The Sanctity Of Life

Another school shooting, this time in Michigan. Too many murders in cities and towns across our country.  So much violence undermining the sanctity of life. The sanctity of life, it’s something that the Supreme Court explored earlier this week as it heard oral arguments in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization and the Mississippi law that bans abortions after 15 weeks. It appears that the majority of the justices will uphold this law, redefining when life begins and setting the stage for our country to redefine how we as a nation understand the “sanctity of life.”   Judaism takes quite a different position on the sanctity of life, specifically when life begins. While our tradition is certainly not in any way “pro-abortion” and sees pregnancy as something extremely sacred, Judaism teaches us that life begins when an infant’s head has emerged from the birth canal. The Jewish position on when life…