In this document induced abortion is defined as the
deliberate removal of the fetus from its life-support system within
the uterus with the intention of ending the life of the
fetus.
Action by the Convention: GC80.4.49
WHEREAS, The Task
Force on Abortion has submitted its report; therefore be it
Resolved, That the 1980 General Convention express its
gratitude to the members of the task force for the diligent work;
and be it further
Resolved, That the report of the task force be accepted as
a statement of comment and counsel, one expression of views to be
considered by members of congregations of The American Lutheran
Church along with the 1974 General Convention statement,
Christian Counseling on Abortion, and the 1976 General
Convention statement, The Value of Human Life, and its
appended A Statement on Abortion. Ballot vote tally:
Yes-618; No-274; Abstained-5; Voided-1; A 68.9% favorable vote.
A. BASES FOR OUR INTEREST
1. The American Lutheran Church has an intense interest in
the abortion issue and its implications. Our desire is to clarify
the values related to such issues as: equal rights for women; the
Supreme Court decisions regarding abortion; respect for life, born
and unborn; responsible reproductive freedom; male dominance and
control; protection of family life; the agonizing choice of whether
or not to terminate fetal life; and political activism related to
the abortion issue. Our desire is to encourage open discussion so
that rational and informed courses of action will be promoted.
2. We express ourselves on the abortion issue
and its implications because:
a. We seek to be faithful disciples of our
Living Lord, desirous of saying and doing that which we believe God
would have us say and do;
b. We value each human life as unique,
distinctive, and worthy of dignity and respect;
c. We deplore the tendency to turn to abortion as
a quick and easy solution to an unplanned or a problem
pregnancy;
d. We recognize that abortion is a multi-faceted
issue which concerns the family and the community and that the
interests of women are paramount;
e. We see that the abortion issue includes
biological, psychological, humanitarian, social, ethical,
political, and theological dimensions. It is far larger than merely
a medical, a legal, or a personal choice issue;
f. We regret that the burdens of abortion and
abortion decision making fall unduly heavily upon the poor,
minority group persons, and persons otherwise disadvantaged, who
are pressured in their decisions by economic constraints;
g. We encourage congregations to meet the
overwhelming need for open discussion of the complexities of the
abortion issue. Thereby the members can help one another become
informed about the values intrinsic to the several sides of the
issue.
3. Abortion is not a new issue. In fact, the
percentage of American women seeking an abortion may or may not be
greater today than in the past. The difficulty of obtaining
accurate information for comparing the present with the past makes
any precise data suspect. Nevertheless, the Supreme Court decisions
on abortion since 1973 have raised the issue of abortion to
national attention. We disagree with the view that because abortion
is now legal the moral issues have been resolved. We are
increasingly conscious both of the enormous number of abortions,
legal and illegal, that take place and of the many and tragic
circumstances that lead women to take such a step. It is clear that
these are questions that should concern the church today as they
should have concerned the church prior to the several Supreme Court
decisions regarding abortion.
4. As responsible Christians we must confront
the complexities of these issues. We take into account the findings
of competent scholarship in all disciplines. We strive to uphold
the teachings of our faith. At the same time we recognize the
brokenness of humanity and our responsibility to deal equitably
with this condition. We must work to promote healing and to restore
a sense of wholeness.
B. BIBLICAL-THEOLOGICAL FOUNDATIONS
5. Lutherans approach the abortion issue, as any other, on
the basis of their faith assumptions derived from Scripture.
Therefore, a major question for Lutherans is, "What is the biblical
witness?" In seeking that witness which the Old and the New
Testaments would speak to us today we take into account alike (a)
the text of any specific Bible reference, (b) the context in which
that reference occurs, and (c) its probable meaning(s) in light of
the whole of Scripture with its central theme of God's loving
purpose to save the world through Jesus Christ (John 3:16-17).
Differences of opinion and of interpretation will arise even among
those who appeal to the same Bible, out of the same confessional
tradition. In this spirit we turn to the biblical witness for
guidance.
a. The only scripture verse which appears
explicit to the loss of fetal life is Exodus 21:22. This calls for
payment of a fine to the husband should a woman suffer a
miscarriage as a result of being injured in a struggle. The
following "life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth" penalty in
verse 23 is not applied so long as the woman herself suffers no
direct hurt. This suggests that the death of the fetus is not of
the same order as personal harm or injury. Yet, the context of this
verse so complicates the problems of interpretation that there is
no consensus on the meaning of this passage.
b. Other passages of Scripture often cited in
abortion discussions, however, do not speak as explicitly to the
issue. For example, Psalm 139:13-16 and Job 10:9-1 1 are seen by
some as descriptive of the creative processes God established for
the intrauterine development of human life. Isaiah 44:2 and
Jeremiah 1:5 can be read as God's special calling and
foreknowledge. edge of what these messengers would do in his
service. Luke 1:44 expresses the meaning Elizabeth gave to the
"leap" many a pregnant woman normally experiences. Such passages
help to inform the discussion, but have not led to consensus on the
specific issues.
c. Scripture passages which forbid murder (Ex.
20:13, Matt. 5:21-22, for example) or which provide penalties for
murder (Gen. 9:6, Matt. 26:52, Rom. 13:3-5, for example) depend for
their interpretation upon the definition given to the fetus by the
reader.
6. Our confessional position as Lutherans
requires that we ground any doctrinal statements on the Word of God
as presented and explained in our symbolical books (the ancient
ecumenical creeds, the unaltered Augsburg Confession, and
Luther's Small Catechism, along with the other documents
in the Book of Concord of 1580). Since abortion was not an
issue in controversy when these were written, none contains any
reference to abortion. The Bible and the confessions do speak
clearly, however, on a variety of matters which have special
relevance for the abortion issue.
Among such matters are:
a. God is the creator, sustainer, and redeemer
of human life, with the intent that human beings live in loving
concern for each other, in harmonious relationships with one
another.
b. Living within society, humans regulate many of
their relationships by means of law. Christians share the
responsibility to work for laws which are wise and just.
Nevertheless, human law can never be fully equated with the divine
will; the struggle for justice requires constant reassessment of
human laws.
c. Human beings do not have it within their power
to eliminate the condition called sin. Christians live from the
forgiveness and new life effected by God's redeeming activity in
Christ. The gospel calls Christians to live in the world and not to
withdraw from it. The gospel does not free us from making
decisions, but frees us to make responsible decisions in a sinful
world. The decisions we are freed to make have consequences for the
neighbor as for self as well as for our relationship with
God.
d. Believing that humans are created in the divine
image, and living out of a vision of eternal life, Christians
affirm that human life deserves care, honor, respect. These
attitudes begin in the family, where children are to be seen as a
blessing of God. It is the responsibility of the church to
exemplify and to work for such care, honor, and respect.
C. SOME SPECIFICS
7. Life is a continuous process from conception through
death. The union of sperm and ovum at conception begins a new,
unique, individual life. Normally, the conceptus implants in the
uterus, and moves through the zygote and embryo stages during the
first 60 days of development to a fetus, which on birth is known as
an infant. The infant moves through the stages of life from
childhood through old age to death. Biologically, life is a
continuum.
8. We affirm that life is valuable as a gift of
God. However, we recognize there is a common tendency to ascribe
value to a human being by steps in relation to nearness to the time
of birth or to the time of death. These value judgments are colored
by the number, variety, and quality of the person's relationships
either present or in prospect. Some insist that full personhood
exists from the moment of conception, others reserve the term
person from the time of birth, while still others suggest viability
as the critical time. All of these judgments are based upon
differing interpretations of the same set of biological data. To
pinpoint a specific time when personhood exists is very difficult
and the search for a single decisive development overlooks the
complexity of the substance of personhood. External changes which
occur in late fetal life evoke recognition and affective emotions
in actual persons. Affective recognition is important because
personhood has social status as well as developmental status. A
determination of the exact time when personhood occurs independent
of the time of birth is fraught with difficulty. For all these
reasons the necessity of protecting fetal life assumes increasingly
greater significance the nearer the time when the fetus is able to
live without the woman's life support systems.
9. Recognizing that life is present from
conception, the real problem occurs when our respect for potential
human personhood collides with the needs and values of actual
persons. The decisions are never easy. The decision process is
usually one of weighing responsibilities: responsibility to the
potential human person, responsibility to the potential parent(s),
and responsibility to others intimately involved in the situation.
Very few persons make these decisions without real pain. Whether
the decision is to have an abortion or to give birth, the pregnant
woman deserves the compassionate support of her church
community.
l0. a. We reject the matter of
third trimester (28-40 weeks) abortion as the fetus is certainly
viable at this stage. Termination of pregnancy this late should be
done only to protect the life or health of the woman with the
expectation of delivering a live infant accorded all the medical
facilities necessary to continue its life. Second trimester
abortions should be rare. Most are done when the parent(s) must
wait for the results of lengthy genetic studies, when women
(usually teens) don't know they are pregnant or are afraid to tell
anyone, or when serious health complications develop.
10. b. The majority of abortions are performed
during the first trimester. The reasons for requesting this
procedure are numerous and varied. Abortion is always a serious
matter. Individuals have the responsibility to make the best
possible decision they are capable of making in light of the
information available to them and their sense of accountability to
God, neighbor, and self.
11. A special case is that of a pregnancy where
the diagnosis ofgenetic disease and/or a developmental abnormality
indicates thatcontinuing development will result in a severely
handicapped or mentally retarded person. The development and
refinement of amniocentesis provides a procedure for attempting to
confirm the presence of an abnormally developing fetus after 14-16
weeks of pregnancy. The agony associated with the possibility of
giving birth to a severely handicapped child requires caring,
sensitive, and informed counseling. The dangers of undue pressure
and coercion must not be underestimated in such circumstances. We
affirm that parents in such circumstances should have the right to
make the decision for the utilization of amniocentesis and the
concomitant decision to terminate a pregnancy or carry the fetus to
term if a serious genetic and/or developmental abnormality is
confirmed. We reject the implication that this situation requires
an abortion. At the same time we empathize with the decision to
terminate a pregnancy in which a life is encumbered by genetic
and/or developmental problems. The procedure of amniocentesis
allows for a choice, one of which is the opportunity to prepare for
the birth of a handicapped child.
12.a. Alternatives to abortion must be more
publicized and acceptable. Much can be done to make adoption an
emotionally tolerable choice to the married as well as unmarried in
situations in which keeping and rearing a child is not believed to
be possible by the mother and family, whether for reasons of
physical and/or psychological stamina, or general economic and
social conditions. We recognize that adoptive placement can be a
responsible and self-sacrificing act, fraught with emotional and
spiritual anguish but nevertheless an act of love toward the
child.
12. b. At the same time the church must nurture
programs for maternal and infant health so that the pregnant woman
in weighing alternatives can identify keeping and rearing her child
as an option which offers hope and a realistic chance for healthy
growth for her child and herself.
D. SOME PREVENTIVE MEASURES
13. We advocate positive measures for preventing those
situations where abortion may seem an option. We reiterate and
endorse (with minor amendments we have made below) the responsible
preventive measures advocated by the Seventh General Convention
(1974), looking toward:
a. Teaching the meaning of human life and
relationships as lived in Jesus Christ, in love for God, for family
and neighbor, and for self;
b. Helping the parent(s) grow in understanding of
the joys, satisfactions, and duties of parenthood, of the
individuality of each child, and of the trust given for the nurture
of these children;
c. Communicating the meaning of the gift of joy
and pleasure in human sexuality when expressed within a marriage
relationship of commitment, love, and faithfulness;
d. Advocating research and development leading to
safer, more reliable, inexpensive, and simple contraceptives;
e. Encouraging comprehensive family planning
services to be made available to person(s) who want or need such
help;
f. Fostering informed family life education which
advocates responsible management of male and female reproductive
powers, including self-control and effective, consistent use of
reliable contraceptive measures;
g. Encouraging women and men to share in all
parental responsibilities, including child care;
h. Providing just, adequate, and effective private
and governmental programs for income maintenance, health and
medical care, education, and social services to enable parent(s) to
rear children in self-respect and dignity; and
i. Building a sense of fellowship within the
congregation so as to support all persons: the family and all its
members; the single person; the widowed; the divorced; the
handicapped; the homeless child; the child born out of wedlock; the
woman with an unwanted pregnancy who elects to bring that pregnancy
to term, either to keep the child or place it for adoption; as well
as the woman who has made the decision to have an abortion. All are
children of God; all deserve the church's care, support, and
acceptance.
14. We advocate mutuality and wholeness between
men and women as equal members of the human community in matters
sexual, procreational, economic, employment, political, and other
relationships.
15. We endorse, with minor amendments we have
made in the text that follows, these ideas adopted by the 1978
General Convention in its statement on Christian Social
Responsibility:
a. The church as a fellowship of believers is
concerned to meet human needs through deeds of love and justice. It
does this through acts of direct service to persons, both through
the congregation and its resources and through its social service
agencies. And it does this through efforts to change the social
structures in which persons are hurt and debased.
b. Other avenues of direct involvement in the
struggle for justice and the solution of social problems
include:
(1) advocacy on behalf of the poor, the weak,
the disenfranchised, and others least able to defend their own
rights;
(2) helping to formulate and support sound goals
of public policy relating to justice and a responsive
society;
(3) joining in cooperative ventures and supporting
programs of community action directed toward the overcoming of
poverty, hunger, family breakdown, racism, sexism, crime, and other
forms of injustice;
(4) using corporate purchasing power and
investment funds to support enterprises and activities which
advance the cause of social justice.
c. Every action, or failure to take action, on
the part of the corporate church is a witness as to what it
believes and teaches. It also seeks healing and reconciliation
among its members and strives to reach out in love and justice
toward those outside its fellowship. The church strives to be God's
agent, so that social systems and structures may become more
responsive to God's will for the world.