Kol Ami News

SALT LAKE CITY — Faith leaders were some of the first to respond to the Supreme Court's landmark decision on abortion in 1973, and the conversations have continued in their congregations for the nearly five decades since.

KSL spoke with some of Utah's most influential faith leaders about how their stances have not changed, but the conversations surrounding them have.

At Congregation Kol Ami, Rabbi Sam Spector said they are part of both reform and conservative movements of Judaism, meaning they focus on conserving certain traditions while embracing more modern beliefs.

"There are different Jewish perspectives and a lot of debate within Judaism of when exactly does life begin," Spector said. "The most important commandment is to save a life, which overrides everything else."

In Israel, Spector said panelists decide whether or not someone is allowed to have an abortion — in all situations, prioritizing the life of the mother.

"They have different criteria — quality of life is one of those, rape, incest situation, a mother is the, you know, life of the mother, is the child, is the mother going to be a single mom, will this put financial burden on her where she goes into poverty."

But there is no panel here in Utah. Instead, Rabbi Spector counsels couples one-on-one, even discussing abortion before marriage.

"I talk to them about the importance of getting genetic testing done," Rabbi Spector said. "I talk to couples, too, and say, 'Do you have the same stance?'"

"There are 613 laws in the Torah. Most of those are only for Jewish people, but eight laws that apply to all people are preventing unnecessary suffering on living creatures. And I think you can use that law to make an argument on either side of this debate," Rabbi Spector said.

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