VGC Poll: Abortion

[Comrade Tovya]

akuma587 said:

Well, I'll say I think it is definitely immoral. Murder may be a stretch.

Even the Old Testament treated someone causing a miscarriage and someone who committed murder differently.

 

Actually, no, that is not the position of Jewish law, as you are misinterpreting the scripture.

Halacha is quite specific that because the abortion of the fetus was unitentional when striking the woman, it was viewed as what we would call today, "man slaughter".  In other words, the actions of the person were intended to harm the woman, and not with the purpose of harming the fetus.  If it could be proven that the individual struck the woman with the intention of harming the fetus, and the fetus then died, then that person would be liable for the death of an living person (the fetus).