Christians were key to getting Roe v. Wade overturned by the Supreme Court. They worked for decades to chip away at the right to an abortion, which culminated in last summer’s Dobbs decision. Since then, many Republican-led states have implemented total or near-total bans on the health procedure. But now some Jews and Muslims are fighting in court, saying their religious freedom to have an abortion is compromised.
Some Jews say anti-abortion laws discriminate against their freedom of religion
“Especially in the early weeks of pregnancy, a lot of Jewish people support basically abortion on demand or abortion as necessary. It's totally a choice because in the Talmud, there's even scripture that says that for the first 40 days of a pregnancy, a fetus is considered mere water,” says Abby Vesoulis, national politics reporter for Mother Jones. “Now … that's not literally the case because we have ultrasound technology. … But still, in the very early stages of pregnancy, a lot of people of faith will say that, really, the woman's decision comes first.” Photo by Shutterstock.