Let's look at abortion from a position of all faiths

Below is my column in today's edition of the Grand Haven Tribune.

I read with interest the column from my colleague, Pastor John Koedyker, on “Looking at abortion from a position of faith” (July 13). I was disappointed, however, to see that it was only his own perspective on faith on this issue that was presented.

I was disappointed, but not surprised. Because increasingly in our country, and in our own local elections, one segment of Christianity is privileging their own personal view over the views of other Christians – not to mention those from other faith traditions or those who do not choose to belong to a faith tradition. And the idea that one particular view in one particular religion should govern the law of the entire country runs counter, not only to Christian charity but also to the First Amendment to our Constitution, which insists that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion.”

My own religion, Christianity, as it is understood in the Episcopal tradition, would disagree strenuously with the claims that Pastor Koedyker has made. In our most recent General Convention, just concluded in Baltimore, our church passed a resolution which states that our church, “Recognizes that pregnancy and childbirth are dangerous undertakings that risk permanent disability and death for those who bear children” and also that “access to abortion is a key element in preserving the health, independence and autonomy of those who can bear children.” This resolution is based upon the stance our church has maintained since 1967, our “unequivocal opposition to any legislation on the part of the national or state governments which would abridge or deny the right of individuals to reach informed decisions (about the termination of pregnancy) and to act upon them.” (You can read a summary of all our church’s statements on abortion and women’s reproductive health online at http://sjegh.com/abortion).

But it is not only the Episcopal Church that maintains this stance. Our own view is similar to the stance of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the United Methodist Church, the Presbyterian Church (USA) and the United Church of Christ. Our view, however, is not respected by the law, given the Supreme Court decision, even though we hold these views as people of faith. Indeed, two-thirds of non-evangelical protestants disagree with the decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. Even 55 percent of Catholics in America believe it should not have been overturned, despite the official stance of their church.

And, of course, it is not just Christians who disagree with this view. Most Islamic scholars believe that it is only after four months in the womb that a fetus becomes a living soul, before that they would not characterize abortion as murder (as Pastor Koedyker so unfortunately phrases it). Traditional Judaism sanctions abortion when it safeguards the life or well-being of the mother, and Reform, Reconstructionist and Conservative Judaism are all clear that abortion should be safe and accessible to women.

Indeed, the majority of Jewish texts assert that a fetus is not the same thing as a person until it draws its first breath at birth (drawing upon Genesis 1). Pastor Koedyker conveniently ignores the biblical view of Exodus 21, where if men fighting injure a pregnant woman to the point of causing a miscarriage, there is a fine – but it is not treated as murder. The Mishnah, one of the earliest and most authoritative rabbinic texts, actually requires an abortion if a woman’s life is at risk.

The tyranny of a particular Christian religious view being imposed upon all women in our country is one of the greatest constitutional and religious crises of our time. And it is actually an action that is profoundly contrary to the sanctity of life. It will result in more unsafe abortions for women who do not have the resources to travel to a place where they can safely access the procedure. It will increase maternal mortality rates as women are forced to have children despite their health concerns. The advocacy against abortion will also continue to traumatize women who have experienced miscarriage or struggled with infertility, telling them that an eight-week fetus was the same thing as a baby and telling parents who do IVF that their babies are dying when an embryo does not implant.

An article in Forbes magazine was clear that the broad and imprecise language in many of the laws going into effect after the Supreme Court decision will very likely impair access to many forms of assisted reproductive technology.

Pastor Koedyker quoted one Catholic thinker, and I’d like to quote another. Sister Joan Chittester, the famed and well-respected Benedictine nun, said in an interview with Bill Moyers in 2004: “I do not believe that just because you are opposed to abortion, that that makes you pro-life. In fact, I think in many cases, your morality is deeply lacking if all you want is a child born but not a child fed, a child educated, a child housed. And why would I think that you don’t? Because you don’t want any tax money to go there. That’s not pro-life. That’s pro-birth.”

The hypocrisy, the lack of respect for different religious and Christian views, the lack of concern for the health of women and children (along with trans or non-binary people with wombs), it is all shocking and deeply upsetting to me, as a person of faith.

Sadly, however, one particular view in Christianity will continue to insist that their view is the only correct view and that other views must be shut down with the full force of government law. More people will die. More children will struggle in poverty. And more and more people will give up on Christianity entirely, disgusted and outraged.

And none of it has anything to do with the teachings of Jesus, no matter what any pastor might claim.

About the writer: The Rev. Dr. Jared C. Cramer, Tribune community columnist, serves as rector of St. John’s Episcopal Church in Grand Haven. Information about his parish can be found at www.sjegh.com.