Haredim only sector in Israel not backing a 'right to abortion'

Majority of all Jewish demographic groups - including religious - and Arabs back right to abortion, with only haredim backing right to life.

David Rosenberg
Jul 6, 2022, 


A majority of Israelis believe that women have a right to abortion on demand during the first three months of pregnancy, a new survey has found.

The survey, conducted by Midgam Research for the Israel Democracy Institute’s Israeli Voice Index, found that majorities of both Israeli Jews and Israeli Arabs support the following statement: “Every woman should have the right to terminate a pregnancy in the first trimester if she wishes to.”

Jews were significantly more likely (75%) to believe a woman has a right to terminate her pregnancy during the first trimester, compared to 54% of Arabs who shared that view.

In both cases, there was a double-digit difference along gender lines for support for abortion as a right, with 70% of Israeli Jewish men and 48.5% of Arab men agreeing with the above statement, compared to 80% of Israeli Jewish women and 60% of Israeli Arab women.

Among Jews, a majority of every religious sector support the idea that abortion should be a right during the first trimester – except for the haredi sector.

Nearly all (94%) of secular Israelis said they agreed women should have a right to abortion during the first trimester of pregnancy, compared to 86% of traditional, non-religious Israeli Jews, 64% of traditional-religious Israeli Jews, and 54% in the National Religious sector.

Among haredim, 15% said they supported such a right.

Following the overturning of 1973’s Roe v. Wade by the United States Supreme Court last month, the American haredi organization Agudath Israel of America lauded the ruling.

“Agudath Israel of America welcomes this historic development. Agudath Israel has long been on record opposing Roe v. Wade’s legalization of abortion on demand. Informed by the teaching of Jewish law that fetal life is entitled to significant protection, with termination of pregnancy authorized only under certain, extraordinary circumstances, we are deeply troubled by the staggering number of pregnancies in the United States that end in abortion.”

Another Orthodox Jewish organization, the Coalition for Jewish Values, a group which represents some 2,000 Orthodox rabbis in the US, said it “welcomed” the Dobbs decision.

The Orthodox Union, however, which represents a wide range of Orthodox communities in the US, refused to “either mourn or celebrate” the ruling, criticizing both abortion on demand, and “absolute bans on abortion” – though the Court’s ruling does not itself impose any ban.
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