Abortion on grounds of emotional instability/wellbeing [duplicate]

Question

Is there ever a point of emotional instability beyond which a women may have an abortion?

I know all cases are different but here are some possible examples:

A) she struggles too much with the number of kids she has already and this one was a 'mistake' and she now has regular panic attacks,

B) she is told during pregnancy that there's a small chance that the baby will be deformed in some way leading to severe anxiety,

C) she is very young and cant cope with thinking that she wont be able to complete an education and 'doom' her life leading to severe depression

D) a woman gets raped and can't cope with the thought of baring a child of her rapist, etc.

Is there ever an emotional point beyond which the pregnancy can be terminated? And does it depend on how far along she is in the pregnancy in terms of being 'מקיל' or 'מחמיר' to abort? If the baby is viable do we disregard the woman's mental health despite it being possible that her life could be 'emotionally ruined' and save the baby, or not?

I'm interested if there are these considerations in 'older' sources; most of the room for leniency that I've seen are based on more modern sources.

Answer 1

Although especially these extremely sensitive issues must be discussed with one's personal Rav, some mekoros on the topic are discussed here:

A question arises if the mother will experience severe mental distress if the baby is born. Rabbi Waldenberg holds that abortion is not murder at all, and that mental distress can be equated with physical pain. Therefore, abortion would be allowed if one’s rabbi determines that the mental stress is the same as the physical would be. [Tzitz Eliezer 13:102; 14:101]

Rabbi Unterman takes a similar approach to the issue. Rabbi Unterman does believe that abortion is considered akin to murder, and therefore cannot be allowed in cases of mental anguish. However, if the psychological distress that the mother would feel would cause suicidal tendencies, Rabbi Unterman would permit abortion. [“The Law of Pikkuah Nefesh and Its definition” in HaTorah V’HaM’dinah, IV (1952) 22 - 29 as cited in David Feldman, Birth Control In Jewish Law. Rabbi Unterman is basing his ruling on a ruling by a case where a where a rabbi was asked if a man could have non kosher soup to prevent him from going insane. Rabbi Israel Meir Mizrachi ruled that serious danger to one’s mental health is the same as a risk to one’s physical health. Resp. Pri HaAretz, Vol III (Jerusalem, 1899), Y.D., No. 2. This ruling was also applied to a specific situation that dealt with birth control, a situation more similar to abortion than non kosher soup. Resp. Binyan David, No. 68; Minhat Yitzchak, Vol. I, No. 115; and Igg’rot Mosheh, E.H., No. 65, would allow the contraceptive mokh when pregnancy would create a serious mental-health risk as cited in David Feldman, Birth Control In Jewish Law]