Jewish Ethical Bioethics

Human life begins at conception and so abortion is murder. God created every human being in his own image and with

Every individual defines pain differently, so “without interrogation, we cannot know for sure what the fetus feels” (British Medical Journal). As we know, asking a fetus if it feels pain is impossible, and assuming that they do could be wrong. Considering these statements, abortion cannot technically be called murder. Fetuses are not self-aware, rational, or attentive like humans. From a religious standpoint, I understand why people consider abortion murder. A fetus has the potential for life, and that they consider that potential life a real life. However, stretching this idea farther, sperm also have the potential for life, but many of these people are not against sex or masturbation. Fertilization has not yet occurred, but the potential is still there. According to scientific evidence, a fetus has a fifty to seventy percent chance of becoming a feasible human being. These chances are relatively high, but not a guarantee, and not yet a life. One cannot kill something that is not yet alive.

When the beginning of life actually occurs is clearly not a topic to be taken lightly in today’s modern world. Majority of the population’s answers to this question are based on each individuals opinion and is supported by what they believe. In general, there are two sides of the argument. One is that life begins at the time of conception. The other belief is that life doesn’t begin until the drawing of the first breath. The true dilemma here is not the accurate pinpointing of life’s beginning, but the questions that accompany this topic and each individuals desire to do the right thing, the moral thing. While one point of view allows for abortion the other does not. The issue raises many questions of morality. Is abortion moral? When does it become murder? When is it permissible? (Life of the mother at stake / A product of rape). Should it be the mother’s choice? Many arguments for both sides pull from scripture and scientific articulations.

Both the value one places on life and the question of when life begins plays a huge role in the debate over abortion. Though people who are not part of a religion or are not spiritual have their own beliefs, much of the debate does come from a religious perspective. So when does human life begin? Some believe it is the moment of conception, others at the time when the baby can live independently from the mother, and still others believe it is when the baby takes his/her first breath. This is important because depending on when a person believes a life is valuable or that a fetus becomes a person, may make an impact on whether or not an individual is for or against abortion.

According to Webster Dictionary, abortion is “the termination of a pregnancy after, accompanied by, resulting in, or closely followed by the death of the embryo or fetus”. There are two sides when it comes to abortion: pro-life and pro-choice. Pro-life supporters are usually religious individuals, individuals who believe it is a kind of murder, and/or people who believe in the sanctity of life. Pro-choice supporters are normally individuals who believe a woman has the right to her own body, it is not a form of murder, and some individuals believe that there are limits. The main point of disagreement between both of these sides is whether an embryo/ fetus is a human so should it be legal or illegal and is it immoral?

I think what I have trouble with is the age-old question of when life actually begins. Do they not think of the embryo as an actual baby? Medical and surgical abortion procedures are performed through the first trimester, or the first three months, or twelve weeks. Let's look at the development of the baby in the first twelve weeks. Six weeks into the pregnancy the embryo has a head, eyes, ears, and a heart with two chambers. Seven weeks the limb buds have grown into arms and legs. By eight weeks the eyes, ears, and head are growing and the face is developing. Fingers and toes can also be seen. Week nine see’s the external genitals appear and by week twelve they have fully differentiated to male or female genitals. So essentially by the end of the first trimester the embryo is fully formed. Dilation and curettage, (D&C), dilation and evacuation (D&E), and induction abortions are all performed through the first trimester or the first three months. All organs are fully developed at this time. Third term abortions are also referred to as late term abortions these are not legal in a number of states, mainly because there is a debate about when the fetus actually become viable to where it can live outside the mother's womb. The majority of medical professionals claim at 24 weeks the fetus is viable. Induction abortions and Dilation and Extraction (D&E) are the abortion

Most people don’t realize this is murder because they haven’t seen the baby yet and haven’t realized it was alive. The opposite side may say that the baby isn’t a “human” until it's out of the womb, so it’s not considered murder.A baby’s life starts in the first 2 weeks, in these weeks the genetics are formed. (“Abortion”). Between 2 and 9 weeks, 90% of the body is already formed and the heart starts to beat. The brain, internal organs, eyes, nerves, and muscle movement in arm formed as well. Once they are 10 weeks old, their heart pumps blood, their facial expressions form and the body is sensitive. In 12 to 16 weeks, the legs and arms can move together, nervous system forms and eye movements are made. When it reaches 18 weeks, it develops pain sensory, and cerebral cortex. In 20 weeks, the baby can now sleep, wake and hear noises like normal babies. After 24 weeks, it develops tastes, and now has a 80% survival rate if it is born now. (“Abortion”). This is considered murder because the baby can do everything a human can do, it's just still in the womb. Over 90% of abortion clinics let you have abortions up to 13 weeks where the eye movement takes place. (Bailey 7) Abortion clinics offer abortions after 20

Abortion is not murder, and can be life -saving. The statement, “ Human life begins at conception,” is actually an opinion. There is no specific consensus as to when human life begins. Sperm and egg also are alive and represent potential human beings but are virtually wasted. Abortion may be considered pretty natural, considering two- thirds of human conception are virtually aborted by nature itself. Abortions have been pre formed for thousands of years, all over the world not just in the US. In the mid, 1800’s states began passing abortion laws to make them illegal. In turn started the creation of “ Back alley Abortion.” In the years before Roe v. Wade was illegal. Abortions ranged as high as 1.2 million per year. Several women died in the process of self- inducing their abortion, because they were untrained.

The bible however, never really said that abortion was okay or not okay. In Genesis 2:7 it says, “God breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and man became a living soul,” this does not exactly explain The Lord’s opinion on abortion. Others believe life does begin at conception. “Jon Daugherty contends that all abortion is murder because life begins at conception, when the male sperm and the female egg combine.” (Viewpoints pg.27) If the baby was not considered “alive in the mother’s body” then why is it that when a pregnant woman gets murdered the court rules it a double homicide? Abortion is prohibited in the third trimester. Gregg Easterbrook writes that complex brain-wave activity is developed in the third trimester. The fetus’s heart starts to beat and it starts to kick in twenty weeks of pregnancy. In Europe abortions early on in the mother’s pregnancy, abortion is legal; however later in the pregnancy, abortion becomes less legal and less moral. (GreenHaven Press

Abortion is killing a child who hasn’t had the chance to live. Life begins at conception, both science and Scripture agree on this. Since science says that life begins at conception and taking someone’s life is murder, making abortion murder. As early as sixteen days after conception the heart starts beating in this new life. Abnormalities in the womb will often self-correct by the time the baby is born. Premature born babies born way before their due dates can still survive. How could this be anything other

According to the authors of a medical dictionary called; the free dictionary, online version, “abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy before the fetus is viable.” Viability for a fetus is usually greater than 500 grams, or prior to 20 weeks gestation as noted by those same authors. An abortion may be spontaneous, commonly referred to as a miscarriage, or induced which describes the deliberate interruption of a pregnancy. Those authors assert that it is the viability of the fetus that is the determinate criteria when deciding the legality and morality of induced abortion. Undoubtedly, there is no public consensus on the matter of abortions, not only in this country but worldwide. Declarations by those authors are that, there are those who believe that the fetus is a human being at the moment of conception and morally oppose on the grounds that destruction of a human body is tantamount to murder. On the other hand, others declare that a woman 's right to choose what happens to her body is of utmost significance. Before continuing on with the ethics of abortion I would like to briefly discuss the history of abortion in the United States.

Jewish Ethics are said to be a association of Judaism and the Western philosophical tradition of ethics. Many say Jewish Ethics originated with the with the Hebrew Bible. There are many places and events where the Jewish Ethics come to apply for example:

In the bible, Jeremiah 1:5 says “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart.” Genesis 1; 26-27 also states “ Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own images.” These verses give some insight on why they believe it’s considered murder. A question that is normally argued is, should the baby have its own rights? Pro lifers encourages people to consider the fact that life begins at conception, so unborn babies are technically human beings with a right to life. Although, a heartbeat does not normally occur until 6 to 7 weeks, so does life really begin at conception? Is it still considered murder, if you have the abortion in that time frame? In my opinion it is not because without a heartbeat you’re not alive. Many people also talk about adoption, while that could be a good option for some people, others it may not. Would you really want to spend your life thinking about where your kid could be and if they're being treated good or if they even got adopted? Even when people give away animals, they're worried they will get mistreated and the new owners might not take as good as care of them. That’s an animal could you imagine how hard it would be to give away a kid to a complete stranger knowing you won't know what's going to happen to them? Furthermore a baby should not have to come into the world

fields like cloning, stem cell research, and gene manipulation. Cloning is able to help those

Abortion is the deliberate termination of a human pregnancy that is often performed during the first 28 weeks of pregnancy. As life begins at conception, unborn babies are human beings and thus have the right to life. The federal Unborn Victim Of Violence Act that was made to protect unborn babies from murder states that anybody intentionally killing an unborn baby should be punished for killing a human being. Abortion is a murder because it is taking away someone’s life. Even though the baby isn’t born yet, the fetus in the mother’s womb still feels pain while being aborted. No person, not even a mother, has the right to hurt someone. To keep a child, who can’t even speak, from growing and from living is a murder.