(כא) וַיִּגְוַ֞ע כָּל־בָּשָׂ֣ר ׀ הָרֹמֵ֣שׂ עַל־הָאָ֗רֶץ בָּע֤וֹף וּבַבְּהֵמָה֙ וּבַ֣חַיָּ֔ה וּבְכָל־הַשֶּׁ֖רֶץ הַשֹּׁרֵ֣ץ עַל־הָאָ֑רֶץ וְכֹ֖ל הָאָדָֽם׃ (כב) כֹּ֡ל אֲשֶׁר֩ נִשְׁמַת־ר֨וּחַ חַיִּ֜ים בְּאַפָּ֗יו מִכֹּ֛ל אֲשֶׁ֥ר בֶּחָֽרָבָ֖ה מֵֽתוּ׃
(21) And all flesh that stirred on earth perished—birds, cattle, beasts, and all the things that swarmed upon the earth, and all mankind. (22) All in whose nostrils was the merest breath of life, all that was on dry land, died.
(כב) וְכִֽי־יִנָּצ֣וּ אֲנָשִׁ֗ים וְנָ֨גְפ֜וּ אִשָּׁ֤ה הָרָה֙ וְיָצְא֣וּ יְלָדֶ֔יהָ וְלֹ֥א יִהְיֶ֖ה אָס֑וֹן עָנ֣וֹשׁ יֵעָנֵ֗שׁ כַּֽאֲשֶׁ֨ר יָשִׁ֤ית עָלָיו֙ בַּ֣עַל הָֽאִשָּׁ֔ה וְנָתַ֖ן בִּפְלִלִֽים׃ (כג) וְאִם־אָס֖וֹן יִהְיֶ֑ה וְנָתַתָּ֥ה נֶ֖פֶשׁ תַּ֥חַת נָֽפֶשׁ׃
(22) 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. (23) But if other damage ensues, the penalty shall be life for life
(ג) תִּינוֹקֶת בַּת יוֹם אֶחָד, . . . וְהַהוֹרְגוֹ, חַיָּב. וַהֲרֵי הוּא לְאָבִיו וּלְאִמּוֹ וּלְכָל קְרוֹבָיו כְּחָתָן שָׁלֵם:
(3) A baby one day old ... one who kills him is liable [for murder]; and he is thereby fully like a son-in-law to his father and to his mother and for all his relatives.
(ו) הָאִשָּׁה שֶׁהִיא מַקְשָׁה לֵילֵד, מְחַתְּכִין אֶת הַוָּלָד בְּמֵעֶיהָ וּמוֹצִיאִין אוֹתוֹ אֵבָרִים אֵבָרִים, מִפְּנֵי שֶׁחַיֶּיהָ קוֹדְמִין לְחַיָּיו. יָצָא רֻבּוֹ, אֵין נוֹגְעִין בּוֹ, שֶׁאֵין דּוֹחִין נֶפֶשׁ מִפְּנֵי נָפֶשׁ:
(6) A woman who was having trouble giving birth, they cut up the fetus inside her and take it out limb by limb, because her life comes before its life. If most of it (head) had come out already they do not touch it because we do not push off one life for another.
מתני׳ האשה שיצאה ליהרג אין ממתינין לה עד שתלד האשה שישבה על המשבר ממתינין לה עד שתלד האשה שנהרגה נהנין בשערה בהמה שנהרגה אסורה בהנאה:
MISHNA: In the case of a pregnant woman who is taken by the court to be executed, the court does not wait to execute her until she gives birth. Rather, she is killed immediately. But with regard to a woman taken to be executed who sat on the travailing chair [hamashber] in the throes of labor, the court waits to execute her until she gives birth...
וא"ל אנטונינוס לרבי נשמה מאימתי ניתנה באדם משעת פקידה או משעת יצירה א"ל משעת יצירה א"ל אפשר חתיכה של בשר עומדת שלשה ימים בלא מלח ואינה מסרחת אלא משעת פקידה אמר רבי דבר זה למדני אנטונינוס ומקרא מסייעו שנאמר (איוב י, יב) ופקודתך שמרה רוחי
not relevant to determining the law, but interesting
And Antoninos said to Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi: From when is the soul placed in a person? Is it from the moment of conception or from the moment of the formation of the embryo, forty days after conception? Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi said to him: It is from the moment of the formation of the embryo. Antoninos said to him: That is inconceivable. Is it possible that a piece of meat could stand for even three days without salt as a preservative and would not rot? The embryo could not exist for forty days without a soul. Rather, the soul is placed in man from the moment of conception. Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi said: Antoninos taught me this matter, and there is a verse that supports him, as it is stated: “And Your Providence [pekudatekha] has preserved my spirit” (Job 10:12) indicating that it is from the moment of conception [pekida] that the soul is preserved within a person.
איתיביה רב חסדא לרב הונא יצא ראשו אין נוגעין בו לפי שאין דוחין נפש מפני נפש ואמאי רודף הוא שאני התם דמשמיא קא רדפי לה
(ו) אֶחָד הַהוֹרֵג אֶת הַגָּדוֹל אוֹ אֶת הַקָּטָן בֶּן יוֹמוֹ. בֵּין זָכָר בֵּין נְקֵבָה. הֲרֵי זֶה נֶהֱרָג עָלָיו אִם הָרַג בְּזָדוֹן. אוֹ גּוֹלֶה אִם הָרַג בִּשְׁגָגָה. וְהוּא שֶׁכָּלוּ לוֹ חֳדָשָׁיו. אֲבָל אִם נוֹלַד לְפָחוֹת מִתִּשְׁעָה חֳדָשִׁים הֲרֵי הוּא כְּנֵפֶל עַד שֶׁיִּשְׁהֶה שְׁלֹשִׁים יוֹם וְהַהוֹרְגוֹ בְּתוֹךְ שְׁלֹשִׁים יוֹם אֵינוֹ נֶהֱרָג עָלָיו:
(6) Whether a man killed an adult or an infant of one day, male or female, he must be executed if he committed deliberate murder, or exiled if he killed unwittingly. And for a child that was born premature- If it was born in less than nine months, it is not viable until it lives thirty days. If it is killed within the thirty days, it is not considered murder.
(ה) הַכּוֹתֵב לְשִׁפְחָתוֹ מְעֻבֶּרֶת הֲרֵי אַתְּ בַּת חוֹרִין וּוְלָדֵךְ עֶבֶד דְּבָרָיו קַיָּמִין. הֲרֵי אַתְּ שִׁפְחָה וּוְלָדֵךְ בֶּן חוֹרִין לֹא אָמַר וְלֹא כְּלוּם שֶׁזֶּה כְּמִי שֶׁמְּשַׁחְרֵר חֶצְיָהּ:
can't free half a person- the fetus is considered part of the mother
(5) When a master composes a bill of release for his maid-servant who is pregnant, stating "You are free, but your child-to-be remains a slave," his words are binding. If, however, it states: "You remain a maid-servant, but your child-to-be is free," it is of no consequence. For this is as if he freed half of the maid-servant using a legal document.
(א) בְּהֵמָה מְעֻבֶּרֶת שֶׁהִזִּיקָה גּוֹבֶה חֲצִי נֵזֶק מִמֶּנָּה וּמִוְּלָדָהּ מִפְּנֵי שֶׁהוּא מִגּוּפָהּ. אֲבָל תַּרְנְגלֶת שֶׁהִזִּיקָה אֵינוֹ גּוֹבֶה מִבֵּיצָתָהּ מִפְּנֵי שֶׁהַבֵּיצָה אֵינָהּ מִגּוּפָהּ אֲבָל מֻבְדֶּלֶת וּמֻפְרֶשֶׁת מִמֶּנָּה:
לְפִיכָךְ הוֹרוּ חֲכָמִים שֶׁהָעֻבָּרָה שֶׁהִיא מַקְשָׁה לֵילֵד מֻתָּר לַחְתֹּךְ הָעֵבָּר בְּמֵעֶיהָ בֵּין בְּסַם בֵּין בְּיָד מִפְּנֵי שֶׁהוּא כְּרוֹדֵף אַחֲרֶיהָ לְהָרְגָהּ. וְאִם מִשֶּׁהוֹצִיא רֹאשׁוֹ אֵין נוֹגְעִין בּוֹ שֶׁאֵין דּוֹחִין נֶפֶשׁ מִפְּנֵי נֶפֶשׁ וְזֶהוּ טִבְעוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם:
(9) This, indeed, is one of the negative mitzvot - not to take pity on the life of a rodef. On this basis, our Sages ruled that when complications arise and a pregnant woman cannot give birth, it is permitted to abort the fetus in her womb, whether with a knife or with drugs. For the fetus is considered a rodef of its mother. If the head of the fetus emerges, it should not be touched, because one life should not be sacrificed for another. Although the mother may die, this is the nature of the world.
(ב) לפיכך העוברת שהיא מקשה לילד מותר לחתוך העובר במעיה בין בסם בין ביד מפני שהוא כרודף אחריה להרגה ואם הוציא ראשו אין נוגעין בו שאין דוחין נפש מפני נפש וזהו טבעו של עולם:
...If the head comes out, you can't kill it
שנאמר: "כי ינצו אנשים ונגפו אשה הרה ויצאו ילדיה ולא יהיה אסון", כלומר באישה, "ענוש ייענש" על העוברים, "כאשר ישית עליו בעל האישה". אלמא אעוברין פטור [כלומר פטור מעונש מוות בגין הריגת עוברים], ולא מיקטלא ליה [=ואינו נהרג על הריגת עובר] עד שיהא תינוק בן יום אחד.
Until he is one day old, it is not considered murder
– Regarding Kohen that causes termination (if a kohen commits murder, he can no longer be a kohen) or midwife that causes it after the woman has died in labor
It is not murder since he was not יוצא לאויר העולם (in the air of the world)
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(ו) שֹׁפֵךְ֙ דַּ֣ם הָֽאָדָ֔ם בָּֽאָדָ֖ם דָּמ֣וֹ יִשָּׁפֵ֑ךְ כִּ֚י בְּצֶ֣לֶם אֱלֹקִ֔ים עָשָׂ֖ה אֶת־הָאָדָֽם׃
(6) Whoever sheds the blood of man, By man shall his blood be shed; For in His image Did God make man.
משום רבי ישמעאל אמרו אף על העוברין מאי טעמיה דרבי ישמעאל דכתיב (בראשית ט, ו) שופך דם האדם באדם דמו ישפך איזהו אדם שהוא באדם הוי אומר זה עובר שבמעי אמו
בן נח – ליכא מידעם
It is stated in that book of Aggadot that the Sages said in the name of Rabbi Yishmael: A descendant of Noah is executed even for killing fetuses. The Gemara asks: What is the reason for the opinion of Rabbi Yishmael? The Gemara answers: It is derived from that which is written: “One who sheds the blood of a person, by a person [ba’adam] his blood shall be shed” (Genesis 9:6). The word ba’adam literally means: In a person, and is interpreted homiletically: What is a person that is in a person? You must say: This is a fetus that is in its mother’s womb. Accordingly, a descendant of Noah is liable for killing a fetus.
(ג) בַּת כֹּהֵן שֶׁבָּא עָלֶיהָ יִשְׂרָאֵל אֵין חוֹשְׁשִׁין שֶׁמָּא נִתְעַבְּרָה אֶלָּא טוֹבֶלֶת וְאוֹכֶלֶת לָעֶרֶב. הָיְתָה נְשׂוּאָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל וּמֵת בַּעְלָהּ טוֹבֶלֶת וְאוֹכֶלֶת בִּתְרוּמָה לָעֶרֶב עַד אַרְבָּעִים יוֹם. וְאִם הֻכַּר עֻבָּרָהּ הֲרֵי זוֹ מְקֻלְקֶלֶת לְמַפְרֵעַ עַד אַרְבָּעִים יוֹם. שֶׁכָּל הָאַרְבָּעִים יוֹם אֵינוֹ עֻבָּר אֶלָּא מַיִם בָּעוֹלָם הוּא חָשׁוּב:
(3) When an Israelite has relations with a daughter of a priest, we do not suspect that she became pregnant. Instead, she may immerse herself [in the mikveh] and partake [of terumah] in the evening. If she was married to an Israelite and her husband died, she may immerse herself and partake of terumah in the evening [and continue doing so] for 40 days. If her fetus is recognized [afterwards], retroactively, her [actions] are objectionable from the fortieth day onward. For, throughout the forty days, the embryo is not considered as a fetus, merely as water.
(Pregnancy starts at 40 days- before that it is just water.)
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Agudath Israel
The law removes the need for a doctor to perform some abortions, moves abortion from the criminal code into the realm of public health issues and allows abortions up to birth where a doctor or midwife deems the fetus not viable, or its mother’s health threatened in some way.
Agudath Israel is long on record in opposing Roe v. Wade. We decry this even more life-unfriendly legislation.
In line with its support for religious freedom, Agudath Israel opposes initiatives that would make abortion unlawful even in situations where termination of pregnancy is mandated by religious law – as it is, for example, under Jewish law when the pregnancy endangers the life of the mother. However, it is not necessary to make all abortions permissible in order to protect the rare instance when abortion is truly indicated.
Jewish tradition teaches that a human fetus has status and dignity, and that abortion is prohibited in the vast majority of pregnancies. But even beyond that tradition, it should be apparent to all that termination of pregnancy raises profound moral concerns. Sadly, New York’s new law pays no heed to those concerns.
Takes note of the different values of the many religious communities in America that are often at variance with one another, in the nature of a politically pluralistic society;
Is aware that the question of abortion is currently in the forefront of moral concerns in American society;
Proclaims that neither the position of “pro-life” nor the position of “pro-choice” is acceptable to Halacha;
Precludes the endorsement of legislative measures which would impede the appropriate application of Halacha;
Calls upon the total Jewish community to acknowledge that abortion is not an option, except in extreme circumstances and in consultation with proper Halachik authority.