Liberalized Abortion Bill Wins by 46-27 on First Reading in Knesset

A bill that would substantially liberalize Israel’s strict abortion laws swept to a 46-27 victory on its first reading in the Knesset yesterday despite bitter protests from the religious parties and traditional-minded members of other factions. The overwhelming approval was significant in that both the Labor Party and Likud eschewed party discipline and allowed their members to vote their conscience. There were three abstentions.

The bill, sponsored by Chaika Grossman of Mapam, would permit abortion within the first three months of pregnancy if approved by a committee of two experts. The latter could be either physicians, public health nurses or social workers. The present law bans abortions unless continued pregnancy endangers the health of the mother. Stiff jail sentences are mandated for illegal abortions but in recent years, although the abortion rate has soared, the penalties were rarely applied.

Two leftist MKs–Meir Payil of Moked and Marcia Freedman of the Social Democrats–complained that the proposed new measure does not go far enough and urged wider discretionary rights for women with unwanted pregnancies. Menahem Yedid, of Likud’s Herut faction, opposed the bill as an “easy way out” and claimed the way to solve this social problem was through sex education.

Former Religious Affairs Minister Zerach Warhaftig of the National Religious Party denounced the bill as anti-Jewish and warned that if adopted it would further lower the already declining Jewish birth rate at a time when the Arab birth rate was rising. Shlomo Lorincz of the Aguda faction contended there was no reason to allow the present laws just because they were violated. “Should we abolish income tax just because there is widespread evasion?” he asked. The bill will go to committee prior to its second reading.