ence from the birth canal. Therefore one must sacrifice the potential life in order to save an existing one. Though it seems clear here, the issue of Judaism and Abortion is not so simple. This is due to the reluctance of Jewish legal authorities to establish a single principle by which to determine the morality of an abortion. The issue is both complex and multi-faceted, with roots going back to the bible.The Bible, on the other hand, has several things to say on the issue. “When men fight and one of them pushes a pregnant woman and a miscarriage results, but no other damage ensues, the one responsible shall be fined according as the woman’s husband may exact from him, the payment to be based on reckoning. But if other damage ensues, the penalty shall be life for life.” (Bible Exodus 21:22) ‘Life for life’ would indicate that a miscarriage is the loss of life. Moreover, it is equivalent to the life of the ‘responsible’. Therefore in this case the bible indicates that a miscarried fetus is equivalent to the death of an already-existent man. Other Bible scholars may state that trying to simplify what the bible says on abortion is improper. “ . . .American people are being told that the Bible condemns abortion. This invocation of the bible tends to simplify, for many people, what is actually a very complex issues. It becomes a matter of doing God’s will, no matter what the consequences might be for women, for their potential offspring, or for society.” (Ward 1)If a conclusion is derived merely from what is stated here, the bible is pro-choice. That is, only if pro-choice coincides with God’s will. Since no one other than God knows God’s will, it is very hard to determine the bible’s stance on abortion beyond saying it’s ‘conditionally acceptable.’ Unfortunately, no one but God knows what those conditions are.Buddhism has a more...
