Abortion Law Goes into Effect

Israel’s liberalized abortion law went into effect today despite strenuous objections from religious circles. But according to the Health Ministry, the number of abortions is not expected to increase beyond the 15-20,000 performed annually in Israel up to now.

Under the amended law, abortions are permitted when the pregnant woman is under 17 or over 40 years of age; or if pregnancy was the result of rape, incest or out of wedlock. Until now, abortions were permitted only for purely medical reasons involving the physical or mental health of the mother or the expected child.

The clause in the new law that drew the loudest protests from the Orthodox permits abortion in cases where “damage to the woman or her family due to difficult family or social conditions” would be the result of carrying through the pregnancy. Critics argued that this clause was subject to broad interpretations that could legalize unlimited abortions.

Abortions remain subject to the approval of a panel composed of two physicians, one social worker and one nurse and must be performed at a recognized medical institution. The Health Ministry instructed hospitals throughout the country to set up such committees to review abortion requests. Doctors will be permitted to open private clinics for abortions but no applications for permits have been received so far, according to the Health Ministry.

Dr. Yehoshua Weisbrot of the Health Ministry does not expect a substantial rise in the number of abortions because of the fees charged by gynocologists which range from IL 1000-IL 3000. The new law does not specify who will pay for abortions performed for other than medical reasons. The sick-funds to which virtually all Israelis belong have been paying for medically prescribed abortions but there is no scale of rates yet for abortions performed for the other reasons allowed in the new law. At present, hospitals charge IL 800 (about $50) for an abortion.