Israel records drop in abortion applications as 99.8% of requests approved

Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) reported a continued decline in abortion applications, with 6.6 per 1,000 women of childbearing age in 2024, down from 6.9 in 2023 and below Organization for Economic Cooperation (OECD) and European Union averages.

The report also found that abortion rates have fallen sharply since the late 1980s and are now near historic lows. However, the report also included a sobering data point: 99.8% of the Israeli women who apply to the Pregnancy Termination Committee for permission to have an abortion are approved.

Additional data show the highest abortion application rate in 2024 was among non-Arab Christian women, at 10.0 per 1,000, while Muslim women recorded the lowest rate at 5.7 per 1,000. The most common reason cited to the Pregnancy Termination Committee was pregnancy outside of marriage, though married women still accounted for a slight majority of applicants (51.2%).

Other commonly cited reasons for requesting an abortion included “risk of physical or mental defect in the fetus” and “risk to the woman’s health.” While abortion decisions in Israel are made through the Pregnancy Termination Committee, some anecdotal accounts suggest that medical professionals may discuss termination options when prenatal screening indicates potential complications.

In this context, Be'ad Chaim, a pro-life Israeli Messianic organization established in 1988, says its mission is to “end abortion and to preserve life in Israel” by providing alternatives to abortion, pregnancy counseling, support for mothers in need, and educational initiatives.

The group states on its website that “since 1948, more babies have been aborted in Israel than the number of children that died in the Holocaust,” and argues that Israel is among the few countries where abortion is permitted up to birth. Last September, Be’ad Chaim opened a new center in southern Israel.