{"id":249614,"date":"2021-07-24T11:30:31","date_gmt":"2021-07-24T16:30:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/?p=249614"},"modified":"2021-07-23T15:16:37","modified_gmt":"2021-07-23T20:16:37","slug":"choose-life-jewish-case-against-abortion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/choose-life-jewish-case-against-abortion\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Now choose life’: The Jewish case against abortion"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this guest post are solely those of the author and are not necessarily reflective of Live Action or Live Action News.<\/i><\/p>\n

Judaism is the original pro-life religion. It was the first religion in human history to sanctify human life from conception to natural death and to prohibit child sacrifice.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Jewish case against abortion comes directly from the Jewish bible, which commands us to protect innocent life wherever and whenever possible. <\/span>Proverbs 24:11-12: <\/span><\/i>\u201c<\/span><\/i>Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter. If you say, \u2018But we knew nothing about this\u2019, does not He who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not He who guards your life know it? Will He not repay everyone for what they have done?\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

The Jewish bible prohibits child sacrifice, the modern day version being abortion, in Leviticus 18:21:<\/span> \u201cDo not give any of your children to be sacrificed to Molek, for you must not profane the name of your God. I am the Lord.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Jewish law considers abortion to be murder. Moses ben Maimon (Maimonides), an influential Torah scholar, rabbi, legal authority, physician and philosopher, declared in his compilation of Jewish law, the Mishneh Torah: \u201cThe definition of murder according to the Noahide Laws <\/span>includes a person \u2018who kills even one unborn in the womb of its mother,\u2019 and adds that such a person is liable for the death penalty.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

The Talmud, a collection of writings that covers the full gamut of Jewish law and tradition, <\/span>says that an unborn child is included in the Noahide prohibition of bloodshed that is learned from Genesis 9:6-7: (from a direct translation of the <\/span>original text)<\/span>\u00a0\u201cHe who spills the blood of man within man shall have his blood spilt for in the image of God made He man. And you, be fruitful, and multiply; swarm in the earth, and multiply therein.\u201d<\/span><\/i> The Talmud interprets<\/span> “the blood of man in man” to include a child in the womb, which is the blood of man in man. <\/span><\/i>Things that are prohibited under the Noahide laws are also prohibited to Jews.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n