TEL AVIV, January 16, 2014 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The Israeli pro-life group Be’ad Chaim slammed the government's recent decision to extend abortion funding to virtually all women, saying the move was a reflection of the country's moral and spiritual degeneration.
“The moral fibers of our nation are in shreds,” said Sandy Shoshani, national director of Be’ad Chaim (which means “Pro Life” in Hebrew). “You can't bring a curse on your nation and not expect repercussions. We just opened the door wide and made ourselves vulnerable.”
LifeSiteNews.com reported that the nation's Health Basket Committee, which determines what medical procedures are paid for by the Israeli government, voted to give “free” abortion coverage to women between 20 and 33 years of age, and authorized $4.5 million to pay for the expected 6,300 extra abortions.
Previously, abortion was covered for women under the age of 19 and over the age of 40. Minor girls under the age of 18 did not need parental consent to undergo an abortion.
While all women seeking abortion are required to apply to a government-regulated abortion committee, Be’ad Chaim notes that virtually all (98 percent) of the applications are approved, effectively making abortion available on demand.
Be’ad Chaim points out that the official statistics on legal abortions do not reflect the true number of Israeli children killed by abortion.
“In recent years, the number of women seeking the approval of abortion committees in Israel has plateaued at about 20,000 requests per year,” the group states.
However, Be’ad Chaim says that various non-governmental sources estimate that at least an equal number of illegal, private abortions, carried out without the involvement of abortion committees, take place annually in Israel. That means one of every four children is aborted in Israel.
The official figures ignore something else. “None of these figures or estimates take into account the number of chemical abortions that take place using the 'morning after' pill which is widely available at pharmacies with no regulation or prescription required,” the pro-life group said.
In reaction to the new directive on abortion funding, Be’ad Chaim began a letter writing campaign to express their position against the abortion funding expansion.
“It's one thing for a government to approve abortion, but it’s another thing entirely to pay for it,” Shoshani told Israel Today.
Some have asked what role America's annual $3 billion foreign aid package plays in subsidizing abortions in Israel.
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She said that Be'ad Chaim “sent letters to every Knesset member we could think of, and even to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu,” but lamented that while “we received a few letters back saying they (the Knesset members) agree with us, no one is actually doing anything.”
“Ultimately,” Shoshani said, “there is really not much we can do besides put this matter and our leaders before the Lord.”
Be’ad Chaim is a registered Israeli non-profit organization dedicated to the protection of mothers and unborn children.
They are a national organization with offices and hotlines throughout Israel that provide education materials, counseling, and financial and emotional support to those who would otherwise feel they have no alternative but to abort their unborn children.