Abortion & Religion Reader

Click on the icons below to find more information about each religious tradition and their stance on abortion.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church states: “Since the first century the Church has affirmed the moral evil of every procured abortion. This teaching has not changed and remains unchangeable. Direct abortion, that is to say, abortion willed either as an end or a means, is gravely contrary to the moral law” (No. 2271). 

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believes in the sanctity of human life. Therefore, the Church opposes elective abortion for personal or social convenience, and counsels its members not to submit to, perform, encourage, pay for, or arrange for such abortions.

The Church allows for possible exceptions for its members when:

• Pregnancy results from rape or incest, or
• A competent physician determines that the life or health of the mother is in serious jeopardy, or
• A competent physician determines that the fetus has severe defects that will not allow the baby to survive beyond birth.

The General Assembly of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) has wrestled with the issue of abortion on the floor on many occasions, consistently affirming support for reproductive freedom for women.  In these proceedings, the church has consistently affirmed the sanctity of human life.  The General Assembly has also wrestled with the fact that there is not agreement within the broader Christian community as to when life begins, and has accordingly raised concerns about legislating a specific religious belief upon all Americans.  

In a series of statements over the past decades, the Church has declared that “we emphatically oppose abortion as a means of birth control, family planning, sex selection, or any reason of mere convenience.” At the same time, since 1967, The Episcopal Church has maintained its “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.

The ELCA’s social statement entitled Abortion is grounded in the conviction that “Christians are united in Christ through faith with both the freedom and obligation to engage in serious moral deliberation.” (page 1) As ELCA social teaching it draws upon this community’s faith tradition that understands God’s life-giving purposes as pressing “beyond the usual ‘pro-life’ versus ‘pro-choice’ language.” (page 2) The social statement provides guidance for pastoral care and deliberation regarding unintended pregnancies as well as basic themes for reflecting on and discussing public policy issues. It was adopted by the 1991 ELCA Churchwide Assembly

In 2022, the General Assembly of the PCUSA passed the following resolution:

1. In appreciation of the complexity and seriousness of issues concerning abortion, we affirm that women and pregnant people are full moral agents, created in the image of God. Recognizing that God alone is Lord of the conscience, we support their moral capacity to decide whether to continue or end any given pregnancy.

2.     Denounce attempts to prevent people from receiving essential healthcare, particularly when it results in forced pregnancy and the violation of bodily autonomy.

3.     Reject attempts at all levels of government to reduce, limit, or eliminate access to contraceptive and abortion care.

4.     Affirm the principles of the Reproductive Justice Movement [1] to support the human right to maintain personal bodily autonomy to have children, to not have children, and to parent the children we have in safe and sustainable communities, [2] in recognition that Christian moral and ethical concerns about abortion should be considered within broader conversations about human sexuality, fertility, reproduction, contraceptives, and parenting.

5.     Clearly and publicly make known the PC(USA)’s consistent support of access to contraceptive and abortion care and our commitment to respect the moral agency of all God’s people. 

6.     Direct Presbyterian Mission Agency, in connection with Advocacy Committee on Women’s Concerns, to create a theological reflection to guide the church on the issue. 

7.     Urge the Board of Pensions to continue to develop the policies and practices that will ensure that plan members are able to access reproductive health care, access to contraceptives and abortion, equitably, no matter the state they live in.

“Due to our fundamental belief in the sanctity of life and the Jewish value of kavod ha’briyot, respect for human dignity, Reform Judaism holds that abortion is both a medical and spiritual decision and that the decision to terminate a pregnancy is one that, in all circumstances, should ultimately be made by the individual within whose body the fetus is growing.

While that individual may understandably seek the advice and guidance of physicians, clergy, therapists, and family members who can offer information and support, Reform Judaism believes the pregnant individual should maintain absolute autonomy over their body.”

“The United Church of Christ has supported reproductive justice issues since the 1960’s. As a human rights issue, reproductive justice promotes the rights of people to bear children they want to have, to not bear children, to raise the children they do have in safe and healthy environments, and express their sexuality without oppression.”

“The beginning of life and the ending of life are the God-given boundaries of human existence. While individuals have always had some degree of control over when they would die, they now have the awesome power to determine when and even whether new individuals will be born. 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 and the unborn child.”

“As Unitarian Universalists, we embrace the reproductive justice framework, which espouses the human right to have children, not to have children, to parent the children one has in healthy environments and to safeguard bodily autonomy and to express one’s sexuality freely. The reproductive justice movement was founded at a time when the unique range of issues faced by women of color were not addressed by the predominantly white middle class women’s rights and reproductive rights movements nor the predominantly male civil rights movement. Those issues have included forced sterilization, forced contraception, and higher rates of removal of children from families due to accusations of abuse or neglect. These issues, coupled with systemic racism, have frequently made parenting or co-parenting more difficult due to many factors, including but not limited to, discriminatory and unequal implementation of laws and incarceration rates, prohibitions imposed on people after incarceration, unjust immigration policies, and economic insecurity.”