas family was mentioned and the service promptly moved on to hear from a new female rabbi who is under 30 and childless. In the same week that the world learned about the murder of Jewish children, this woman thought it was a good idea to talk about how reproductive rights (aka abortion on demand) is a Jewish value. I thought the discussion, especially the timing was abhorrent.
I listened to this episode Saturday night and you can imagine my surprise to learn that reproductive rights is in fact, not a Jewish value – especially since I have heard that exact line a million times. I thought the episode was handled beautifully. And as this crappy, crappy week comes to an end, I’m left wondering yet again, what is wrong with the Reform movement?
Thank you so much for being brave and addressing this issue. I am a former liberal Jew, now leaning more conservative and my views on abortion "rights" are evolving in that direction as well. I just want to take issue with the Rabbi's obvious anti-right-wing stance on objecting to the legality of abortion without providing any services for the mother. My understanding is that many Catholic organizations provide exactly that. Way more so than Jewish organizations. It would be great to have a safety net for moms, but liberal circles don't provide that, the government doesn't provide that, and where I think you can find that is through churches. I actually found myself feeling defensive every time he mentions right-wing nuts! Who woulda thought?