Zeev's Turnips Talk Politics (ZTTP)

[Zeev Hed]

It is quite simple, Jewish law has "gradation" of sins, sometimes one is forced to chose between two bad situation. A question that has been discussed at length in Judaism (the Talmud) has been the choice between a "Living mother" and an unborn fetus. The law of "shall not Kill", and one saving a single life is like one saving a whole world" are much more important than what I presume would be the law of "and thou shall multiply" (saving the unborn fetus). Thus Talmudic law has always been that if a choice must be made between saving the life of the unborn child and the living mother, the living mother is the choice. Remember that even just 100 years ago, more than one of 11 birth resulted in the mother's death, in antique times, it might have been much worse, and thus such a decision was a common dilemma. If one accept the catholic tenet, one has to save the unborn (and that is, I believe current Catholic Dogma" but correct me if I am wrong). Prohibiting abortion under all circumstances will definitely violate many instances were Jewish law would call for an abortion.

Zeev