[utahagen]

I believe the ELCA long ago approved a health insurance plan that covers employees’ abortions. I believe also that this was NOT inadvertent, that the ELCA debated this and ended up approving it. There's a woman whose name escapes me who was an ELCA Lutheran minister and ended up becoming a Catholic after being upset by the ELCA’s support of abortion.

[lightman]

I believe the ELCA long ago approved a health insurance plan that covers employees’ abortions.

The Churchwide Assembly (the highest legislative body) of the ELCA never overtly approved the abortion-on-demand coverage of the health insurance plan. In fact, numerous bodies have attempted to bring the health plan into compliance with the Social Teaching Statement on Abortion, which would limit the acceptable use to saving the life of the mother, conception from rape or incest, and severe fetal deformation.

The Board of Pensions, which administers the health plan, has steadfastly refused to bring the coverage into compliance with the Statement on the basis that this would violate patient-doctor confideniality and that we should simply trust women to make the right decision.

Whatever happened to the Lutheran doctrine of SIN? We teach that we are basically incapable of "making the right decision".