Quincy
Posted : 4/30/2008 7:46:39 PM
eaglerock814
Rabbi Yaakov Ariel, the chief rabbi of the city of Ramat Gan, Israel, and one of the leading rabbis of the religious Zionist movement, strongly opposed spaying and neutering of pets and other animals. Last June, Rabbi Ariel issued a ruling that forbids practicing Jews from spaying female animals or castrating male animals. He cited Halachic law as the basis for his ruling.
Interestingly the chief rabbi of Ramat Gan, Rabbi Yaakov Ariel, went on and stated that the Torah only allows for “hormonal neutering”, so strict religious practicing Jewish people could do this even in the US.
Some might like to read about this and the following from this link:-
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3413771,00.html
Jewish World
Dog neutering arouses halachic controversy
National campaign for neutering dogs encounters opposition of Ramat Gan chief rabbi, who claims Torah forbids such surgical procedure on animals. Veterinarian: Surgery prevents cancer
Kobi Nahshoni Published: 06.18.07, 20:45 / Israel Jewish Scene
The national campaign to encourage the neutering and spaying of dogs, has won great PR so far, but this week it found itself facing criticism from an unexpected source. The chief rabbi of Ramat Gan, Rabbi Yaakov Ariel, stated that the Torah forbids surgical neutering or spaying (ie, the removal of the dog’s testicles and the female dog’s uterus), and only allows for “hormonal neutering.”
In a ruling published this weekend, the prominent Zionist rabbi wrote that Chazal (the sages of blesses memory) distinguished between surgical neutering, which involves the removal of the breeding organs, to a hormonal procedure, which only neutralizes the ability to give birth. “It’s true that surgical neutering is a one-time thing, simpler and perhaps also cheaper, but the Torah forbids it and only permits hormonal neutering,” he ruled.
Rabbi Ariel went on to list the halachic difficulties involved in raising a dog, and called on the public to “thoroughly mull whether to get a dog at all.” He stressed that a large dog can only be raised in peripheral areas, and even them be kept on a leash at all times. The owners of quiet dogs must also make sure to prevent any damage, harm or inconvenience their pet may cause others, make sure it does not “sully the streets,” and consider the limitations on neutering.
‘Surgery prevents diseases’
Dr Nissim Ariel, head veterinarian of the Let the Animals Live foundation, told Ynet in response that the surgical procedure has beneficial results other than neutralizing the breeding capacity. He said that research over the past 20 years had found that female dogs that had not been spayed tended to develop carcinogenic tumors and uterus infections, and that spaying significantly reduced these risks. With male dogs, neutering prevents prostate problems, while the hormonal treatment multiplies the risk for carcinogenic tumors by tenfold.
The foundation’s director-general and legal counselor, Reuven Ladiansky, added that “the Halacha unequivocally forbids causing suffering to animals. In Israel, there’s an especially high rate in the natural increase of dogs and cats, many of which unfortunately find themselves abandoned on the streets, exposed to disease, hunger and thirst, severe abuse, being hit by cars or even put down by the authorities.
“The Let the Animals Live foundation recommends that every dog owner in Israel neuters their dogs. This is a relatively simple procedure, followed by short recovery period, that is a suitable and humane way to reduce the cat and dog population and reduce the suffering of animals in Israel.”
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As I posted in another thread regarding dogs in Israel:-
Some 4000 stray dogs are killed every month in Israel because they have no home. Some believe that this is only 50% of the real number. The reasons for these numbers are clear: too many dogs are abandoned, whether out of cruelty, convenience, or simply low budgets, but not enough are adopted. Clearly something must be done to stop the vicious circle set in motion by the abandonment of dogs, which are not spayed or neutered.
It is estimated that a local authority spends some 100 - 140 shekels to catch a stray dog, put it to sleep and bury it. This translates to millions of shekels per year. In order to solve the problem in a more humane – and more economical - manner, efforts have focused on the promotion of neutering and spaying. High on the agenda is a campaign to encourage neutering and spaying which will both raise people’s awareness of the problem and let them know that neutering their dog will reduce their annual licensing fee in half. Representatives of the Ministries of the Environment, Agriculture and Interior, along with representatives of animal welfare associations and veterinarians, are currently working out the logistics of the spaying and neutering campaign.
Keep in mind that if this campaign does not address the situation sufficiently enough then Israel may seriously consider Mandatory Spay Neuter measures, this even with consideration in what their Torah mentions, and it's yet to be seen what the long term effects would be from this current campaign. Also due to MSN some just might decide to File Lawsuits using religious grounds, and it will be interesting to see what happens in regards to this, even from within several other countries.
Well, Israel's Ministers Ezra and Simhon initiated this campaign in May 2007, and below an update a little while later on what happened and from this link:-
http://www.sviva.gov.il/bin/en.jsp?enPage=e_BlankPage&enDisplay=view&enDispWhat=Object&enDispWho=News^l3673&enZone=e_news
Israel Ministry of Environmental Protection
Dog Neutering and Spaying Campaign a Success:
5000 Dogs Neutered and Spayed in Three Months
Updated: 09/05/2007
Some 5000 dogs were spayed and neutered as part of a national campaign to promote the spaying and neutering of dogs which was initiated by Agriculture Minister Shalom Simhon and Environmental Protection Minister Gideon Ezra. The campaign is meant to reduce the number of abandoned dogs and prevent the suffering of tens of thousands of homeless dogs.
The national campaign provides dog owners with the possibility to spay and neuter their dogs for a third of the conventional price. The campaign was initially accompanied by an information campaign on the importance of dog spaying and neutering, including radio broadcasts by actress and animal welfare activist Ms. Ornah Banai.
According to Dr. Deganit Ben Dov, the official responsible for the Animal Welfare Law in the Ministry of Agriculture, the campaign has proved to be an unprecedented success in terms of the enormous number of dogs that have been neutered and spayed since the campaign began just three months ago.
To date, some 3031 females were spayed and 1802 males were neutered. Some 200 veterinarians have also joined the campaign. Dr. Yoni Litwin, chairperson of the Veterinary Association, stated that some veterinarians have reported an increase of hundreds of percentages in the number of dog owners asking to spay and neuter their dogs.
The Ministries of Agriculture and Environmental Protection allocated some 3 million shekels for the campaign, enabling the spaying and neutering of some 10,000 dogs. Dog owners who have not yet neutered or spayed their dogs are invited to contact participating veterinarians.
Hundreds of thousands of dogs are abandoned in Israel each year. Official estimates put the number at 50,000 while unofficial estimates relate to some 100,000 dogs. Most of these dogs are destined to die - either on the streets or through euthanasia in dog pounds. Neutering and spaying are the right and humane way to stop the vicious cycle of hundreds of thousands of births - and hundreds of thousands of needless deaths.
In light of the success of the campaign, Agricultural Minister Shalom Simhon has stated his intention to conduct the campaign next year as well.
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