raditional Jewish law (halakha) prohibits abortion solely for personal choice or convenience. The fetus is not a full person until birth, but its potential life is protected. Abortion is required if the mother’s life is endangered and permitted by many authorities for serious physical or mental health risks. Elective cases without such justification are forbidden across Orthodox consensus.Henry Morgentaler was Jewish. Born in 1923 in Łódź, Poland, to Jewish socialist parents, he survived Auschwitz and Dachau before emigrating to Canada.
