estants vary greatly with the opinions of the Catholics and tend to see each case as a unique circumstance in which it is the pregnant womans decision to either keep the baby or abort it (5). Catholics could quell some of their problems if they allowed the use of birth control, which would obviously lessen the occurrence of unwanted pregnancy. Christianity, for the most part, yields a generally negative view on abortions, but more contemporary Christians are divided on whether it can be justified in cases such as rape, incest, or extreme health risks to the woman (5). As for Judaism, it is believed that the fetus has great value because it is potentially a human life. Abortions can only be done on the terms that the mother would be in grave danger if she were to give birth, and can not be performed because of any imperfections the child might have or any financial stress it might put on the mother of the family. Most authorities do not permit abortion in the even that the fetus is genetically defective or will probably pick up a disease from its mother. The rationale is that even though the child will be malformed, disabled, or diseased, it would still be formed in t he image of the creator (ReligiousTolerance.org 1). Abortions can also be done in the case that the woman was suicidal because of the pregnancy or that the woman was raped. Unlike in Christianity, where there are different beliefs of when a fetus becomes a person, in Judaism there is a defined time when the fetus becomes a person. It occurs when the forehead of the fetus emerges from the birth canal, or, in the case of a breech birth, when the feet emerge from the body (1).Also, unlike in Christianity, Conservative, Reconstructionist and Reform Jews are formally opposed to government regulation of abortion. They feel that the decision should rest with the woman, her husband, doctor, and clergyperson. Some Orthodox authorities agree with this stance. This varied f...
