Guidelines
on Abortion, 1980
Mennonite Church USA
Preamble
Abortion is one of the most important
moral issues of our time. Historically we, the members of the
General Conference Mennonite Church, have affirmed the sanctity
of human life. We continue to make that affirmation and are agreed
in our concern about the large number of abortions in North America.
In spite of this basic agreement, we acknowledge that the members
of our churches reflect a variety of moral perspectives that
are informed by different ethical and theological norms, as well
as by different understandings of the facts about abortion.[1]
1. The Status of the Fetus
We believe that the Bible regards
fertility as a sign of God's blessing, as God's gift of life
which is to be honored with reverence and respect. This mood
is reflected by the Psalmist: "Thou it was who didst fashion
my inward parts; thou didst knit me together in my mother's womb.
I will praise thee, for thou dost fill me with awe; wonderful
thou art, and wonderful thy works" (Psalms 139:13, 14, New
English Bible).
We acknowledge that the Bible
does not speak directly to the issue of abortion. A biblical
passage which speaks to the status of the fetus indirectly (Exodus
21:22-25) seems to place a higher value on the life of the mother
than the fetus. For the death of the fetus the husband is to
be compensated with money, but where the wife suffers hurt or
death, there shall be "life for life, eye for eye."
[2] Therefore the Bible places a
high value on the life of the fetus, though it does not necessarily
support its absolute defense.
We affirm that the Bible reflects
special concern for the poor, the weak, the helpless, the widow,
and the orphan. Though the Bible does not explicitly say so,
in our day concern for the "defenseless" would probably
extend to the fetus.
We acknowledge that it is difficult
to settle the issue of the status of the fetus: the status of
the fetus cannot be settled by biology, since biological life
is a continuum from the time before conception until death. [3] Though there is a new genetic identity
at conception, there are no scientific grounds for determining
when in the biological process human life begins. The decision
about the status of fetal life is therefore a moral or theological
judgment. [4]
2. Abortion as Birth Control
We cannot and do not support
the use of abortion as a means of birth control. In the light
of the value placed on fetal life by the Christian faith, we
have grave concern about the ever-increasing number of abortions
being performed in our society. We believe that where children
are not wanted, proper contraceptives should be used to prevent
pregnancy. We believe that many abortions could be prevented
if persons would take responsibility for sexual behavior.
We therefore commit ourselves
to provide Christian education in the meaning and responsible
expression of human sexuality for both young and old, to encourage
genetic counseling where genetic diseases are possible, and to
foster understanding of various means by which pregnancy can
be prevented when it is not desired. We commit ourselves to teaching
and upholding sexual chastity before marriage and faithfulness
in marriage.
3. Justifiable Abortion
The majority of us believes that
most abortions cannot be justified on moral grounds, although
we are unwilling to say that abortion is never justified. We
do not agree what circumstances justify abortion: most believe
that an abortion is justified where the mother's life is at stake;
many support an abortion if the pregnancy is a result of rape
or incest, or if there is a high probability of severe genetic
disease; some support abortion for a variety of personal and
social reasons. Some of us, however, believe that abortion is
never justified.
We urge fellow believers to continue
to search for God's guidance, in a spirit of love, even though
there is not yet complete agreement.
4. The Communal Nature of Abortion
Decisions
We believe that the New Testament
pictures the church as a community (koinonia) which seeks to
discern the will of God and take responsibility as a group for
decisions. Though the individual woman or couple must finally
decide whether to get an abortion, we believe the larger community
should also be available in making the decision.
Therefore, we urge that Christians
engage in this discerning process rather than making isolated
individual decisions, recognizing that such a process will often
involve only a small group within a congregation. We believe
that a harsh legalistic position that is put forth by the group
without loving concern for the individual is often hurtful to
persons facing abortion decisions. At the same time we believe
the church must have standards that it upholds for its members.
We believe that the community
should be willing to support a woman or couple in their decision,
sharing responsibility for that decision. This would include
sharing in the responsibility for the care of that person or
family if a continued pregnancy leads to the birth of a child
that brings hardship on a family or single individual.
Because we have a message about
the all-inclusive love and compassion of God to share, and we
wish to make everyone, regardless of sex, ethnicity, age, or
income feel welcome in our fellowship, and in order to help eliminate
the need for abortion, we also commit ourselves to advocate increased
welfare payments, adequate and affordable medical care for all,
sufficient day care; and to provide other personal and communal
support for those one-and two-parent families who feel overwhelmed
by the pressure of caring for their children. We make this commitment
because we affirm that we are all part of the family of God and,
therefore, creating and maintaining a high quality of life for
all is our responsibility as Christians.
We commit ourselves to show concern
for the individuals who decide to relinquish their children,
as well as to seek to prevent the suffering, often a living death,
of unwanted children by providing adoptive homes and other support
systems.
We therefore urge pastors and
churches to foster a climate of openness so that these decisions
can be worked out prayerfully in the context of Christian community.
5. Morality and Legality [5]
We believe that the demands of
discipleship are to be accepted voluntarily, not imposed legally
upon everyone regardless of conviction. The New Testament church,
as well as the church the three centuries before Constantine,
was interested in working out what is morally responsible behavior
for Christians. The Anabaptists of the sixteenth century rediscovered
the importance of identifying a Christian moral stance that was
distinguishable from the behavior of society as a whole.
Therefore, though we stress the
importance of respect for the life of the fetus and though most
of us can support abortion only under the most exceptional of
circumstances, we do not believe that this position should be
imposed upon the society in general. Because of the diversity
of moral conviction in the civil community, we realize that what
the law permits is not necessarily Christian moral behavior.
We believe, however, that the
church should witness to society concerning the sanctity of the
fetus.
We also believe that the church
should be concerned that legislation not coerce people to act
against their convictions and that it conform to standards of
justice. [6]
6. Professionals and Abortion
We believe that doctors, nurses,
and other medical personnel should have the right not to perform
or participate in performing abortions when this is contrary
to their convictions.
We recognize the validity of
hospitals setting standards (that go beyond what the law permits
or requires) within which they will or will not perform abortions.
We also recognize the importance
of empathetic and understanding counselors in helping persons
reach decisions that are best for them. The counselors, however,
may at times have to respect individual decisions that conflict
with their own convictions.
We confess that the church has
often left the difficult task of dealing with persons facing
abortion to the professionals in medicine, law, mental health,
or social work.
We commit ourselves to support
our professionals in dealing with moral dilemmas of abortion.
7. Sin and Forgiveness
We acknowledge that there are
situations in which Christians get abortions for what other Christians
regard as sinful. Persons do sometimes engage in illicit sexual
relations, without taking responsibility for contraception, and
then use abortion as a birth control device. Persons sometimes
choose abortion for relatively selfish personal motives such
as economic well-being or personal convenience.
We also believe that there is
a place for repentance and forgiveness for sin. The Bible reflects
an attitude of compassion toward the sinner. Jesus' harshest
words were directed against the self-righteous. He warned against
judging others. He spent much time with outcasts and sinners
and told those who had caught the woman in an act of adultery,
"Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw
a stone" (John 8:7, RSV).
Therefore, we believe that persons
who get abortions for reasons regarded by others in the Christian
community as wrong should be treated with love, so that Jesus'
word of redemption may become operative, ". . . go, and
do not sin again" (John 8:11, RSV).
Concluding Remarks
We, the delegates of the General
Conference Mennonite Church, gathered at Estes Park, Colorado,
July 12-19,1980, recognize that a difficult moral issue like
abortion requires continued study and discussion. We therefore
commit ourselves to continued search for God's will in this matter.
We are, however, sure that God's love in Jesus Christ binds us
together in this search: "Now we see only puzzling reflections
in a mirror, but then we shall see face to face. My knowledge
now is partial; then it will be whole, like God's knowledge of
me. In a word, there are three things that last forever: faith,
hope, and love; but the greatest of them all is love" (1
Corinthians 13:12, 13, NEB).
Notes:
1.
In order to determine what General Conference Mennonites believe
about abortion, data for the "Guidelines on Abortion"
were gathered from a number of sources: 96 responses to questionnaires,
25 of which were mailed to each U.S. district and 50 to Canada
(see questionnaire and summary of responses to it in the Abortion
Packet, pp. 43-50); interviews conducted with a number of persons
in the General Conference Mennonite Church; 62 responses from
churches and church groups who had studied the Abortion Packet;
statistics on abortion cited by J. Howard Kauffman and Leland
Harder in Anabaptists Four Centuries Later (Scottdale, Pennsylvania:
Herald Press, 1975), p. 181. (Return to text)
2.
Although this has historically been the interpretation of the
text, some people interpret it to mean that there is a live birth.
They therefore believe the text does not support making a distinction
between the status of the fetus and the mother. (Return to text)
3.
Biological facts in themselves (such as conception, existence
of brain waves, viability outside the mother, etc.) do not determine
what value we give to the fetus. (Return to text)
4.
We acknowledge the high value of fetal life in God's eyes, but
we are unwilling to attach to fetal life the same value we attach
to fully developed human beings. Clearly the fetus is not just
a "piece of tissue" to be discarded at will. On the
other hand, neither is the fetus treated as a "person"
in the full sense of that term, since particularly in its earliest
states it still lacks the capacity to exist independently of
the mother and interact socially with other human beings. Usually
names are not given to miscarried fetuses or funerals held for
them. From the responses from congregations it is clear that
most people, when there is a case of life against life (mother
versus fetus), place a higher value on the life of the mother
than on the fetus. However, some suggest that the life of the
mother should not necessarily always take priority over the life
of the fetus. In war and capital punishment, as distinguished
from abortion, it is clear that there is intentional killing
of fully developed human beings. (Return to text)
5.
Laws are sometimes described as either restrictive, moderate,
or permissive. Some people argue that there should be no laws.
For an extensive discussion of different kinds of laws worldwide
see "Establishing a Legal Policy" in Abortion: Law,
Choice & Morality by Daniel Callahan (pp. 123-283). (Return
to text)
6.
For example, in the days of more restrictive laws the more affluent
paid a doctor or traveled to a place where a safe abortion was
obtained, whereas the poor used the services of criminal abortionists,
often under unsafe and unsanitary conditions. (Return to text)
Adopted at the
Triennial Session of General Conference Mennonite Church, July
12-19, 1980, Estes Park, Colorado.
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