An epidemic of German measles during the past two months has brought about a rise of between 30-50 percent in the number of medical abortions performed in Israeli hospitals, it was reported today. The disease can cause death or malformation of an unborn infant if contracted by the mother during the first three months of pregnancy.
Yesterday, the mother of a deformed infant brought suit against her physician whom she accused of failing to diagnose German measles during her pregnancy and consequently did not recommend abortion. Medical abortions are legal in Israel and free for members of the sick funds. Abortions for non-medical reasons are illegal but no doctors have been prosecuted in recent years for performing them unless they acted negligently or contravened another law.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
