Actually it isn't conservative. Judaism teaches that a fetus is not a person until its head emerges. A fetus is described as mere water until 40 days after conception (52-70 days according to how we count today), and as a limb of a mother until birth. There is even a rabbinic mandate that a fetus of a woman in labor gets dismembered if that is what is needed to save the woman's life.
Actually it isn't conservative. Judaism teaches that a fetus is not a person until its head emerges. A fetus is described as mere water until 40 days after conception (52-70 days according to how we count today), and as a limb of a mother until birth. There is even a rabbinic mandate that a fetus of a woman in labor gets dismembered if that is what is needed to save the woman's life.
Christians are largely unaware of rabbinic traditions or feel that they do not apply to them. However, they do appeal to the Old Testament when they quote, "Thou shalt not murder," as if that is the end of discussion. The fact is there are only two oblique references to abortion in the Old Testament. 1) The law that considers the killing of a fetus a property offense against the father, and mandates restitution to the father for the loss as the penalty. 2) the pre-Law incident where Judah learns his widowed daugher-in-law is pregnant and orders her to be burnt immediately. As she is being led to execution, she produces proof that Judah himself is the father, so he rescinds his order. Killing another man's property was one thing, but he wasn't going to kill his own property. Christians refuse to face the fact that they cannot oppose abortion on the basis of the Old Testament without going even further than denying women bodily autonomy. To be consistent, they would have to argue that the "potential person" is the property of the father.
Interesting. By chance, have you read John XXIII's encyclical on reproductive ethics? It's from the 60's. Funny thing is, it all boils down to Nature and God's Will. Not souls, not any right to life.
Actually it isn't conservative. Judaism teaches that a fetus is not a person until its head emerges. A fetus is described as mere water until 40 days after conception (52-70 days according to how we count today), and as a limb of a mother until birth. There is even a rabbinic mandate that a fetus of a woman in labor gets dismembered if that is what is needed to save the woman's life.
Christians are largely unaware of rabbinic traditions or feel that they do not apply to them. However, they do appeal to the Old Testament when they quote, "Thou shalt not murder," as if that is the end of discussion. The fact is there are only two oblique references to abortion in the Old Testament. 1) The law that considers the killing of a fetus a property offense against the father, and mandates restitution to the father for the loss as the penalty. 2) the pre-Law incident where Judah learns his widowed daugher-in-law is pregnant and orders her to be burnt immediately. As she is being led to execution, she produces proof that Judah himself is the father, so he rescinds his order. Killing another man's property was one thing, but he wasn't going to kill his own property. Christians refuse to face the fact that they cannot oppose abortion on the basis of the Old Testament without going even further than denying women bodily autonomy. To be consistent, they would have to argue that the "potential person" is the property of the father.
yes!!!
Interesting. By chance, have you read John XXIII's encyclical on reproductive ethics? It's from the 60's. Funny thing is, it all boils down to Nature and God's Will. Not souls, not any right to life.
Correct. We are required to abort to save the life of the mother.
On a chronological spectrum from fertilzation to birth--or even past birth--first trimester *is* conservative. Your example makes my point.