Posted by So to speak. One of the many loathsome things about the Stupak-Mills amendment is that insurance would not be able to cover abortions for the following reasons (italics mine):
Cases that are excluded: where the health but not the life of the woman is threatened by the pregnancy, severe fetal abnormalities, mental illness or anguish that will lead to suicide or self-harm.
In Jewish religious law, all authorities agree that if the health of the mother–including her ability to have children in the future–is jeopardized, then abortion is the appropriate option. And many authorities (not just ‘liberal’ ones–this would be argued by many Orthodox rabbis) argue that if the woman were to be a suicide risk, then abortion is also permissible.
I realize that many conservatives believe that all Jews have big bags of money, so we would be able to pay for abortions out of pocket, but, believe it or not, that’s not always the case. So a Jewish woman of modest means might have to choose between her religious beliefs (that would be that ‘faith’ stuff which is supposedly so important) and the law.
Once again, the theopolitical right ignores the Judeo part of ‘Judeo-Christian.’ Not that most of us Judeos didn’t expect this….
November 11, 2009
November 11, 2009
November 12, 2009