Q&A: The Water Children
The Water Children
Question
Hello Rabbi,
Recently I heard that Prof. Haim Sheba used to mislead women who requested an abortion: he would inject them with a water shot and say that it was an injection that would cause an abortion. By the time the women discovered what was going on, it was already too late to abort. My question is whether something like this is morally permissible in order to prevent an abortion. Seemingly, this is a fetus whose mother is “pursuing” it, so it seems to me that not only is it permitted but even proper, no?
Answer
Is this from the video you sent me?
I think definitely yes. This is a case of a pursuer, and you are coming to save the one being pursued (in a situation where there is no justification for an abortion). Still, I wouldn’t recommend it, because falsehood does not endure, and in the end it will do more harm than good.
Discussion on Answer
If the fetus is going to die, or if the mother is going to die, and perhaps even if she is likely to enter a situation of serious health danger.
Beyond that, when the fetus is very young (just a few days old), there are approaches that do not yet see it as a human being. I think that since there is no sharp line, it is wrong to draw an artificial line, and one should be stringent regarding every fetus at every stage. But in this case, someone who thinks otherwise is not holding an absurd position on his own terms, and therefore it may be inappropriate, or not necessary, to impose my own position on him.
What do you think about a fetus with severe defects? I don’t mean in the eighth or ninth month.
A very difficult problem. I tend to think there is no permission to kill a fetus. However, if severe suffering is expected for it (not hardship and costs), there may perhaps be room to permit it, like suicide.
Yes, it’s from this video:
By the way, in what situations is abortion justified?