[Daveinyork]

"Quoting one person for the view of Judaism is pretty lame. I would be willing to bet large amounts of money that reform (i.e. liberal) Jewish rabbis have a far different view on abortion than conservative or orthodox rabbis."

A passage in Exodus, that many liberal Jews claim supports a pro-choice positon, actually, if literally translated from Hebrew, calls a woman's fetus, "Yilodehah", or "her child."

The Talmud claims that human life begins when the soul and the body are united, which, it claims, begins on the 40th day after conception. The Talmud permits, actually, requires an abortion if the pregnancy endangers the life of the mother. A life is not to be traded for a life, and the unborn child is viewed as a pursuer of the life the mother, and must be stopped.

Otherwise, abortion is not permitted. I don't know where the more liberal members of my faith get off claiming that Judaism is not pro-life. After all, when we toast, we say "LeChayim" "To Life!"

[ml/nj]

A passage in Exodus, that many liberal Jews claim supports a pro-choice positon, actually, if literally translated from Hebrew, calls a woman's fetus, "Yilodehah", or "her child."

In Genesis, Rebecca's Jacob and Esau are called "habanim" (the children) when they struggle with each other within her womb. The story of their lives clearly begins before their birth and is barely interrupted by it.

ML/NJ