Religion and Abortion
Abortion is an issue that causes extreme divisions among various religious groups due to the laws of the religions, in particular, those of the Jewish and Christian religions. The Jewish religion is based on the belief in one G-d as well as respecting the laws that G-d imposed on the Jews. The Jewish people are expected to do what is just and merciful in the eyes of G-d (World Book, 1990). The Talmud, written by scholars who greatly respect G-d s wishes, is a collection of legal and ethical writings which serves as a primary guide to the civil and religious laws of Judaism (World Book, 1990). It states that the fetus is a part of the mother rather than a person or an independent entity, abortion is not considered murder, since the fetus is not a person until it comes into the world (Butler et al., 1992). Therefore, when having abortions under the