Abortions performed for economic reasons are absolutely forbidden according to the Jewish law, Sephardic Chief Rabbi Ovadia Yosef declared here yesterday. He said the State should help large families become even larger by giving them necessary economic aid.
Rabbi Yosef said that abortions performed to save the mother’s life are permissible only if two doctors agree that it is necessary. Abortions aimed at preventing the birth of deformed children are permissible if performed during the first three months of the pregnancy, he said.
Rabbi Yosef spoke at Shaarei Zedek Hospital where he was presented with the Falk Schlesinger Prize in appreciation of the series of lectures he has given to the hospital’s doctors over the last few years.
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.
