15,000 illegal abortions performed in Israel each year, activists claim

Some back-alley procedures called ‘dangerous,’ undertaken by ‘nurses, dentists’; Health Ministry says it has no figures on phenomenon – ‘How are we supposed to know?’

January 3, 2017

by Marissa Newman, The Times of Israel political correspondent.

Some 15,000 illegal abortions are performed in Israel each year, many by doctors who bypass the official approval process but others by unqualified professionals who could place the lives of women in danger, activists alleged on Monday.

The issue of abortions, which are legal but require the okay of a medical termination panel — which approves nearly all cases — rarely captures headlines in Israel. But two lawmakers caused a stir this week when they convened a Knesset committee meeting Monday urging the inclusion of a religious figure on the panels, spotlighting the issue and drawing a furious response from female opposition Knesset members.

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Source: Times of Israel