The 148th Convention of the Diocese of Fond du Lac requested that “the Bishop Diocesan, our Chief Teacher as expressed in the consecration service of the Book of Common Prayer, to provide a series of teachings and theological reflections on the issue of abortion to the members of this diocese.”
In response to that request, I wrote a series of teachings over several months.[1] I studied extensively sources by theologians of the Christian Tradition and by contemporary authors, including both men and women. I have invited others, within the diocese and beyond, both men and women (but mostly women), holding different perspectives to read each teaching and give feedback before it was published. I have had conversations in person, by phone, and via email. I have heard from people whose views on abortion have evolved over time, and people who have expressed mixed feelings about abortion. I have also engaged in conversation with those who are convinced a fully ensouled human person is present from the moment of conception and with those who believe that is not the case until birth. I have heard from women who had life-threatening pregnancies in places where procuring an abortion was difficult. I have also heard from many who have simply expressed appreciation for the teaching series.
I set out the recent historical, cultural, and political context of current understandings of the issue which suggest that the contemporary divisions on the issue of abortion do not represent what the Church has always taught or practiced.
The several resolutions passed by the General Convention over the years on the morality of abortion were set out. I explained that those resolutions are not binding on the conscience and behavior of Episcopalians. The Episcopal Church’s teaching on this issue is not static. Further reflection and teaching would be welcome. But these resolutions do represent the closest thing we have to an “official” teaching. Because they have been passed by different General Conventions over several decades, they have an ad hoc character. They do not set out one straightforward teaching document. Consequently, there is some tension among them, and one might wonder if there is a lack of consistency or coherence. Taken together, these resolutions do challenge both what is usually referred to as the “Pro-choice” and the “Pro-life” positions.
The Episcopal Church acknowledges that “in this country [the United States] it is the legal right of every woman to have a medically safe abortion” and therefore, “We believe that legislation concerning abortions will not address the root of the problem.” (Resolution 1994-A054). General Convention has also asserted on behalf of the Episcopal Church,
“its unequivocal opposition to any legislative,
executive or judicial action on the part of local, state or national
governments that abridges the right of a woman to reach an informed decision
about the termination of pregnancy or that would limit the access of a woman to
safe means of acting on her decision.” (Resolution 1994-A054).
The most recent General Convention, in 2022, asserted that it,
“understands that the protection of religious
liberty extends to all Episcopalians who may need or desire to access, to
utilize, to aid others in the procurement of, or to offer abortion services.”
On the other hand, while there is no assertion that we are fully human persons at conception, in the name of the Episcopal Church, General Convention has affirmed that,
“All human life is sacred from its inception
until death. The Church takes seriously its obligation to help form the
consciences of its 149th Convention 2023 Page 5 members concerning this
sacredness. Human life, therefore, should be initiated only advisedly and in
full accord with this understanding of the power to conceive and give birth
which is bestowed by God.” (Resolution 1994-A054)
Therefore, “We regard all abortion as having a tragic dimension” (Resolution 1994-A054). General Convention has also “strongly condemn(ed) the act of abortion when the sole purpose of such action is the selection of the sex of the child” and that “abortion after the diagnosis of non-serious or trivial abnormalities, or abortion in a case where purely cosmetic abnormalities are discovered, is also strongly condemned” (Resolution 1982-A065). It has also expressed “grave concern about the use in the third trimester of pregnancy of the procedure known as intact dilation and extraction (commonly called "partial birth abortion") except in extreme situations” (Resolution 1997-D065).
General Convention has also counselled that,
“Whenever members of this Church are consulted
with regard to a problem pregnancy, they are to explore, with grave
seriousness, with the person or persons seeking advice and counsel, as
alternatives to abortion, other positive courses of action, including, but not
limited to, the following possibilities: the parents raising the child; another
family member raising the child; making the child available for adoption.” (Resolution 1994-A054)
Episcopalians seek to ground our teaching in scripture and look to the tradition of the Church for guidance in interpreting scripture. So, the teaching series included looking at both the Old Testament and the New Testament to see what instruction they contained on the morality of abortion or the question as to when the life in the womb is a fully human, ensouled person. We saw that there is little or nothing in the Bible that directly addresses or answers those questions.
When we turned to the traditional teaching of the Church, we saw that from its beginning Christianity proclaimed a radically new valuing of all human beings of all sorts and conditions. This included a valuing of children that was more affirming of them as persons than had been common in the ancient world. With that was a clear rejection of infanticide, a common and accepted practice in the ancient Greco-Roman world. Christians treated abortion as similar to infanticide.
But we also saw that most Christian teachers through most of Christian history did not consider the life in the womb in the early parts of a pregnancy to be fully human. This was true in the teaching of most major theologians and Doctors of the Church. It was true in the on-the-ground practice of pastoral care of women who resorted to abortion. And the life of the mother took precedence if giving birth threatened her life. It was only a little over 150 years ago in 1869 that understanding was reversed in the Roman Catholic Church – mostly due to its teaching on the Immaculate Conception of Mary.
Given all of this, I have suggested something consistent with the tradition and in line with the current teaching of the Church of England that “all life is God-given but that [fully ensouled human] life emerges only gradually as does our moral responsibility towards that life.” Though less clearly articulated, this seems to be the direction of the various resolutions of the General Convention of the Episcopal Church. I made the case that this seems in keeping with Job 10:11-12 and Psalm 139:12-14. That understanding recognizes that the holy mystery of becoming fully human is a gradual process in the womb and that the pregnant woman is not merely a passive vessel of that process of becoming. The moral balance at first tilts toward the agency of the pregnant woman (usually along with the father) and gradually tilts to include the baby developing in her womb.
We looked at how this applies when looking at the biology of pregnancy and the development of an embryo – fetus – baby. Though this goes beyond what the General Convention of the Episcopal Church has said, I suggested that at around 20 weeks we can be fairly certain that the fetus has developed to the point that it makes sense to speak of it as having the capacity to be a fully ensouled human being. At that point, the rest of the community has more of a stake in its well-being such that it is reasonable for there to be more regulation of abortion beyond that point. In keeping with the teaching of the Church, the pregnant woman’s life still takes precedence if it becomes threatened. Though it was not my intention when I started the teaching, series this is similar to what the law was in Wisconsin before Roe v Wade was overturned by the Supreme Court.
I also made the case for moving beyond simply pitting the individual life in the womb against the individual life and choice of the pregnant woman. We are not simply individuals with competing rights. We are interdependent beings in communion with one another with mutual obligations. This is not just about the responsibility a woman (and the man with whom she has gotten pregnant or her partner) has toward the life in the womb. The wellbeing of mothers and children, born and unborn, is the responsibility of the community. There are things we as a community – whether in our churches, our states, or as a country – can do to address the reality of unwanted or difficult pregnancies, reduce the number of abortions, and reduce maternal mortality. This includes things like better sex education and the availability of birth control, insuring better prenatal and post-natal care, paid parental leave, subsidized daycare, etc.
It would seem possible to both advocate for safe, legal, and available abortion, at least in the first half of a pregnancy, and support efforts to reduce the frequency of abortion including advocating for policies that make it easier for women pursue other options. It would not be inconsistent to also advocate for restrictions on abortion in the second half of a pregnancy. In any event, shaming women is not the way of mercy.
Taking all this together, it appears that the Episcopal Church’s teaching is that abortion should be a legal and readily available option for women. But various resolutions passed by the General Convention also suggest that abortion is not necessarily morally neutral or that all abortions at whatever stage of pregnancy are morally equivalent. Some reasons for abortion are morally problematic, others less so. The stage of the fetus’ development is also morally significant. But problematic pregnancies are also a reality. Simply criminalizing abortion is not required by the Bible or the broad teaching of the Church’s tradition. Nor does it address the complexities of pregnancy and the reasons women resort to abortion. The Episcopal Church has sought to faithfully grapple with those complexities.
I commend Enriching Our Worship 5 Liturgies and Prayers Related to Childbearing, Childbirth, and Loss which contains liturgies, prayer for discernment, and confession authorized by General Convention regarding various aspects of pregnancy, including abortion.[2]
[1] An
Episcopal Bishop’s Teaching on Abortion, ‘An Odd Work of Grace’, Blogspot
(anoddworkofgrace.blogspot.com/2023/01/the-episcopal-churchs-statedposition).
[2]
Enriching Our Worship 5 Liturgies and Prayers Related to Childbearing, Childbirth,
and Loss
(chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://www.churchpublishing.org/siteassets/pdf/liturgies-and-prayers-related-to-childbearing/enrichingourworship5.pdf)
Previous:
Part 1: The Episcopal Church’s Stated Position on Childbirth and Abortion
Part 2: Context
Part 3: Old Testament
Part 4: New Testament
Part 5: Tradition
Part 6: Tradition, continued
Part 7: Back to the Bible
Hello! I've enjoyed reading along with your research and thoughts on abortion. I am thankful for the thoughtfulness and nuance you've brought. Thank you for investing your time into this! --Emalie
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