Akuperma
Some dictionaries define homicide as the illegal killing, but I conced the point as most say like you.
“Abortion in Jewish law is perceived as homicide”
Incorrect. According to some it is and according to most it is not.
A physician/midwife/surgeon performing an abortion in the rare situation where it is necessary to save the mother’s life, incurs no penalty”
Even when unjustified he does not incur any of the penalties that homicide incurs. In fact he incurs a very defferent penalty, a financial one (which is not the case for a child < 30 days) Nor does he incur other thing sthat homicide incurs such as not being allowed to duchan.
Nor do we kill children whent their mothers are chayav misas beis din
“The pro-choice advocatges maintain, contrary to all scientific evidence, that the baby from conception until birth is not alive and as an inanimate mass of tissue has no more legal rights than a tumor or an infected appendix or a wart.”
This isnt a scientific question. There is no science behind “legal rights” A tree is alive, that doesnt mean cutting it down is homicide, a leg is alive that doesnt mean amputating is homicide.
When do you say life begins? fertilization? before fertilization? implantation? The second trimester? viability outside the womb?
And why at that point?
Halacha isnt as clear as you think. the first 40 days are called “merely water” I’m pretty sure even R” Moshe doesnt hold the first 40 days are murder. Though it isnt clear what physiologic change takes place at 40 days (the heart starts beating well before that! (nor does it neccesarily matter, it may plausibly be a “chok” at 40 days is tzuros havelad period.) (Keep in mind 40 days are counted differently by halacha and medicine)
At all points a fetus is described in shas as “its mother’s thigh” This pbviously does not allow for abortion on demand, and is not written in the context of abortion at all (though many poski do bring it in)
The bottom line is the following:
If a Woman were to desire an abortion for whatver reason rch”l. Who shoud decide for her.
I’ll give choices, feel free to add your own:
1) a SUPER COMPETENT well qualified posek
2) Her local Rav
3) you
4) me
5) crispandrefreshings’s rav
6) The US supreme court
7) State legislature
8) Congress
9) The president
10) somebody else