America’s religious communities are divided over the issue of abortion: 5 essential reads

The Conversation) — Since the first indications that the U.S. Supreme Court could overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling, following a leaked draft opinion on May 2, 2022, religious leaders from many denominations have been working to preserve access to abortion care, even as others prayed for Roe to indeed be overruled. A minister in Texas was among those working on coordinating abortion care, including flying women to New Mexico to get abortions.

Religious communities in the U.S. have long been divided over the issue of abortion. A 2017 Pew Research Center survey found that 57% of Americans were supportive of legal abortion. A majority of those who identified as evangelical were opposed to abortion.

Before June 24, 2022, when the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, The Conversation asked several scholars to explain the multiple views across faith groups and also the differences within denominations. Here are five articles from our archives:

Steven K. Green, director of the Center for Religion, Law and Democracy at Willamette University, explained why restricting abortion interferes with religious freedom.

The strong opposition of some Christian churches, such as the Catholic Church or the Southern Baptist Convention, is based on their views about the time of “ensoulment,” the moment at which the soul is believed to enter the fetus. Conservative Christians believe this happens at the moment of conception.

Not all Christian denominations agree. As Green wrote, the United Church of Christ, for example, passed a resolution in 1981 that said “every woman must have the freedom of choice to follow her personal and religious convictions concerning the completion or termination of a pregnancy.”

Additionally, other faith groups such as Islam, Judaism, Buddhism and Hinduism have differing beliefs about ensoulment.

Judaism allows for abortion and even requires it when a woman’s health is endangered, according to Rachel Mikva, professor of Jewish studies at Chicago Theological Seminary. The majority of foundational Jewish texts assert that a fetus does not attain the status of personhood until birth.

There is some difference of opinion among Orthodox rabbis, but there is room to consider diverse perspectives.

Overall, according to a 2017 Pew survey, 83% of American Jews believed that abortion should be legal in all or most cases. Even ultra-Orthodox leaders, as Mikva found, have resisted anti-abortion measures that do not allow religious exceptions.

Beliefs from other faith traditions such as Buddhism, Hinduism and Islam also show that religions place ensoulment at different moments and give it varying degrees of importance, according to Samira Mehta, assistant professor of women and gender studies and Jewish studies at University of Colorado, Boulder.

Muslim scholars and clerics, for example, have a range of positions on abortion. “Some believe abortion is never permitted, and many allow it until ensoulment, which is often placed at 120 days’ gestation, just shy of 18 weeks,” according to Mehta. In general, classical Islamic law sees legal personhood as beginning at birth, and many Muslim religious leaders therefore permit abortion to save the life of the mother.

Views in Hinduism and Buddhism are diverse. “Most Hindus believe in reincarnation, which means that while one may enter bodies with birth and leave with death, life itself does not, precisely, begin or end. Rather, any given moment in a human body is seen as part of an unending cycle of life – making the question of when life begins quite different than in Abrahamic religions,” wrote Mehta. For Buddhists, a decision about abortion is treated with compassion and considered to be a “moral choice,” depending on the circumstances.

Scholars have also pointed out how in conservative faith groups, beliefs have shifted over time. Scholar Susan M. Shaw, who has long studied the Southern Baptists, explained that they have not always been opposed to abortion.

According to Shaw, the change in Southern Baptist views started in the 1980s, when a more conservative group took charge of the denomination. At that time a “resolution on abortion” was drafted that declared that “abortion ends the life of a developing human being” and called for legal measures “prohibiting abortion except to save the life of the mother.”

Additionally, as Shaw found, another “interesting shift” happened in that resolution – instead of referring to fetal life, as earlier resolutions did, the 1980 resolution called fetuses “unborn” or “pre-born” human life or “persons.” The fetus, as she wrote, “was no longer a developing organism dependent on a woman’s body, but rather it was a full human being with the same status and human rights as the women.”

Scholars have pointed out that among premodern Christians, too, views on abortion were more complex. According to religion scholar Luis Josué Salés, pregnancy prevention and termination methods thrived in premodern Christian societies, especially in the medieval Roman Empire.

Indeed, premodern Christians may have actively developed reproductive options for women, Salés found. Sixth-century Christian physician Aetios of Amida and Paulos of Aigina, who came a century later, were said to have provided instructions for performing abortions and making contraceptives.

The following is a much more accurate summary of the view of the Supreme Court ruling by orthodox Jews, which is the segment of North American Jews who are faithful to Jewish law.

“Two US Orthodox Jewish groups laud striking down of Roe v. Wade, while Orthodox Union wavers:”

https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/355576

Leading Orthodox Jewish groups unite in rejection of abortion on demand, yet differ in response to striking down of Roe v. Wade.

David Rosenberg

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Three prominent Orthodox Jewish organizations in the US affirmed their rejection of abortion on demand following last Friday’s landmark decision by the US Supreme Court – but differed sharply in their reactions to the ruling itself.

On Friday, the Court ruled 6-3 in the case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization to back the constitutionality of a Mississippi law restricting most abortions after the first 15 weeks of pregnancy.

A narrower 5-4 majority moved to strike down two controversial, precedent-setting cases, 1973’s Roe v. Wade, and the 1992 case Planned Parenthood v. Casey.

The Dobbs decision, which ends constitutional protections for abortion, opening the door to comprehensive state bans, drew fire from the Reform Movement, which accused the Court of stripping “women and others who can become pregnant of the fundamental right to make essential health care decisions free of governmental interference,” Rabbi Marla Feldman said as part of a joint statement representing the movement. “Abortion access is a critical component of reproductive health care.”

Orthodox Jewish leaders in the US were united in their rejection of abortion on demand, even as the largest Orthodox organization in America gave a nuanced response to Friday’s ruling.

The Coalition for Jewish Values, a group which represents some 2,000 Orthodox rabbis in the US, said it “welcomed” the Dobbs decision.

“Judaism regards all human life as sacred, including when a fetus is yet to be born. Jewish law permits abortion only in truly extraordinary circumstances. This does not describe the situation in America today, where the overwhelming majority of abortions are done as an elective procedure.”

“The dialog needs to change: if everything is a human right, then, in the end, nothing remains worthy of special protection. We must return to a society that cherishes human rights, and human life.”

Agudath Israel of America, which represents the American haredi community, also lauded the Dobbs ruling.

“Agudath Israel of America welcomes this historic development. Agudath Israel has long been on record opposing Roe v. Wade’s legalization of abortion on demand. Informed by the teaching of Jewish law that fetal life is entitled to significant protection, with termination of pregnancy authorized only under certain, extraordinary circumstances, we are deeply troubled by the staggering number of pregnancies in the United States that end in abortion.”

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The Orthodox Union, however, refused to “either mourn or celebrate” the ruling, criticizing both abortion on demand, and “absolute bans on abortion” – though the Court’s ruling does not itself impose any ban.

“We cannot support legislation that does not limit abortion to situations in which medical (including mental health) professionals affirm that carrying the pregnancy to term poses real risk to the life of the mother.”

“The ‘right to choose’ (as well as the “right to die”) are thus completely at odds with our religious and halachic values. Legislation and court rulings that enshrine such rights concern us deeply on a societal level.”

“Yet, that same mandate to preserve life requires us to be concerned for the life of the mother. Jewish law prioritizes the life of the pregnant mother over the life of the fetus such that where the pregnancy critically endangers the physical health or mental health of the mother, an abortion may be authorized, if not mandated, by Halacha and should be available to all women irrespective of their economic status. Legislation and court rulings, federally or in any state, that absolutely ban abortion without regard for the health of the mother would literally limit our ability to live our lives in accordance with our responsibility to preserve life.”

No state current restrictions on abortion bar the procedure in instances where the mother’s life is in jeopardy.

A new “trigger ban” in Missouri – passed in 2019 with the provision that it would take effect if and when Roe v. Wade was struck down – bans nearly all abortions, with the exception of medical emergencies.

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