EDITORIAL
Aborting Dignity
The nation is embroiled in one of the most emotional political
and moral issues of the century: abortion.
First came the long wait for the Supreme Court's decision on
"Webster v. Reproductive Health Services," then finally the judg-
ment which stunned pro-choice advocates and buoyed right-to-lifers.
The decision allowed the continuation of abortions under narrowly
defined conditions. But the rulings' caveats may sound the death
knell for legal abortion in the United States, as did the court's in-
timations that it would consider other anti-abortion cases in its next
session.
None of us — men or women, married or single — are immune
from these roiling emotions, and Jewish views run the gamut. Some
Jews claim that life begins at conception; others that it begins at
birth; still others that it begins 40 days after conception.
If a nation's laws are, to some degree, a reflection of the people
of that nation, has the Supreme Court's position of the last 16 years
become outdated? In the absence of national consensus, is it not better
to allow individual women to decide whether or not to have an abor-
tion than to ban a woman from having one?
The nation's back-pedaling from legal abortion will affect
everyone, the born and the unborn, children and adults, men and,
especially, women. It will affect the attitudes of the rich, who need
not go to the public hospitals that may be banned from performing
abortions. But it mostly affects the poor, who desperately need the
services of these hospitals, and who will find other, less legal and
surely more dangerous ways to abort.
We may find that as women have fewer choices about the fate
of their bodies and that as we, as a nation, intrude into this most
intimate of realms, that indeed, something has been aborted: a sense
of national dignity; a sense that we, to the best of our circumstances
and our ability, are the masters of our own fate.
The Bush administration and American Jewish leaders are now
urging Labor officials to resist the temptation to pick up their
marbles and withdraw from the government because such a move
would only add to the instability of Israeli politics and further delay
the peace process with the Arabs. If Labor does leave the govern-
ment, it is likely that new elections will be held, with the results
being either the same as last November's contest — neither Labor
nor Likud wins enough seats to avoid forming another unity govern-
ment — or Likud forms a government with several right-wing
religious parties, recreating last winter's fury over the Who Is A Jew
issue.
The Labor party continues to wane in Israel. For three decades
synonymous with Israeli decision-making, Labor seems to have lost
its vision and its appeal with voters. Shimon Peres, the leader of the
party, has taken a back seat within the government, as finance
minister, to long-time rival, Defense Minister Yitzhak Rabin, whose
views are sought by Prime Minister Shamir. Clearly, Peres's days
as party leader are numbered.
As the intifada spreads into Israel proper and drags on with no
end in sight, the mood in Israel has turned ugly, with citizens in-
creasingly angry, fearful and frustrated. There had been some
measure of hope that the government'§ Palestinian election proposal
could lead toward a breakthrough, and many share the Labor par-
ty's concern that the hard-line Likud conditions could have squash-
ed that hope. But Labor may serve a more constructive role by work-
ing out its differences with its coalition partner rather than dismantl-
ing the government and bringing on new elections — two moves
which the Israeli public has no stomach for at this critical time.
Labor Daze
The only thing certain about Israeli politics is its unpredictability,
so even though the leaders of the Labor party voted this week over-
whelmingly to leave the unity government coalition, it is far from
clear that this will take place. Party officials have delayed a final
decision for at least three weeks to give themselves time for com-
promise and debate.
But whatever the outcome, the Labor vote this week to leave the
government is a reflection of the leadership's concern that the hard-
line conditions for Palestinian elections adopted last week by their
unity government partner, Likud, and endorsed by Prime Minister
Yitzhak Shamir, would kill any chances for success of the govern-
ment's election proposal.
LETTERS
Biased Remark: -
Religious Accolade
I was compelled to write
you regarding the recent corn-
ments by Domino's Pizza
founder, Thomas Managhan,
in the July issue of
Gentleman's Quarterly and
the June 29th Detroit News.
I am tired to hearing people
use a religious designation as
an adjective of "flattery" as
if a particular religion confers
some essence of integrity
merely by its practice. In Mr.
Monaghan's statement, he
alludes that in being a "good
6
FRIDAY, JULY 14, 1989
Catholic" he has attained the
highest level of recognition in
society. This biased and anti-
Semitic ideal makes it appear
that all one needs to do is to
hold the Catholic beliefs in
high regard and this will
serve to reinforce your prin-
ciples and integrity.
As a Jew, I am unable to
adhere to a Catholic ideal and
therefore must have prin-
ciples of lesser value if I judge
myself by Mr. Monaghan's
standards.
It is unfortunate that terms
such as a "good Christian" or
"good Catholic" have come in-
to common use by non-Jews
as a method of vouching for
someone's integrity. This is
an affront to all Jews and
seems to once again reinforce
the horrid stereotype of the
"crafty" Jewish business-
man .. .
Douglas R. Leder
West Bloomfield
Jackson-Vanik
Needs Support
We have been actively in-
volved in the freedom strug-
gle for Soviet Jews for many
years. Of late there have been
some small results, i.e. an in-
crease in the number of
Soviet Jews allowed to
emigrate, the beginnings of
Hebrew classes, etc.
However, the freedom to
emigrate is not a reality for
all. There are still thousands
of refusniks, and there are
still thousands who cannot
even apply to leave due to cir-
cumstances beyond their con-
trol such as refusal of family
members to sign financial
waivers.
State institutionalized anti-
Semitism is pervasive; it
permeates employment op-
portunities, education and
many other facets of life for
Jews in the Soviet Union.
Recently the National Con-
Continued on Page 10
Let Us Know
Letters must be concise,
typewritten and double-
spaced. Correspondence
must include the signa-
ture, home address and
daytime phone number of
the writer.