The Abrahamic Religions and Abortion
Written By Tabitha McPherson
The topic of abortion is something that’s at the forefront of society today. After the reversal of Roe V. Wade by the United States Supreme Court on June 24th, 2022, many women in America immediately became concerned for their futures. Women of the Jewish and Islamic faiths started to speak up and express their concerns over the reversal of Roe V. Wade, and how removing the federal protections over abortion violates their religious rights. Seeing this discourse raised the question for me, “If these groups are claiming that Roe V. Wade’s reversal violates their religious freedoms, what is the view of abortion in these religions?” Prior to my research, I was unaware of the Jewish or Islamic abortion laws and opinions of abortion. In this essay I am going to discuss the views on abortion in the Jewish, Islamic, and Christian/Catholic faiths, the rationale behind those arguments, how they’re connected to each other, and the connection to gender ideology. I will argue that the views on abortion between these related religions are not the same, but they are connected due to their shared nature, and that each religion’s view on abortion is influenced by their views on women and women’s rights.
What are the Abrahamic religions?
Before continuing, I want to explain what I mean when I refer to the Abrahamic religions. In the words of author Anna Sapir Abulafia, “When people refer to the Abrahamic religions they are usually thinking of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The term ‘Abrahamic’ highlights the hugely important role which the figure of Abraham plays in each of these traditions”. There are more Abrahamic religions than the three mentioned, but these are the three religions that I will be discussing in this essay.
Judaism
The majority of the members of the Jewish community support a woman’s right to an abortion. While of course there are differences of opinion among members of the faith, the generalized answer is that yes, Judaism is a pro-choice religion. According to Jewish physician Tomas Silber, “Many refuse to accept the premise that there is such a thing as a "Jewish view." Indeed, today, Reform Jews, Conservative Jews, and Orthodox Jews represent various religious views, and there is in addition a very large Jewish secular group. Obviously, then, an analysis of the inner dynamics of Jewish ethics will not reveal a monolithic philosophy of life. It is perfectly clear, therefore, that there are at present basic differences among the Jewish groups about the issue of abortion”. Silber also mentions that technically, the Hebrew Bible has no official legislation on abortion. In Judaism, the fetus and the infant are not seen as the same. Life is seen as beginning at birth, rather than at conception. The fetus is viewed as being more than just fetal tissue, due to the potential for life, but it is not yet a “living” entity.
Islam
After extensive reading and research, I can conclude that the Islamic view on abortion is very mixed. It depends on who you ask. Overall it does look like abortion is always permitted if the mother’s life is in danger, or if the fetus dies in the womb. The biggest debate within the Islamic community surrounding this topic is whether abortion is permitted or not depending on what stage the fetus is at. An article I found stated that “Based on verses from the Quran, Muslim scholars have categorized the permissibility of abortion or lack thereof based on the time period and circumstances. They divided the pregnancy into three main periods. Each of these periods of time has a different ruling about abortion”. The first time period is the first 40 days after conception. Abortion during this time is quite flexible. The majority of Muslim scholars would allow it if there is a legitimate reason for doing so, and if both parents agree to it. Abortion is also permitted in cases of rape or if the parents are physically or mentally unable to raise a child. The next time period is 40-120 days after conception. Muslim scholars have differed on the permissibility of abortion during this stage. However, as I stated earlier, abortion is permissible if there is a threat to the mother’s health. An abortion during this time could also be allowed if the child was going to be born with a severe birth defect that would prevent them from growing up and living a normal, healthy life. The third time period is after 120 days, in which abortion is no longer permissible unless the mother’s life is in danger or the fetus dies in the womb because it is believed that the fetus is given a soul at 120 days gestation.
Christianity & Catholicism
This is where things really get interesting. As we see in the media and news on a daily basis, Christianity and Catholicism are considered to be the strongest “pro-life” religions to date. There are many pro-choice Christians and Catholics, but the overwhelming opinion is one of anti-abortion and anti-choice. In a video interview with Samantha Bee, Jaime Manson, a catholic woman, states that “Well let’s bear in mind that what I’m about to say is a teaching created by men, who are ostensibly celibate, who have no in-roads or connection to the lives of women because they do not have wives, they do not have daughters. The Catholic Church teaches that in almost every circumstance abortion is murder”. Her note on this teaching being created by men is very important to my argument and I will discuss it further later in this essay. The interviewer goes on to ask Manson, “is it in the Bible?” to which the response is, “No. In the Christian scriptures, there is no mention of abortion”. Despite the Bible not containing any explicit judgment on abortion, there are several biblical passages that are often used to support the pro-life Christian and Catholic arguments. Some of these same passages can be used to defend a pro-choice argument as well. One of these biblical passages is Jeremiah 1:5: "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I dedicated you, a prophet to the nations I appointed you”. Those on the pro-life side have interpreted this passage to mean that life begins before birth, as God states that He “dedicated” us before we were born. This is one of the many Biblical passages that is frequently pulled out of context and utilized for the sake of defending the pro-life argument.
Gender Ideology
We can clearly see that the three major Abrahamic religions have drastically varying opinions on abortion and when life begins. The question now is how, and why are they so different. I argue that the differences come from how each of these religions views and treats women and women’s rights. The Abrahamic religions are all considered by most to be “Androcentric” religions for many reasons. As defined by Malory Nye, “Androcentrism is the assumption that maleness, the male perspective, and men’s experiences are the central and most important point of reference”. How a religion views women has everything to do with how it views abortion. Another point that Nye makes in her writing is that “there are numerous examples of the ways in which women have come off rather badly in religious cultures: the denigration of women as ‘daughters of Eve’ and progenitors of sin in many Christian traditions; the veiling and separation of women amongst Muslim cultures…This list is not exhaustive, and has indeed been used by a number of feminist writers (mainly writing from a European, culturally Christian background) to make the point that religion (as a global human system) is always profoundly oppressive and harmful to women – whether that religion be Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, or another”. In their writing, author Charu Malhotra states that “Within the three Abrahamic religions, we find that even though the religious texts have implied a positive view of women, some of the most revered sages, theologians, and jurists have preached outright misogyny...The three Abrahamic religions enfold belief in one God, prophets, and revelation, values that imply ethical responsibility and accountability. The God's words have been interpreted by human beings who are male and patriarchal. - Also the sacred texts are interpreted in specific contexts. The image of women is shaped by patriarchy as much as by revelation”. The argument on abortion is deeper than whether a fetus is considered a living human or not, it’s about women’s rights and feminism. Each of these religions' views on women helps to decide their standpoint on the topic of abortion.
Judaism
In traditional Judaism, women are seen as being separate but equal to men. Women are regarded as no less important than men are, in fact, some of their responsibilities are seen as being more important than men’s. Judaism teaches that both man and woman were created in the image of God. According to JewFAQ, “to most Jewish scholars, "man" was created in Gen. 1:27 with dual gender, and was later separated into male and female. According to traditional Judaism, women are endowed with a greater degree of "Binah" (intuition, understanding, intelligence) than men. The rabbis inferred this from the fact that woman was "built" (Gen. 2:22) rather than "formed" (Gen. 2:7), and the Hebrew root of "build" has the same consonants as the word "Binah." It has been said that the matriarchs (Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel, and Leah) were superior to the patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob) in prophecy. Women did not participate in the idolatry regarding the Golden Calf. Some traditional sources suggest that women are closer to God's ideal than men”. Of course, the Jewish Holy Texts also have plenty of negative things to say about women. Some Rabbis will often describe women as lazy, jealous, vain and gluttonous, and prone to gossip and witchcraft. Traditional Judaism also discourages women from pursuing higher education or religious pursuits, for fear that those women may neglect their primary duties as wives and mothers. When it comes to abortion, Judaism puts trust in the woman/mother to decide what is best for her. The mother’s life and well-being are considered the most important. The father of the fetus has few rights to the unborn and has no control over what the woman chooses for herself. As stated earlier, the fetus is seen as a not-yet-living being, so abortion is not murder in the eyes of Jewish law. This position shows the respect that Judaism has for women and that they have equality with men in the eyes of the law.
Islam
Despite common misconceptions, in Islam, women are not considered inferior or unequal to men. WhyIslam states that “Islam further confirms that both men and women are equal in the sight of God. In the Quran, God declares, “…Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you…” (49:13) At another place in the Quran, God clearly states that all humans are equal: “To whoever, male or female, does good deeds and has faith, We shall give a good life and reward them according to the best of their actions.” (16:97)”. While Islam clearly teaches that men and women are equal, the religion does acknowledge that they are not the same. These differences between men and women are what create a balanced and healthy family structure in the eyes of the religion. As a result, men and women are both expected to adhere to similar standards but in different ways. For example, women are expected to cover certain parts of their bodies, including their hair, as a modesty rule. Men also have modesty rules to uphold, covering certain parts of their bodies, but not in the same way as women. When it comes to marriage, “a woman has the right to accept or reject marriage proposals, and her approval is required to complete the marriage contract. She cannot be forced to marry someone against her will and if this occurs for cultural reasons, it is in direct opposition to Islam. By the same principle, women also have the right to seek divorce if they are dissatisfied with their marriage”. Islam’s belief in true equality between men and women is reflected in its stance on abortion, with the consent of both parents being required for the majority of abortions.
Christianity & Catholicism
The Catholic church and many denominations of the Christian church are notorious for being misogynistic and oppressing women. However, the Bible itself does not support this. Similarly to the other Abrahamic religions, men and women are seen as equals in the eyes of the Lord, with different roles to play in society and the building of a family. While it’s true that the Bible does call for different roles between men and women, it is not true that men are valued more than women. In his writing, Apolegeticicist Kyle Butt refutes some of the common and scholarly misconceptions about Christianity’s view of women and provides Biblical evidence to support his claims. He states that “Many skeptics insinuate that the creation of Eve from Adam’s rib to be a helper for man manifests a view that woman is less valuable or inferior to man. The problem with this line of reasoning is at least two-fold. First, it completely ignores the stress that the Bible places on women being made in God’s image exactly like men. Genesis 1:27 states: “So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him, male and female he created them.” Contrary to many religious groups and male chauvinist thinkers, from the very first chapter, the Bible insists that both male and female were made in God’s image, and both deserve to be treated with the dignity that is inherent in that composition”. The common practice of Christian and Catholic churches being misogynistic clearly goes against their very own Holy text. How does this relate to the religions’ views of abortion? It looks as if it doesn’t, if you’re only looking at the Bible. Taking human error into account, the Church’s oppression of women and desire for control over women’s bodies aligns perfectly with its view on abortion. Fetuses with the potential for human life take priority over already-living women in the eyes of Christianity and Catholicism, and women are not granted control over their own bodies.
Conclusion
In conclusion, I have shown how the views on abortion between these related religions are not the same. Still, they are connected due to their shared nature, and each religion’s view on abortion is influenced by their views on women and women’s rights. The view of women in each of these religions is almost identical, but due to human error and different holy texts with different ways of interpretation, their views on abortion differ greatly. Judaism supports abortion almost fully, Islam with great limitations, and Catholicism/Christianity almost never.
Hi there! I’m Tabitha, the author of this essay. This is a research essay that I wrote in May 2023 for my Global Religions class at Pacific Lutheran University. I hope you enjoyed reading my hard work and learned something new about the three main Abrahamic religions! Feel free to email me with any questions or constructive/positive feedback.
Tabitha McPherson :)
REFERENCES
Silber, Tomas J. “Abortion: A Jewish View.” Journal of Religion and Health 19, no. 3 (1980): 231–39. http://www.jstor.org/stable/27505578.
Nye, Malory. “4: Gender.” Religion: The Basics, Routledge, 2015.
Abulafia, Anna Sapir. “The Abrahamic Religions.” British Library, 23 Sept. 2019, www.bl.uk/sacred-texts/articles/the-abrahamic-religions
“But God Didn’t Say That: Religious Community Members Talk God and Abortion.” YouTube, 3 Feb. 2022, www.youtube.com/watch?v=8e26YL3-TbE.
“Jeremiah 1: Nabre Bible: Youversion.” YouVersion | The Bible App | Bible.Com, www.bible.com/bible/463/JER.1.NABRE.
Ruttenberg, Danya. “My Religion Makes Me Pro-Abortion.” The Atlantic, 24 June 2022, www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2022/06/judaism-abortion-rights-religious-freedom/661264/
Tech@whyislam.org. “Does Islam Allow Abortion?” WHY, 22 Jan. 2021, www.whyislam.org/abortion/.
MALHOTRA, CHARU. “Women in World Religions : Feminist Perspectives.” Indian Anthropologist 32, no. 1/2 (2002): 97–104. http://www.jstor.org/stable/41919912.
“The Role of Women.” The Role of Women - Judaism 101 (JewFAQ), www.jewfaq.org/role_of_women.
Tech@whyislam.org. “Women in Islam.” WHY, 1 Mar. 2021, www.whyislam.org/statusofwomen/.
Butt, Kyle. “The Biblical View of Women.” Apologetics Press, 20 Feb. 2023,
apologeticspress.org/the-biblical-view-of-women-3654/.