Abortion and Religion: Jewish, Christian, and Muslim Perspectives

Rebecca Todd Peters (Volume Editor), Margaret D. Kamitsuka (Volume Editor)

From the book’s introduction:

Abortion is a complicated and multifaceted reality about which Jews, Christians, and Muslims have endeavored in the past and the present day to address ethically and theologically. The dominant public conversation suggests that religions (and by association religious people) are morally opposed to abortion; however, the reality is much more complicated. Religious attitudes, teachings, and beliefs are certainly mobilized in contemporary discussions about abortion, but too often these attitudes are dehistoricized, taken out of context, or used to manipulate emotions. Developing a more careful and critical understanding of abortion requires studying the topic from a range of perspectives and disciplinary lenses. The articles in this Reader in Abortion and Religion, which offer a wide range of positions, voices, and scholarly perspectives, demonstrate the importance of examining how religion intersects with the topic of abortion both in the practice of religion and in the study of religion.