Abortion views differ among religions. We are here for a reason. In 2021, the Convention passed a resolution stating "unequivocally that . application/pdf Howland changed her mind. President Joe Biden signed an executive order Friday aimed at protecting abortion rights in response to the landmark decision by the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade. This article was adapted from a Presbyterian Historical Society blog post: https://www.history.pcusa.org/blog/2022/05/reproductive-justice-and-pcusa, Author: Nick Skaggs & David Staniunas | Presbyterian Historical Society, Department: (4), In life and death, we belong to God. Life is a gift from God. You're finally in a situation where you can start learning.". The PCUSA's status as a mainline Protestant church is reflected in their stances on social issues. The connectionalism of the Presbyterian Presbyterian Women (PW) is an inclusive and caring community of women, committed to working toward Gods promise of wholeness for all people. uuid:3c5eda1a-d845-314e-8b5c-8686efded080 5638 Hollister Ave. Suite 210, Goleta, CA 93117. I trust you and my mother. In a narrow vote Sunday, the congregation of the First Presbyterian Church in Houston opted not to leave a national Presbyterian church over a debate about the church's views on homosexuality. After an abortion law took effect in Texas last fall that allows private citizens to sue someone who performs an abortion or helps someone obtain one after six weeks of pregnancy, Rabbi Mara. Responding to Overture 44, on unscriptural views of marriage, divorce, and infanticide, the commissioners wrote, This Assembly regards the destruction by parents of their own offspring, before birth, with abhorrence, as a crime against God and against nature., A century later the 1962 UPCUSA General Assembly adopted the report of itsCommittee on Responsible Marriage and Parenthoodholding that abortion could not bean individual decision on the part of the physician and couple. While this decision does not make abortion illegal, it removes constitutional protection giving states the ability to issue bans. and therefore should not be 309 0 obj <>stream Reporting to the Assembly Committee on Justice and the Rights of Persons, the standing Council on Women and the Church and the Committee on Womens Concerns wrote, Acts of terrorism are being committed against abortion clinics and counseling centers. There may come a time in which I will talk about sexuality when preaching on a text that calls for it, but in that case, I hope to do so in a way that is pastorally-sensitive and loving to those who struggle with this topic. Crosby the go-to metaphor on this matter is tent poles. The Church should declare to the world and teach its members that abortion should never be used as a convenience or a means of birth control. PHS accession 92-0206b. Speaking on behalf of HSB-03, McKinney said reproductive justice, a term coined by a dozen Black women nearly 30 years ago, focuses on reproductive rights and social justice. . But contrary to what some might think, we dont see this aspect of ECO as freeing us up to take a more aggressive public stance on this issue, but rather just the opposite. A reader can search high and low throughout ECO's online site, and nowhere will they find a single, solitary word about gay people or homosexuality. Presbyterian Women is the womens organization of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Abortion ought to be an option of last resort. The considered decision of a woman to terminate a pregnancy can be a morally acceptable, though certainly not the only or required, decision. What does the Bible say about abortion? I fear the tent has collapsed without a center.". What is even more notable is that now that we are in a denomination that has taken a more clear and consistent stance on sexuality issues, I havent mentioned homosexuality from the pulpit once. 2014-12-31T21:30:50-05:00 phs, The church, therefore, appreciates the challenge each woman and family face when issues of personal well-being arise in the later stages of a pregnancy. Though it extensively decriedsexual anarchy,the confession sought to frame sexual relationships and matters of home and family in terms of compassion rather than discipline: The church comes under the judgment of God and invites rejection by society when it fails to lead men and women into the full meaning of life together or withholds the compassion of Christ from those caught in the moral confusion of our time., The 1970 Assembly adopted the Task Force's report, adding that abortion was a matter of the careful ethical decision of the patient. This position was strengthened by the 1972 Assembly, which declared: Women should have full freedom of personal choice concerning the completion or termination of their pregnancies and that the artificial or induced termination of pregnancy, therefore, should not be restricted by law, except that it be performed under the direction and control of a properly licensed physician.. Survivors of Sexual Misconduct Task Force. In her telling, Planned Parenthood field workers changed womens lives: Poor women with several small children would shed tears when they learned there was a way to stop having babies every year. Despite this background, Howland was opposed to abortion, until in 1965 a teacher of hers at Union Theological Seminary asked whether it was fair for young women to serve as baby factories for adoption services. The strong Christian presumption is that since all life is precious to God, we are to preserve and protect it. Copyright 2020 All Rights Reserved. " ^RIKFZ>?8iL^ ..1o%-C/p>V_0hNf4 #>EO, Microsoft Word - EPCECOPCUSA comparisonchart 6 20 2014.docx. We derive our understanding of human life from Scripture and the Reformed Tradition in light of science, human experience and reason guided by the Holy Spirit. HSB-09, from the Special Committee to Study the Reformed Perspective on Christian Education, is on requiring boundary training for certified Christian educators. All services and specifications subject to change without notice. In the meantime our would-be friends at ECO are stuck, as it were, inartfully singing along with the Cowardly Lion: I'm sure I could show my prowess / Be a lion, not a mouse / If I only had the nerve. Abortion is a personal decision that cannot be summed up in soundbites: The Presbyterian General Assembly use this language to express its stance on abortion. This is no less true for those making decisions about whether and when to have children. But contrary to what some might think, we don't see this aspect of ECO as freeing us up to take a more aggressive public stance on this issue, but rather just the opposite. Watch a response from PC(USA) Stated Clerk J. Herbert Nelson II. Even so, in the months that followed, I had a number of somewhat strained conversations with acquaintances in the community who had painted me and our church with a fairly broad brush of homophobia. In 2019, responding to Alabama's passage of anti-abortion legislation, the Stated Clerk of the General Assembly of the PC(USA) issued a statement outlining the denomination's position. https://t.co/f88xmdvIr9, Dr Deborah Meinke #theearthisourhome (@drdebmeinke) June 25, 2022. We affirm that abortion should not be used as a method of birth control. John Crosby, now the president of ECO, said, "We [the Presbyterians] have tried to create such a big tent trying to make everybody happy theologically. They'll readily learn of ECO's desire to "unite around a shared theological core.". It also determined that HSB-07, from Hudson River Presbytery, was answered by its action on HSB-06. It's always encouraging when someone can't force their mouth to say what their heart knows is wrong. The church, therefore, appreciates the challenge each woman and family face when issues of personal well-being arise in the later stages of a pregnancy. From VoterVoice.net, read this stunning position from the Church: Today, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization. Of these two, the Session is looking more closely at ECO, because ECO's theological beliefs are closer to those of most RGAPC church members, and because ECO fully supports the ordination of women. States like Kentucky where our denomination is headquartered, have enacted trigger laws that will go into effect immediately limiting or banning access to care. uuid:8bfbf7cb-a7a3-9741-b42b-427988115653 By the end of 1972, the CCS had helped between a quarter and . Here is more info on the account that posted that. Hours after news of the high courts decision made its way into committee members smartphones, the committee, by wide margins, approved, , A Resolution on Reproductive Justice from the. The teen survived, after massive blood transfusions. WASHINGTON: Woman Reportedly to be Arrested Friday For Forced Tuberculosis Treatment, Florida State Senator Introduces Bill to Cancel States Democrat Party, After School Satan Club Coming to a Elementary School Near You, DEVELOPING: Man Arrested For Allegedly Placing Explosive Device in Checked Luggage at Pennsylvania Airport, MONTANA: Proposed Bill Would Ban COVID-19 Jab Recipients From Donating Blood. Evangelical Lutheran Church In America. A report from the Disparities Experienced by Black Women and Girls Task Force also addresses reproductive justice. . Presbyterians have struggled with the issue of abortion for more than 30 years, beginning in 1970 when the General Assembly, the national governing body of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), declared that the artificial or induced termination of a pregnancy is a matter of careful ethical decision of the patient . MAY 3, 2021; 5-2-21 - 'The Early Church' 5-2-21 - 'The Early Church' 5-2-21 - 'The Early Church'. hbbd``b`z$g Z@D D@cAK @Bb``Mg8 % Nine years after taking a stand strongly in favor of abortion rights, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has moved toward the political center on the issue by adopting a policy statement that . Yet it baffles me why the "gathering" in San Diego in Februay features John Ortberg, senior pastor at Menlo Park Presbyterian Church. Support our siblings affected by disaster, hunger and oppression through One Great Hour of Sharing. We urge Presbyterians everywhere to affirm that which our church believes and tell the Biden administration to prioritize aproactive abortion agenda ASAP. There were many aspects of the discernment process that made me proud of our church as well as of the governing body of our denomination. We are all carrying some heavy weight today, said Madison McKinney, the ACWCs co-chair. Daily Delivery, Presbyterians Pro-Life newsletter, June 8, 1988. Currently the PC(USA)'s office of Mission Responsibility Through Investment supports reproductive justice through shareholder activism, and the churchs Social Justice and Peacemaking Unit works with the interdenominational Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice. (4), In life and death, we belong to God. Life is a gift from God. When I read the goals and mission statement of The One Project, I can't say anything but AMEN! While this decision does not make abortion illegal, it removes constitutional protection giving states the ability to issue bans. 284 0 obj <> endobj no law should impose criminal penalties against any [person] who chooses or physician who performs a medically safe abortion, and no law should sanction any action intended to harm or harass those persons contemplating or deciding to have an abortion. 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