MK Nissim Ze'ev (Shas) has re-submitted his bill to outlaw abortions after 22 weeks with some changes, in the hope that this time, it will pass.
Ze'ev previously submitted it over a year ago, but it was voted down in its preliminary Knesset reading. He told Arutz-7 that he originally wanted to make the cut-off date 20 weeks, but now realizes that he must first have the bill passed before attempting to put it in its ideal form.
"Twenty-two weeks is the time by which all possible defects have been detected," Ze'ev explained, "and there is therefore nothing new that should warrant an abortion after that time. On the other hand, at that age, the fetus is quite viable, and an abortion then is not abortion, but murder of the fetus."
The bill's introduction states, "Since the fetus is viable at 22 weeks, and an abortion at that time is murder of the fetus, there are no grounds at all to the claim that preventing an abortion at that time is unfair intervention in the woman's rights and freedom."
"To kill a fetus at that age, when advances in science, technology and medicine enable it to be kept alive even outside the womb, is totally immoral and unjust," the bill states.
Not all abortions would be banned after 22 weeks, according to Ze'ev's bill; if two doctors sign that the mother's life is in direct danger, an abortion may be carried out.
Abortions: 20,000 Legal, Many More Illegal
Women who wish to have an abortion today must merely receive the permission of a medical board, and nearly 20,000 do so annually. Another 30,000-50,000 women are estimated to undergo illegal abortions.
The approval board is under no fetus-age restrictions, and can theoretically approve an abortion even a few days before birth.
In 2005, 19,090 women requested an abortion, and 98.5% received approval. Over half were OKed under the "out of wedlock" clause, another third for either "suspected physical or mental defect" or "danger to mother's health" clauses, and 10% were approved because the mothers were either under age 17 or over age 40.
Over the past few years, despite the rise in population,a slight decrease has been noted in the number of women seeking legal abortions.
The Efrat organization, which offers aid, information and financial assistance to women to help them not abort, reports that it directly saved 3,027 babies in this manner over the past year. Every year when the Torah portion of Shmot is read aloud in synagogues - recounting how the midwives Shifra and Puah endangered themselves to save the male Jewish babies whom King Pharoah had decreed for death - Efrat wages a campaign to arouse awareness of its pro-baby efforts.
The Chief Rabbinate has also entered the fray against abortions, establishing a special rabbinate committee for the purpose of formulating methods to combat the scourge. The committee's members are Rabbis Simcha Kook, She'ar-Yashuv Cohen, and Yehuda Deri - Chief Rabbis of Rechovot, Haifa and Be'er Sheva, respectively.
On the other hand, MK Zahava Gal'on - who announced on Sunday her intention to run for leader of the extrem-left Meretz party - has submitted legislation that would enable any woman who wished an abortion to have one without need for a committee's approval. She says this would do away with the dangers of illegal abortions.