Research Paper on The Role of God in Changing Beliefs About Abortions in Judaism

This research paper will investigate the question “What role did God play in changing beliefs about abortion in Judaism?”

The first source I have selected for my detailed analysis is a Jew mom’s opinion on abortion. This source is a book that was published in 1976. This book was authored by Blu Greenberg, an American writer specializing in modern Judaism and women’s issues. The source was published in 1976, in the Spring issue of the journal Judaism. She published her work to show God’s perspective on abortion and if it is right or wrong.

The second source I selected for my research paper was another academics’ opinion on abortion Jewish woman's opinion on abortion. The source is an article that was published in 2009. The author of this article is Tirzah Meacham. She published the article in the Jewish Women’s Archive, on March 1st 2009. In this article she writes about, and also shows, many perspectives on abortion.

In the first primary source the author is stating what Jewish women believed was right at the time about abortion. The author’s intent in creating this primary document would be to say her opinions on abortion and also how other women feel about this topic. Blu definitely achieved her goal. Women today read this book and see what women would do according to Judaism, so they get a religious point of view on abortion. This document is useful to me because I can quote her opinions and beliefs about abortion. This document has many strengths like it is very detailed and since the author, Greenberg, is very religious she would always choose what the Jewish god would say is right. Some limitations that the document has are that she doesn’t really focus on what she would do if she were the one who had to make a decision regarding abortion. She focuses more on what other women should think is right or wrong.

My second primary document is a historical encyclopedia. This encyclopedia talks about other Jew woman's opinion on abortion. The document was published March 1st, 2009. A Jew mom called Tirzah Meacham created this primary document. Like the last source it is stating what Jewish women believed was right at the time about abortion. To share the opinion of a Jew women’s opinion and thoughts about abortion. The author’s intent in creating this primary document is to say her opinions on abortion and also how they feel about this topic. Tirzah certainly reached her goal of getting people to read her article. She shows her opinion in a modern way to make people relate to what she is feeling. When others read her article they see different points of views. She wants people to see not only what god would want but also what would be right to her. This document is very useful for me because it gives a clear perspective of what they believe that god would think of them.

A limitation that this document has is that it is very generalized. The document could be a little more specific on other people’s thoughts, on god's thoughts, etc…Like most people, many Jews disagree on abortion. But most Jews are Pro- life but others believe that you can terminate a fetus because the fetus is still no alive. Jews believe that God says that abortion is wrong.

According to Judaism there are only certain cases where you can get an abortion. The role God played in changing beliefs about abortion in Judaism was very influential. Most Jews take God’s words, as they appear in the Torah, very seriously. They make most decisions thinking about the Torah and what God commands them to do or advise them to do. The majority of Jews believe that if you get an abortion you will be punished. Jews say that getting an abortion is like killing a living human. There are only certain cases where you are permitted and not punished if you get an abortion. For example, one case is if the pregnancy is threatening the mother's life you are allowed to terminate the pregnancy. But if you decide that you want to get an abortion because you do not want the baby, God will punish you. He punishes you because he is giving you a life to take care of and you are terminating a life. The minority of Jews believe that abortion should be legalized and accepted in all cases. They believe that if you are not ready to give birth to a child, you should not have a life in your hands. As the author says, in the case of Jews living in the United States: “Most American Jews strongly support legalized abortion: A 2015 Pew Research Forum survey found that 83 percent of American Jews, more than any other religious group, say abortion should be legal in most cases”. Others believe that abortion should be accepted. They also say that God doesn’t say anything about abortion in the Torah.

“The Torah doesn't consider the fetus to be life 'the Torah didn't penalty the person for involuntary manslaughter must be the fetus isn't life' with a broader knowledge of rabbinic law one sees how this logic is a false conclusion. In Makkos 7:b the Gemara in passing tells us that a person who intentionally kills a baby less than a month old isn't punished for murder because we consider it as if the baby was going to die anyway, he is still a murderer and the baby is still considered life. We see the same by someone who intentionally kills a person who is terminally ill, as heinous as the sin is, he isn't charged with murder either. In Torah the lack of penalty doesn't mean the absence of life or wrongdoing.”

To conclude this research paper on abortions, I can say that the role God played in changing beliefs about abortion in Judaism was different to many people. God changed many beliefs about abortion to theological Jews. They believed that whatever God intended to happen was the right thing. They also believe that things happen for a reason.