Between de facto availability and de jure restrictions: access to and restrictions on abortion in Israel

Abstract

Abstract: Between de facto availability and de jure restrictions: access to and restrictions on abortion in Israel  - Israel is not a state that outright bans abortion; yet, abortion is not, nor is it fully universal, a recognized right or a fully operational freedom. It is rather a peculiarly balanced arrangement between de jure restrictions and de facto availability of a procedure used as a tool of state governance. Movements between “demographic anxiety” and “national interests” have shaped a discipline that results from a historical, political, and religious compromise, characterizing the order as an “intrusive state.” To what extent can abortion regulation be reconciled with a state that proclaims itself both democratic and Jewish? What scenarios might emerge for the abortion procedure in light of the illiberal twists that currently characterize the Israeli context?                                    

Keywords: Abortion commissions; Abortion procedure; Israel; War of wombs.