NFBW; Who says abortion ends a human life in Israel.
The issue of abortions, which are legal but require the okay of a medical termination panel — which approves nearly all cases — rarely captures headlines in Israel. But two lawmakers caused a stir this week when they convened a Knesset committee meeting Monday urging the inclusion of a religious figure on the panels, spotlighting the issue and drawing a furious response from female opposition Knesset members.
Some back-alley procedures called 'dangerous,' undertaken by 'nurses, dentists'; Health Ministry says it has no figures on phenomenon - 'How are we supposed to know?'
www.timesofisrael.com
Attendees at Monday’s at-times heated hearing focused primarily on condemning the proposed inclusion of a religious representative, F but also touched on whether to reconsider the longstanding practice of the termination panels altogether — under which, in 98.9% of cases last year — women between the ages of 17-40 were approved for abortions.
NFBW: Poor Thing ding. What Crusade will you join now? NFBW2208030001
Circumstances under which abortion is approved[edit]
Under a 1977 abortion law, a termination committee can approve an abortion, under sub-section 316a,
[10] in the following circumstances:
- The woman is younger than the legal marriage age in Israel (which currently is 18, raised from 17 in April 2013),[12] or older than forty. (This was later amended to also include women under the age of twenty.)[11]
- The pregnancy was conceived under illegal circumstances (rape, statutory rape, etc.), in an incestuous relationship, or outside of marriage.
- The fetus may have a physical or mental birth defect.
- Continued pregnancy may put the woman's life in risk, or damage her physically or mentally.
Previously, cases where the woman is between the ages of 20–33, and/or was granted an abortion due to the baby having been conceived under illegal circumstances or incest, the fetus had a serious physical or mental defect, the mother was unmarried, or the mother's health was in danger, the state pays for the abortion. However, the law was modified in 2014 to allow a free state-funded "health basket" for any woman seeking an abortion.
[11] Women who get pregnant while serving in the IDF are entitled to free, state-funded abortion.
[13][14]
In practice, most requests for abortion that qualify for the above are granted, and leniency is shown especially under the clause for emotional or psychological damage to the pregnant woman. The committees approve 98% of requests.
[15]
Structure of the committee[edit]
There are 41 termination committees operating in public or private hospitals across Israel.
[16] These committees consist of three members, two of which are licensed
physicians, and one a
social worker.
[10] Of the two physicians, one must be a specialist in
obstetrics and gynaecology, and the other one either OB/GYN,
internal medicine,
psychiatry,
family medicine, or
public health. At least one member must be a woman. Six separate committees consider abortion requests when the fetus is beyond 24 weeks old.
Abortion debate in Israel[edit]
There is an
abortion debate in Israel, although it is sidelined by more publicized and controversial issues. The debate as to the morality of abortion is antecedent to the debate about
separation of religion and state in the context of Israel as a
Jewish State and a
democracy.
Orthodox Jewish organizations, including political parties, strongly oppose abortion because most interpretations of
Jewish law view abortion as prohibited except for mother’s life.
[17] Political parties that champion this view include
Shas, a
Sephardic Haredi party;
United Torah Judaism, an
Ashkenazi Haredi party; and HaBayit HaYehudi (
Jewish Home), a
Religious Zionist party. A study published in 2001 found that opposition to abortion among Israelis was correlated to strong religious beliefs – particularly Orthodox Jewish beliefs – below-average income, larger family size, and identification with
right-wing politics.
[18]
The left-wing party
Meretz argues in favor of legalized abortion for reasons of
personal liberty. In 2006,
MK Zehava Gal-On of Meretz proposed a bill that would eliminate the termination committees, effectively
decriminalizing unrestricted abortion. Gal-On argued that women with financial means can have abortions in private
clinics, bypassing the committee and therefore gaining rights based on their wealth. The bill was rejected by a wide margin.
When the relevant section of the penal code was originally written, it contained a "social clause" permitting women to seek abortions for social reasons, such as economic distress.
[10] The clause was withdrawn in 1980 under the initiative of the Orthodox Jewish parties (see
Shas,
United Torah Judaism, and
National Religious Party).
This clause is still under debate in Israel. In 2004, MK Reshef Chen of
Shinui submitted an addendum to reinstate the clause, arguing that
under present circumstances, women with financial problems must lie to the termination committee to obtain approval under the emotional or psychological damage clause, and that "no advanced country compels its citizens to lie in order to preserve religious,
chauvinistic, patronizing archaic values". Women's organizations such as
Naamat supported the proposal.
[19]
Women's organizations such as Naamat
[20] and
Shdulat HaNashim (women's lobby)
[21] argue in favor for
feminist,
pro-choice reasons, such as
reproductive rights.
Efrat[22] is a religious organization that lobbies against abortions, as well as offering financial support to women who are considering abortion for economic reasons. Efrat's campaign includes stickers with the slogan, "Don't abort me" (
Hebrew: אל תפילו אותי). Be'ad Chaim
[23] is a Messianic Christian anti-abortion non-profit association. Another organization which provides financial support and counseling to women considering abortion is Just One Life (J.O.L.)
[24] – which in Hebrew is known as Nefesh Achat B'Yisrael.
en.wikipedia.org
