JERUSALEM, September 7, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - EFRAT, an Israeli pro-life organization that works with women contemplating abortion by providing emotional and material support, is warning that the demographic implications of abortion in the nation are the greatest danger to Israel today.
"Israel has lost more than one and a half million Jewish children to abortion since 1948. In a country of about 5.5 million Jews this number has great demographic significance. Imagine how much stronger Israel would have been today with one million more Jews," a statement from Efrat says.
Over 50,000 abortions are performed yearly in Israel, according to Dr. Eli Schussheim, director of Efrat.
"The Arab birthrate is about double the Jewish birth rate of 2.3. It is forecasted that the Arabs will be the majority in Israel by the year 2020," Dr. Schussheim said.
An article in the Jerusalem Post says that the demographic threat is both an external and internal problem: "nearly four million Palestinians over whom we have no wish to rule, and a rapidly growing and increasingly irredentist Israeli Arab population."
"Arabs constitute 20 percent of the population," the article explains, "and the Arab population is much younger than the Jewish population - half of the Israeli Arabs are under 18; only one-third of the Jews are - and has a birthrate twice that of the Jewish population."
Pointing to the demographic collapse of ethnic Europeans in the face of rising growth rates of Muslin families in the EU, the Jerusalem Post warns, "Demographically, Israel's situation is even worse than that of Western Europe, which, at current rates of growth, will have a Muslim majority by the end of the 21-century."
An interesting comparison is made by Efrat that in an average week in Israel, nine people are killed in road accidents, one Israeli is murdered by terrorists, but over 900 babies are lost to abortion, mainly due to economic concerns.
Dr. Schussheim says that over 25,000 mothers have been helped to bring their children to birth by Efrat over the years by the simple method of providing economic and emotional support to women considering abortion because of financial reasons.
Mothers are offered infant equipment and necessities, grocery vouchers for six months prior to birth and six months thereafter, and personal social and emotional support by one of 3000 Efrat volunteers.
"In the over 25,000 cases Efrat has supported over the past 30 years, I have yet to meet the first mother who told me she is sorry to have her child alive and well in her home," Dr. Schussheim said.
Efrat headquarters in Jerusalem may be reached at 054-567-2285, or its US affiliate, The American Friends of C.R.I.B. - EFRAT, may be reached at 1-800-273-4314, for more information.
See related LSN articles:
People of Israel Sharply Divided Over Abortion
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/jan/08010709.html
Chief Rabbis of Israel Rule Abortion "a Grave Sin"
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/jan/08010205.html
