Cecily Routman is the founder of the Jewish Pro-Life Foundation, based in Pennsylvania, USA. She started the movement in 2005 after hearing a Jewish woman screaming on public radio* that she had a right to a partial birth abortion. The Foundation’s belief in the sanctity of human life mirrors that of the Right to Life Association of Western Australia.
It is clear that Cecily is very dedicated to the cause. Her motivation was sparked by life experiences such as her university days where she witnessed the revolving door of female students going from university to the health clinic, then to planned parenthood for their abortions, and back again.
Cecily agreed to an online interview during August this year. The interview was enlightening to say the least. We discussed the typical attitude of Jewish people to abortion and her work in the Foundation https://jewishprolifefoundation.org/
Cecily what is the Foundation’s mission?
The mission of the Jewish Pro-Life Foundation is Torah based pro-life education (for our non-Jewish readers the Torah is the first five books of the Old Testament, starting with Genesis. These five books are also known as the Pentateuch – Ed.).
We want to educate our own people but we also want non-Jewish people to know that Judaism is the original pro-life religion. To that end we help sponsor and attend conservative events but most of our work is internet-based.
We also refer to Jewish friendly pregnancy help. We want to save parents from the torture and regret of an abortion. We want to give them pause before they decide to go to Planned Parenthood.
And we have an online healing programme to help Jewish women and men who have experienced abortion.
What is your greatest challenge?
Money is always a problem although I did start with a nest egg and that helped a lot. Most of the Jewish philanthropy in this area goes to abortion rights organizations. We have a small donor base and we are a charity so that means donors can get tax relief. But the biggest challenge is to get people to pay attention to the message. It is next to impossible to get our teaching into synagogues for example.
Why is that?
Jews are supposed to be pro-life because children are made in the image of God and must be born to live out their lives and advance God’s Kingdom on Earth. But many, many Rabbis do not teach that for two reasons. One is that Rabbinic education focuses on strictly legal matters, lacking clear moral guidelines, the dangers and harms that abortion causes, and broader abortion industry practices that violate Jewish law.
The other reason is fear of losing their job. Rabbis are appointed by a board of elders who in turn are elected by the members of each synagogue. So this means that whilst Rabbis are not subject to the popular vote they might as well be.
The inference then being that the members of each synagogue believe in abortion?
Yes. Before I explain that I need to give you a little background on the Talmud. While the Torah is the foundational divine text (God’s teachings), the Talmud is record of rabbinic opinion on how Jews understand and apply that divine text to life. Over the centuries Talmud laws have been gradually disengaged from the original Torah law in some areas. Now, most Rabbis believe in and teach Talmud law rather than the Torah.
In other words, whilst the Torah says a person must not kill ‘the man within the man,’ the Talmud considers the baby differently. Not all rabbinic opinions in the Talmud support abortion, but many do allow it in most circumstances. These permissive opinions are now normative in many Jewish communities. So that’s the message the members of the synagogue get.
So how many Jewish people believe abortion is OK?
Perhaps 90% of all Jewish people in America, particularly Reform and Conservative denominations, but also Modern Orthodox Jews, believe that abortion is actually a Jewish right. Sadly, some of the most fervent pro-abortion campaigners in America were and are, Jewish people. Ours is the only dedicated Jewish pro-life voice challenging that belief.
We estimate that one Jewish baby dies from abortion every 14 minutes in the USA. Our Torah promises us that we will repent for this and that God’s mercy will redeem us. May that day come soon.
Cecily Routman
*public radio is known as community radio in Australia.