Policy statements about abortion
access
Statements by religious groups:
Salvation Army to United Methodists
Sponsored link.
The Salvation Army:
In an undated statement, the Salvation Army writes:
"The Salvation Army believes in the sanctity of all human life and
considers each person to be of infinite value and each life a gift from God
to be cherished, nurtured and redeemed. Human life is sacred because it is
made in the image of God and has an eternal destiny. (Genesis 1:27)
Sacredness is not conferred, nor can it be taken away by human agreement."
"The Salvation Army deplores society's ready acceptance of abortion, which
reflects insufficient concern for vulnerable persons, including the unborn.
(Psalms 82:3-4)"
"The Salvation Army holds to the Christian ideals of chastity before marriage
and fidelity within the marriage relationship and, consistent with these
ideals, supports measures to prevent crisis pregnancies. It is opposed to
abortion as a means of birth control, family planning, sex selection or for
any reason of mere convenience to avoid the responsibility for conception.
Therefore, when an unwanted pregnancy occurs, The Salvation Army advises
that the situation be accepted and that the pregnancy be carried to term,
and offers supportive help and assistance with planning."
"The Salvation Army recognizes tragic and perplexing circumstances that
require difficult decisions regarding a pregnancy. Such decisions should be
made only after prayerful and thoughtful consideration, with appropriate
involvement of the woman's family and pastoral, medical and other counsel. A
woman in these circumstances needs acceptance, love and compassion."
"When an abortion has taken place, The Salvation Army will continue to show
love and compassion and to offer its services and fellowship to those
involved." 1
Southern Baptist Convention (SBC):
The SBC is the second largest Christian denomination in the U.S. and the
largest Protestant denomination. They have consistently been pro-life and
opposed to abortion access. As of 2007-APR, their most recent statement on
abortion access is a resolution titled "On thirty years of Roe v. Wade"
passed at their 2003-JUN convention. It refers to the battle between
fundamentalist and moderate forces within the SBC that was won by the
fundamentalists. It states:
WHEREAS, Scripture reveals that all human life is
created in the image of God, and therefore sacred to our Creator (Genesis
1:27; Genesis 9:6); and
WHEREAS, The Bible affirms that the unborn baby is a person bearing the
image of God from the moment of conception (Psalm 139:13–16; Luke 1:44); and
WHEREAS, Scripture further commands the people of God to plead for
protection for the innocent and justice for the fatherless (Psalm 72:12–14;
Psalm 82:3; James 1:27); and
WHEREAS, January 2003 marked thirty years since the 1973 United States
Supreme Court Roe v. Wade decision, which legalized abortion in all fifty
states; and
WHEREAS, Resolutions passed by the Southern Baptist Convention in 1971 and
1974 accepted unbiblical premises of the abortion rights movement,
forfeiting the opportunity to advocate the protection of defenseless women
and children; and
WHEREAS, During the early years of the post-Roe era, some of those then in
leadership positions within the denomination endorsed and furthered the
“pro-choice” abortion rights agenda outlined in Roe v. Wade; and
WHEREAS, Some political leaders have referenced 1970s-era Southern Baptist
Convention resolutions and statements by former Southern Baptist Convention
leaders to oppose legislative efforts to protect women and children from
abortion; and
WHEREAS, Southern Baptist churches have effected a renewal of biblical
orthodoxy and confessional integrity in our denomination, beginning with the
Southern Baptist Convention presidential election of 1979; and
WHEREAS, The Southern Baptist Convention has maintained a robust commitment
to the sanctity of all human life, including that of the unborn, beginning
with a landmark pro-life resolution in 1982; and
WHEREAS, Our confessional statement, The Baptist Faith and Message, affirms
that children “from the moment of conception, are a blessing and heritage
from the Lord”; and further affirms that Southern Baptists are mandated by
Scripture to “speak on behalf of the unborn and contend for the sanctity of
all human life from conception to natural death”; and
WHEREAS, The legacy of Roe v. Wade has grown to include ongoing assaults on
human life such as euthanasia, the harvesting of human embryos for the
purposes of medical experimentation, and an accelerating move toward human
cloning; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention meeting in
Phoenix, Arizona, June 17–18, 2003, reiterate our conviction that the 1973
Roe v. Wade decision was based on a fundamentally flawed understanding of
the United States Constitution, human embryology, and the basic principles
of human rights; and be it further
RESOLVED, That we reaffirm our belief that the Roe v. Wade decision was an
act of injustice against innocent unborn children as well as against
vulnerable women in crisis pregnancy situations, both of which have been
victimized by a “sexual revolution” that empowers predatory and
irresponsible men and by a lucrative abortion industry that has fought
against even the most minimal restrictions on abortion; and be it further
RESOLVED, That we offer our prayers, our love, and our advocacy for women
and men who have been abused by abortion and the emotional, spiritual, and
physical aftermath of this horrific practice; affirming that the gospel of
Jesus Christ grants complete forgiveness for any sin, including that of
abortion; and be it further
RESOLVED, That we lament and renounce statements and actions by previous
Conventions and previous denominational leadership that offered support to
the abortion culture; and be it further
RESOLVED, That we humbly confess that the initial blindness of many in our
Convention to the enormity of Roe v. Wade should serve as a warning to
contemporary Southern Baptists of the subtlety of the spirit of the age in
obscuring a biblical worldview; and be it further
RESOLVED, That we urge our Southern Baptist churches to remain vigilant in
the protection of human life by preaching the whole counsel of God on
matters of human sexuality and the sanctity of life, by encouraging and
empowering Southern Baptists to adopt unwanted children, by providing
spiritual, emotional, and financial support for women in crisis pregnancies,
and by calling on our government officials to take action to protect the
lives of women and children; and be it further
RESOLVED, That we express our appreciation to both houses of Congress for
their passage of the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003, and we applaud
President Bush for his commitment to sign this bill into law; and be it
further
RESOLVED, That we urge Congress to act swiftly to deliver this bill to
President Bush for his signature; and be it finally
RESOLVED, That we pray and work for the repeal of the Roe v. Wade decision
and for the day when the act of abortion will be not only illegal, but also
unthinkable. 2
Sponsored link:
Unitarian Universalist Association:
The General Assembly of the UUA has passed a series of resolutions
between 1968 and 1993 which affirm their belief that women should have free access to
abortions:
 | 1968:
"BE IT RESOLVED: That the 1968 General Assembly of the
Unitarian Universalists Association urges that efforts be made to
abolish existing abortion laws except to prohibit performance of an
abortion by a person who is not a duly licensed physician, leaving the
decision as to an abortion to the doctor and his patient." |
| 1977:
"WHEREAS, attempts are now being made to deny Medicaid funds for
abortion and to enact Constitutional Amendments that would limit
abortions to life-endangering situations and thus remove this decision
from the individual and her physician; and...
WHEREAS, we affirm the
right of each woman to make the decisions concerning her own body and
future and we stress the responsibilities and long-term commitment
involved in the choice of parenthood;...THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED: That the 1977 General Assembly of the
Unitarian Universalist Association expresses its dismay and regret at
the June 20, 1977 decision of the Supreme Court as seriously
jeopardizing the right of legal abortion won in the Supreme Court
decisions of January, 1973; opposes the denial of Medicaid funds for
abortion and any Constitutional amendment prohibiting abortion and
urges members of the societies of the Unitarian Universalist
Association to write or wire their senators and representatives in
Congress and state legislatures to inform them of our position on
these issues." |
| 1993:
"THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that Unitarian Universalists in the
United States be urged to promote passage of federal legislation to:
- guarantee the fundamental right of individual choice in
reproductive matters;
- require that counseling agencies receiving federal funds provide
information about pregnancy options, including abortions;
- provide federal funds to make abortion available to women of low
income and to women in the armed services;
- ensure the provision of abortion services for all women within a
national health program;
- protect medical personnel who supply abortion services, and
their families, from harassment and intimidation; and
- guarantee unrestricted access to counseling and abortion
services, regardless of age, class, race, or situation, without
curtailing peaceful protest." 3
|
United Church of Christ:
This the most liberal of the large Protestant denominations. The Office of Communication of the United Church of Christ issued a
statement on 1996-MAY which said, in part:
"The directorate of the UCC's social action office first addressed
the abortion issue in 1970, affirming freedom of choice for women, calling
for church action supporting the repeal of overly restrictive abortion
legislation and encouraging the expansion of sex education programs.
Freedom of choice in reproductive matters was first affirmed by the
General Synod in 1971 and has been reaffirmed in one way or another by
several General Synods since." 4
United Methodist Church:
This is another mainline denomination whose membership
is split over abortion access. The "Book of Discipline of The United
Methodist Church" states, in part:
"Our belief in the sanctity of unborn human life makes us reluctant
to approve abortion. But we are equally bound to respect the sacredness of
the life and well-being of the mother, for whom devastating damage may
result from an unacceptable pregnancy. In continuity with past Christian
teaching, we recognize tragic conflicts of life with life that may justify
abortion, and in such cases we support the legal option of abortion under
proper medical procedures. We cannot affirm abortion as an acceptable
means of birth control, and we unconditionally reject it as a means of
gender selection.
We oppose the use of late-term abortion known as
dilation and extraction (partial-birth abortion) and call for the end of
this practice except when the physical life of the mother is in danger and
no other medical procedure is available, or in the case of severe fetal
anomalies incompatible with life....a decision concerning abortion should
be made only after thoughtful and prayerful consideration by the parties
involved, with medical, pastoral, and other appropriate counsel."
5
References used in the above essay:
The following information sources were used to prepare and update the above
essay. The hyperlinks are not necessarily still active today.
- "Abortion," The Salvation Army, USA, at:
http://www.salvationarmyusa.org/
- "On Thirty Years Of Roe V. Wade," Southern Baptist Convention, 2003-JUN, at:
http://www.sbc.net/
- "Unitarian Universalist Association: Actions, Resolutions &
Resources" has a search facility that found 9 documents on their
web site that discuss abortion. See:
http://www.uua.org/
- Hans Holznagel, "HR 1833 and the United Church of Christ,"
at:
http://www.wfn.org/
- "The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church--2004:
Abortion," at:
http://archives.umc.org/
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Copyright © 2001 to 2007 by Ontario Consultants on Religious
Tolerance
Originally written: 2001-NOV-16-
Latest update: 2007-MAY-18
Author: B.A. Robinson
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