Christianity and abortion

Christianity and abortion
A Christian pro-life prayer vigil in London.
A pro-choice campaigner in Spain voicing disagreement with the Catholic view on abortion during the Pope's visit.

The intersection of Christianity and abortion has a long and complex history though there is no mention of abortion in the Christian Bible. While some writers say that early Christians held different beliefs at different times about abortion,[1][2][3] others say that, in spite of the silence of the New Testament on the issue, they condemned abortion at any point of pregnancy as a grave sin,[4] a condemnation that they maintained even when some of them did not qualify as homicide the elimination of a fetus not yet "formed" and animated by a human soul.[5]

Most contemporary Christian denominations have nuanced positions, thoughts and teachings about abortion.[6][7] More generally, some Christian denominations can be considered pro-life while others may be considered pro-choice. Additionally, there are sizable minorities in all denominations that disagree with their denomination's stance on abortion.[7] The largest denominations, churches that represent more than half of world Christianity (including the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church and Oriental Orthodoxy) oppose direct abortion in all circumstances.

Contents

Early Christian thought on abortion

Main article: History of early Christian thought on abortion

Scholars generally agree that abortion was performed in the classical world, but there is disagreement about the frequency with which abortion was performed and which cultures influenced early Christian thought on abortion.[8] Some writers point to the Hippocratic Oath as evidence that condemnation of abortion was not a novelty introduced by the early Christians.[8] Some writers state that there is evidence that some early Christians believed, as the Greeks did, in delayed ensoulment, or that a fetus does not have a soul until quickening, and therefore early abortion was not murder;[9] Luker says there was disagreement on whether early abortion was wrong.[3] Other writers say that early Christians considered abortion a sin even before ensoulment.[10] According to some, the magnitude of the sin was, for the early Christians, on a level with general sexual immorality or other lapses;[11] according to others, they saw it as "an evil no less severe and social than oppression of the poor and needy".[12]

The society in which Christianity expanded was one in which abortion, infanticide and exposition were commonly used to limit the number of children (especially girls) that a family had to support.[13][14] These methods were often used also when a pregnancy or birth resulted from sexual licentiousness, including marital infidelity, prostitution and incest, and Bakke holds that these contexts cannot be separated from abortion in early Christianity.[9]

Between the first and fourth centuries AD, the Didache, Barnabas and the Apocalypse of Peter strongly condemned and outlawed abortion.[15][16] However, early synods did not term abortion "murder", and imposed specified penalties only on abortions that were combined with some form of sexual crime[3] and on the making of abortion drugs: the early 4th-century Synod of Elvira imposed denial of communion even at the point of death on those who committed the "double crime" of adultery and subsequent abortion,[17] and the Synod of Ancyra imposed ten years of exclusion from communion on manufacturers of abortion drugs and on women aborting what they conceived by fornication (previously, such women and the makers of drugs for abortion were excluded until on the point of death).[18][19] Basil the Great (330-379) imposed the same ten-year exclusion on any woman who purposely destroyed her unborn child, even if unformed.[20][21]

Quotations related to Abortion (pre-Reformation) at Wikiquote

Later Christian thought on abortion

See also: First seven Ecumenical Councils

From the 4th to 16th Century AD, Christian philosophers, while maintaining the condemnation of abortion as wrong, had varying stances on whether abortion was murder. Under the first Christian Roman emperor Constantine, there was a relaxation of attitudes toward abortion and exposure of children.[9] Bakke writes, "Since an increasing number of Christian parents were poor and found it difficult to look after their children, the theologians were forced to take into account this situation and reflect anew on the question. This made it possible to take a more tolerant attitude toward poor people who exposed their children."[1] Saint Augustine believed that an early abortion is not murder because, according to the Aristotelian concept of delayed ensoulment, the soul of a fetus at an early stage is not present, a belief that passed into canon law.[8][15] Nonetheless, he harshly condemned the procedure: "Sometimes, indeed, this lustful cruelty, or if you please, cruel lust, resorts to such extravagant methods as to use poisonous drugs to secure barrenness; or else, if unsuccessful in this, to destroy the conceived seed by some means previous to birth, preferring that its offspring should rather perish than receive vitality; or if it was advancing to life within the womb, should be slain before it was born."(De Nube et Concupiscentia 1.17 (15)) St. Thomas Aquinas, Pope Innocent III, and Pope Gregory XIV also believed that a fetus does not have a soul until "quickening," or when the fetus begins to kick and move, and therefore early abortion was not murder, though later abortion was.[8][22] Aquinas held that abortion was still wrong, even when not murder, regardless of when the soul entered the body.[23] Pope Stephen V and Pope Sixtus V opposed abortion at any stage of pregnancy.[8][15]

Catholic Church

Main article: Catholicism and abortion

The Catholic Church teaches that "human life must be respected and protected absolutely from the moment of conception."[24] Accordingly, it opposes procedures whose purpose is to destroy an embryo or fetus for whatever motive, but admits acts, such as chemotherapy or hysterectomy of a pregnant woman who has cervical cancer, which indirectly result in the death of the fetus.[25] The Church holds that "the first right of the human person is his life" and that life is assumed to begin at fertilization. As such, Canon 1398 provides that "a person who procures a successful abortion incurs an automatic (latae sententiae) excommunication" from the Church, which can only be removed when that individual seeks penance and obtains absolution.[26] Since the first century, the Church has affirmed that every procured abortion is a moral evil, a teaching that the Catechism of the Catholic Church declares "has not changed and remains unchangeable".[27] With the papal bull Apostolicae Sedis moderationi of 1869, Pope Pius IX, without making any distinction about the stage of pregnancy, listed as subject to an excommunication from which only a bishop could grant absolution those who effectively procured an abortion.[28] The authors of one book have interpreted this as "Pius IX declared all direct abortions homicide",[8] but the document merely declared that those who procured an effective abortion incurred excommunication reserved to bishops or ordinaries.[29] In 1895, the Church specifically condemned therapeutic abortions.[30]

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints takes a position against abortion and holds that abortion is a form of killing. However, there are exceptions. According to a statement in the LDS library, "Some exceptional circumstances may justify an abortion, such as when pregnancy is the result of incest or rape, when the life or health of the mother is judged by competent medical authority to be in serious jeopardy, or when the fetus is known by competent medical authority to have severe defects that will not allow the baby to survive beyond birth." The statement goes on to say, "Those who face such circumstances should consider abortion only after consulting with their local Church leaders and receiving a confirmation through earnest prayer."[31]

Eastern Orthodox Church

The Eastern Orthodox Church believes that life begins at conception, and that abortion (including the use of abortifacient drugs) is the taking of a human life. The Basis of the Social Concept of the Russian Orthodox Church states that, if it is because of a direct threat to her life that a woman interrupts her pregnancy, especially if she already has other children, she is not to be excommunicated from the church because of this sin, which however she must confess to a priest and fulfill the penance that he assigns:

In case of a direct threat to the life of a mother if her pregnancy continues, especially if she has other children, it is recommended to be lenient in the pastoral practice. The woman who interrupted pregnancy in this situation shall not be excluded from the Eucharistic communion with the Church provided that she has fulfilled the canon of Penance assigned by the priest who takes her confession.[32]

The document also acknowledges that abortions often are a result of poverty and helplessness and that the Church and society should "work out effective measures to protect motherhood."

Protestant denominations

Protestant views on abortion vary considerably. Christian fundamentalist movements condemn abortion, while some denominations take more nuanced positions. Several mainline Protestant organizations belong to the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice. These include the Episcopal Church, the Presbyterian Church (USA), The United Church of Christ, The United Methodist Church, the Unitarian Universalist Church, and the Lutheran Women's Caucus.[33]

Fundamentalist and evangelical movements

Despite their general opposition to abortion, fundamentalist churches that include the conservative evangelical, Non-denominational, Southern Baptist and Pentecostal movements, do not have a single definition or doctrine on abortion. While these movements hold in common that abortion (when there is no threat to the life of the mother) is a form of infanticide, there is no consensus as to whether exceptions should be allowed when the mother's life is in mortal danger, or when the pregnancy resulted from rape or incest. Some argue that the lives of both the mother and fetus should be given equal consideration, in effect condemning all abortion including those performed to save the life of the mother. Others argue for exceptions which favor the life of the mother, perhaps including pregnancies resulting from cases of rape or incest.[34][35]

National (United States) Association of Evangelicals

The National Association of Evangelicals includes the Salvation Army, the Assemblies of God, and the Church of God, among others,and takes a pro-life stance. While there is no set doctrine among member churches on if or when abortion is appropriate in cases of rape or incest, or to save the life of the mother, the NAE's position on abortion states, "...abortion on demand for reasons of personal convenience, social adjustment or economic advantage is morally wrong, and [the NEA] expresses its firm opposition to any legislation designed to make abortion possible for these reasons."[36]

American Baptist Churches

The General Board of American Baptist Churches in the U.S.A. opposes abortion "as a means of avoiding responsibility for conception, as a primary means of birth control, and without regard for the far-reaching consequences of the act." There is no agreement on when personhood begins, whether there are situations that allow for abortion, whether there should be laws to protect the life of embryos and whether laws should allow women the right to choose an abortion.[37]

Southern Baptist Convention

During the 1971 Southern Baptist Convention, the delegates passed a resolution recognizing that "Christians in the American society today are faced with difficult decisions about abortion", stating that laws should recognize the "sanctity of human life, including fetal life", and calling upon Southern Baptists to work for laws allowing abortion in extreme cases such as rape, severe fetal deformity, and the health of the mother.[38] The stance was described in the media as "hedging" on abortion and a resolution opposing all abortions was defeated.[39] W. Barry Garrett wrote in the Baptist Press, "Religious liberty, human equality and justice are advanced by the [Roe v. Wade] Supreme Court Decision."[40]

Today, the Southern Baptist Convention, the largest Protestant denomination in the United States, opposes elective abortion except to save the life of the mother.[41] The Southern Baptist Convention calls on Southern Baptists to work to change the laws in order to make abortion illegal in most cases.[42] Richard Land, president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission has said that he believes abortion is more damaging than anything else, even poverty.[43]

Anglican Communion

The Church of England

Positions taken by Anglicans across the world are divergent although most would refrain from simplifying the debate into pro-choice or pro-life camps. The Church of England, for example, declared in 1980: "In the light of our conviction that the fetus has the right to live and develop as a member of the human family, we see abortion, the termination of that life by the act of man, as a great moral evil. We do not believe that the right to life, as a right pertaining to persons, admits of no exceptions whatever; but the right of the innocent to life admits surely of few exceptions indeed." The Church also recognizes that in some instances abortion is "morally preferable to any available alternative."[44]

The Episcopal Church

The Episcopal Church in the United States of America has taken a pro-choice stand and has passed resolutions at its triannual General Convention that supports abortion rights, but believes it should be used "only in extreme scenarios." The church opposes any government action that limits abortion rights, including parental notification.[45] The ECUSA also condemns violence against abortion clinics.[45] The Church does express opposition to "abortion as a means of birth control, family planning, sex selection, or any reason of mere convenience."

Anglicans for Life, previously known as National Organization of Episcopalians for Life (N.O.E.L.), was founded in 1966 by Bishop Joseph Meakin Harte in Arizona and is a para-church organization working for pro-life issues.[46] In 2002, they claimed to have over 2 million members.[47]

The Anglican Church of Australia

The Anglican Church of Australia does not take a position on abortion.[48] However, in December 2007, an all-woman committee representing the Melbourne diocese recommended that abortion be "decriminalised", on the basis of the ethical view that "the moral significance [of the embryo] increases with the age and development of the foetus".[49] This is seen to be the first official approval of abortion by Australian Anglicans.[50]

Lutheran Churches

Lutheranism in the United States consists largely of three denominations: the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (5 million members), the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (2.5 million members), and the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (0.5 million members).

ELCA

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America maintains a pro-choice position for fetuses that are aborted before viability outside of the womb. The ELCA position statement says abortion should be an option of last resort, the ELCA community should work to reduce the need for elective abortions, and that as a community, "the number of induced abortions is a source of deep concern to this church. We mourn the loss of life that God has created."[51][52] The ELCA Social Statement on Abortion adds: "The church recognizes that there can be sound reasons for ending a pregnancy through induced abortion. These are the threat to a woman's physical life; when pregnancy has resulted from rape, incest or sexual violence; and fetal abnormalities incompatible with life.[1] The church opposes legal restrictions on abortion and provides health-care benefits to its employees that cover elective abortions. Some hospitals affiliated with the church perform elective abortions.[53]

Other Lutherans

The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod is a mainline church that holds that willful abortion, except when the mother's life is at stake, is "contrary to the will of God".[54][55]

Methodist Churches

The United Methodist Church upholds the sanctity of unborn human life and is reluctant to affirm abortion as an acceptable practice.[56] Further, the church strongly condemns the use of late-term or partial birth abortion, except if the life of the mother is in jeopardy.[56] In addition, it is committed to "assist the ministry of crisis pregnancy centers and pregnancy resource centers that compassionately help women find feasible alternatives to abortion;"[57] however, the Church recognizes that there may be extenuating circumstances, such as the threatening of the mother's life, and thus supports the legal right of the mother to choose after proper consideration of all options with medical, pastoral and other counsel.[56]

The Methodist Church of Great Britain takes a moderated pro-life position, admiting abortion only on extreme cases.[58] The Methodist Church of Great Britain believes its congregants should work toward the elimination of the need for abortion by advocating for social support for mothers. The MCGB states that "Abortion must not be regarded as an alternative to contraception, nor is it to be justified merely as a method of birth control./ The termination of any form of human life cannot be regarded superficially and abortion should not be available on demand, but should remain subject to a legal framework, to responsible counselling and to medical judgement."[59]

Presbyterian/Reformed Churches

The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) generally takes a pro-choice stance.[60] The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) believes that the choice to receive an elective abortion can be "morally acceptable;" however, the denomination does not condone late abortions where the fetus is viable and the mother's life is not in danger.[60] Other Presbyterian denominations such as the Orthodox Presbyterian Church[61] and the Presbyterian Church in America[62] are pro-life. Most Reformed churches, including both the Reformed and Christian Reformed Churches are prolife.

Quakers (The Religious Society of Friends)

The Religious Society of Friends generally avoids taking a stance on controversial issues such as abortion;[63] however, in the 1970s the American Friends Service Committee advocated for abortion rights.[63]

Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)

The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) General Assembly has "repeatedly affirmed its support for the principles of a woman's right to reproductive freedom, of the freedom and responsibility of individual conscience, and of the sacredness of life of all persons. While advocating respect for differences of religious beliefs concerning abortion, Disciples have consistently opposed any attempts to legislate a specific religious opinion regarding abortion for all Americans." [64]

United Church of Christ (UCC)

The United Church of Christ has strongly supported abortion rights since 1971 as a part of their Justice and Witness Ministry. The church is an organizational member of the National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League (NARAL).[65][66]

Community of Christ

Community of Christ's position seeks to be a pastoral one which falls within the pro-choice arena. Community of Christ states they recognize that there is inadequacy in any simplistic answer that defines all abortion as murder or as a simple medical procedure. They recognize a woman's right in deciding the continuation or termination of pregnancy, and recommend such decisions be made with the support of family, and consultation with medical, ministerial, and professional counseling service. They also state that jurisdictional leaders need to be aware of competent counseling resources and women's health services in their area to refer people to during and after the decision making process. [67]

Christian abortion statistics

In 2011, the Guttmacher Institute reported that two out of three women having abortions in the U.S. identified as Christian.[68] The same report said that of all U.S. abortions, 37% were undertaken by women who identified as Protestant, and 28% were Catholic.[68] The number of abortions performed on U.S. Catholic women is about the same per capita as the average in the general U.S. population; in the 2000s, Catholic women were 29% more likely to have an abortion than Protestant women.[44] A 1996 study found that one out of five U.S. abortions was performed on a woman who was born-again or evangelical Christian.[69] The likelihood of a woman having an abortion is called the abortion index, with the value of 1.0 assigned to a probability equal to a population's average. Using this metric in America, U.S. Catholics were assessed by Guttmacher Institute in the 2000s, showing an index of 1.00–1.04.[70] Similarly, Protestants were given an abortion index of 0.75–0.84, other religions 1.23–1.41, and non-religious women 1.38–1.59.[70] An earlier study by the Roper Center for Public Opinion Research determined U.S. Protestants to have an abortion index of 0.69, Catholics 1.01, Jews 1.08, and non-Judeo-Christian religions 0.78.[71] Women following no organized religion were indexed at 4.02.[71]

In countries where the dominant religion is Catholicism, abortions are higher per capita than the worldwide average.[44] There are roughly 1 million to 2 million abortions performed in Brazil each year.[44] Peru, another Catholic country, each year sees abortions initiated by 5% of women in their childbearing years, whereas 3% of such women have abortions in the U.S.[44] Catholics for Choice reports that Italy—97% Catholic—is 74% in favor of using Mifepristone, an abortifacient.[72] A majority of Catholics in Bolivia, Colombia and Mexico say that abortion should be allowed in at least some circumstances.[72]

A majority of U.S. and Australian Catholics hold different views than the official church doctrine: 64% of U.S. Catholics say they disapprove of the statement that "abortion is morally wrong in every case", while 72% of Australian Catholics say that the decision to have an abortion "should be left to individual women and their doctors."[44] Some 58% of American Catholic women feel that they do not have to follow the abortion doctrine of their religion, and 97% of all U.S. Catholic women have used contraception though their religion has been opposed to it from the 1930s.[73] Only 22% of U.S. Catholics agree with their church that abortion should be illegal in all cases.[72]

In Nigeria, a 1999 study of 1,516 women having abortions determined that 69% were Protestant, 25% were Muslim, and the remainder were Catholic and other religions.[74]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b When Children Became People: the birth of childhood in early Christianity by Odd Magne Bakke
  2. ^ "Abortion and Catholic Thought: The Little-Told History"
  3. ^ a b c Abortion and the Politics of Motherhood by Kristin Luker, University of California Press
  4. ^ Jeffrey H. Reiman, Abortion and the Ways We Value Human Life (Rowman & Littlefield 1998 ISBN 9780847692088), pp. 19-20
  5. ^ Daniel Schiff, Abortion in Judaism (Cambridge University Press 2002 ISBN 9780521521666), p. 40
  6. ^ "Religious Groups’ Official Positions on Abortion" Pew Forum
  7. ^ a b "Where does God stand on abortion?" USA Today
  8. ^ a b c d e f A companion to bioethics By Helga Kuhse, Peter Singer
  9. ^ a b c When children became people: the birth of childhood in early Christianity By Odd Magne Bakke
  10. ^ Evelyn B. Kelly, Stem Cells (Greenwood Press 2007 ISBN 0-313-33763-2), p. 86
  11. ^ Robert Nisbet, Prejudices: A Philosophical Dictionary (Harvard University Press 1982 ISBN 0-674-70066-X), p. 2
  12. ^ Michael J. Gorman, Abortion and the Early Church: Christian, Jewish, and Pagan Attitudes (InterVarsity Press 1982 ISBN 087784397X), p. 50
  13. ^ Jane F. Gardner and Thomas Wiedemann, The Roman Household: A Sourcebook (Routledge 1991 ISBN 0-415-04421-9), p. 98
  14. ^ Paul Carrick, Medical Ethics in the Ancient World (Georgetown University Press 2001 ISBN 0-87840-848-7), p. 123
  15. ^ a b c ReligiousTolerance.org
  16. ^ Brian Clowes. "Chapter 9: Catholic Church Teachings on Abortion: Early Teachings of the Church". Facts of Life. Human Life International. ISBN 1559220430. http://www.hli.org/index.php/the-facts-of-life/396?task=view. 
  17. ^ Canon 63. If a woman conceives by adultery while her husband is away and after that transgression has an abortion, she should not be given communion even at the last, because she has doubled her crime.
  18. ^ Canon 21. Concerning women who commit fornication, and destroy that which they have conceived, or who are employed in making drugs for abortion, a former decree excluded them until the hour of death, and to this some have assented. Nevertheless, being desirous to use somewhat greater lenity, we have ordained that they fulfil ten years [of penance], according to the prescribed degrees.
  19. ^ An exclusion from communion for ten years was considerably greater than the two or three years that was normal in the 4th to 6th century for grave sins, but it was less than the twenty or thirty years that in that period was the maximum (see Rinaldo Ronzani, Conversion and Reconciliation: The Rite of Penance (Pauline Publications 2007 ISBN 9966-08-234-4), p. 66).[improper synthesis?]
  20. ^ Philip Schaff and Henry Wallace (editors), Basil: Letters and Select Works, p. 225 - Letter 188, to Amphilochius
  21. ^ Matthew Schwartz, Roman Letters: History from a Personal Point of View (Wayne State University Press 1991 ISBN 0-8143-2023-6), p. 151
  22. ^ Dictionary of ethics, theology and society By Paul A. B. Clarke, Andrew Linzey
  23. ^ Aquinas on Abortion By Catholic Answers
  24. ^ Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2270
  25. ^ David F. Kelly, Contemporary Catholic Health Care Ethics (Georgetown University Press 2004 ISBN 9781589010307), p. 112
  26. ^ "Abortion - Excommunication". Eternal Word Television Network. http://www.ewtn.com/expert/answers/abortio2.htm. Retrieved 2007–06–24. 
  27. ^ Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2271
  28. ^ Apostolicae Sedis monitioni
  29. ^ "Excommunicationi latae sententiae Episcopis sive Ordinariis reservatae subiacere declaramus: ... 2. Procurantes abortum, effectu sequuto."
  30. ^ When abortion was a crime: women, medicine, and law in the United States, 1867-1973, Leslie J. Reagan
  31. ^ True to the Faith (LDS) article on abortion. Retrieved 2006-05-06.
  32. ^ Официальный сайт Русской Православной Церкви
  33. ^ The Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice Membership List
  34. ^ Ny Times
  35. ^ Religious Tolerance
  36. ^ National Association of Evangelicals
  37. ^ Religious Tolerance "Current beliefs by various religious and secular groups"
  38. ^ "Resolution On Abortion". June 1971. http://www.sbc.net/resolutions/amResolution.asp?ID=13. 
  39. ^ "Southern Baptists Hedge On Abortion". AP via the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. 1974-06-14. p. 11–A. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=CEk0AAAAIBAJ&sjid=6GYEAAAAIBAJ&pg=7175,5897392. 
  40. ^ Thy Kingdom Come pg. 12, a book by Randall Herbert Balmer, Professor of Religion and History at Columbia University.
  41. ^ The Johnston Archive
  42. ^ Johnston Archive
  43. ^ Baptist Press"Sparks fly in Land’s appearance at black columnists’ meeting"
  44. ^ a b c d e f BBC - Religions - Christianity:Abortion
  45. ^ a b EpiscopalChurch.org
  46. ^ anglicansforlife.org
  47. ^ www.nprcouncil.org/pressreleases/cloning-noel.htm
  48. ^ Anglican Church of Australia
  49. ^ Anglican Diocese of Melbourne (2007-11-09). "Submission to the Victorian Law Reform Commission Inquiry on the Law of Abortion from the Anglican Diocese of Melbourne". https://www.melbourne.anglican.com.au/main.php?pg=download&id=10497 
  50. ^ "Anglicans call for new stance on abortion" The Age
  51. ^ ELCA Social Statements
  52. ^ From Christ to the world: introductory readings in Christian ethics By Wayne G. Boulton, Thomas D. Kennedy, Allen Verhey
  53. ^ Abortion: Where do churches stand?. Retrieved 2009-05-07.
  54. ^ What about abortion?. Barry, A. L. Article undated, retrieved 2009-05-07.
  55. ^ Dennis R. Di Mauro, A Love for Life: Christianity's Consistent Protection of the Unborn. Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2008), 76–77.
  56. ^ a b c "Abortion". The United Methodist Church. http://archives.umc.org/interior.asp?mid=1732. Retrieved 2007–06–08. 
  57. ^ "United Methodist Church Continues to Become More Pro-Life". National Right to Life. http://www.nrlc.org/news/2008/NRL06/Methodists.html. Retrieved 2009–01–04. 
  58. ^ Methodist.org.uk "Abortion was made legal in 1967 by the Abortion Act, which provided for a number of certain circumstances whereby abortion is permissible. The Methodist Conference welcomed the intention behind the Act as it reflected a sensitivity to the value of human life and also enabled serious personal and social factors to be considered."
  59. ^ The Methodist Church of Great Britain
  60. ^ a b Presbyterians Affirming Reproductive Options
  61. ^ http://www.opc.org/nh.html?article_id=409
  62. ^ http://www.prolifeforum.org/churches/statements/philapresbytery.asp
  63. ^ a b The Quakers in America by Thomas D. Hamm
  64. ^ Disciples of Christ
  65. ^ The United Church of Christ Justice and Witness Ministry
  66. ^ The Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice
  67. ^ Appendix E. Abortion, Church Administrator's Handbook, 2005 Edition
  68. ^ a b "Facts on Induced Abortion in the United States". Guttmacher Institute. January 2011. http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/fb_induced_abortion.html. Retrieved April 19, 2011. 
  69. ^ "Abortion Common Among All Women: Even Those Thought To Oppose Abortion". Guttmacher Institute. 1996. http://www.guttmacher.org/media/nr/prabort2.html. Retrieved April 19, 2011. 
  70. ^ a b "Characteristics of U.S. Abortion Patients, 2008". Guttmacher Institute. May 2010. http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/US-Abortion-Patients.pdf. Retrieved April 19, 2011. 
  71. ^ a b "U.S. Abortion Data: The religion of women who have an abortion". Religious Tolerance. June 2010. http://www.religioustolerance.org/abo_fact4.htm. Retrieved April 19, 2011. 
  72. ^ a b c O'Brien, Jon; Morello, Sara (Spring 2008). "Catholics for Choice and Abortion: Pro-choice Catholicism 101". Perspectives: Catholic. Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice. http://www.rcrc.org/perspectives/catholic.cfm. Retrieved April 19, 2011. 
  73. ^ "Many US Catholics Out of Step with Church on Contraception, Abortion". VOANews.com. Voice of America. April 14, 2008. http://www.voanews.com/english/news/a-13-2008-04-14-voa32-66644362.html. Retrieved April 19, 2011. 
  74. ^ "Both Unwanted Pregnancies and Abortions Are Common Among Women in Nigeria". Guttmacher Institute. December 1999. http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/journals/2520799.html. Retrieved April 19, 2011. 

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