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Report of the Special Committee on Problem Pregnancies and Abortion

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Report of the Special Committee on Problem Pregnancies and Abortion Publishedby the Office of the General Assembly PresbyterianChurch (U.S.A.) 100 Witherspoon Street Louisville. KY 40202-1396 Copyright @ 1992 The Office of the GeneralAssembly PresbyterianChurch (U.S.A) No part of this publicationmay be reproduced,stored in a retrieval system, or transmittedin any form or by any meanselectronically, mechaniCally, photocopying,recording, or otherwise(brief quotationsused in magazineor newspaperreviews excepted),without the prior permissionof the publisher. The sessions,presbyteries, and synodsof the PresbyterianChurch (U.S.A.) may use sectionsof this publicatoin without receiving prior written permis- sion of the publisher. Printed in die United States of America. Additional copies available at $2.00 each from Distribution ManagementServices (DMS), 100 Witherspoon Street, Louisville, KY 40202-1396,or by calling 1-800-524-2612 outside of Louisville; 502-569-5000ext. 2503 in Louisville. Please specify DMS order #OGA-92-O17 (1988) to " ...formulate a new policy statement. .. SPECIAL COMMITfEE ON PROBLEM PREGNANCIES AND ABORTION concerningthe issuesrelated to problem pregnancies. .. and abortion" (Minutes,1988, Part I, p. 1016); and (2) to be an agent of healing in the life of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Our processincluded attendanceat the Do Justice, Love Mercy, Walk Humbly (Micah 6:8) PC(USA)'s National Dialogue on Abortion Perspectivesin 1989;presentations on relevant topics from each member I. Narrative of the committee;presentations by personsoutside of the committee with special expertise in areas under discus- sion; summariesby committeemembers of all correspon- AssignedResponsibilities dence addressed to our committee, with the letters themselvesavailable to members at each meeting; and The 200th GeneralAssembly (1988) of the Presbyte- open hearings during most of our meetings, with addi- rian Church (U.S.A.), meeting in St. Louis, Missouri, tional hearingsin severalgeographic areas where we were was asked to respond both to ever-increasingpublic tUr- not meeting as a whole committee, utilizing the local moil over the issue of abortion and to turmoil within our presbytery offices and staff to arrange, publicize, and own denomination, including numerousovertures in re- assistwith thesespecial hearings. Letters were sentto the cent years asking that the General Assembly change, moderators of each of the five racial-ethnic caucuses, reconsider, or reaffirm the abortion policy expressedin urging them to make their membersaware of the oppor- the 1983document, Covenantand Creation.The response tunities to sharetheir relevantviews and concernswith the of the 200th General Asse~bly (1988) was to mandate: members of the special committee: The specialcommittee also worked with the Presbyte- 1. That the Moderator of the 200th General Assembly rian Panelas a part of our processin an effort to discover (1988) of the PresbyterianChurch (U.S.A.) select a Task Force to the attitudes of the denominationon the issuescommitted conduct a study, to be completedwithin two years, of the National Conference on Abortion Perspectives,designed to give forum to for our consideration.3We felt that our task was to dis- each different theological position in debateof the issuesrelated to cover our church's thinking on theseissues, not simply to problem pregnanciesand abortion, and that the members of the commissionrepresent the broadestspectrum of theologicalpositions agree with the responsesof the church. The questionnaire within the church and in harmony with section 0-4.0403. was developedby the ResearchServices Division of the 2. That the above studyand other statementsof past General Stewardshipand Communication Development Ministry Assemblies be used to formulate a new policy statementfor the Unit in consultationwith the special committee,and was Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) concerning the issues related to used as the Presbyterian Panel in June 1990. problem pregnancies,including male responsibility and account- ability, and abortion that speakwithin the theological, Scriptural, The responsesto the Panelindicated that a majority of moral andethical disciplines of the church. (Minutes, 1988, Part I, members and elders were either unaware that the p. 1016) PC(USA) had a policy statementregarding abortion or ModeratorC. KennethHall, in responseto the man- they knew there was a policy statementbut were not able to describeit accurately. A large majority of pastors did date of the assembly,appointed fourteen personsduring the years of 1988 and 1989, paying special attentionto indicateawareness of denominationalpolicy. Large major- ities of all samplesthought it appropriatefor the denomi- representingdiversity in racial and ethnic perspectives; nation to have an abortion policy statement. (For a having varieties in background,occupations, and theologi- cal perspectives;and making deliberate effort to have a summary of Panel results, see Appendix A.) balanceof genderand views on abortion. Our work began The Panel results indicated a lack of clarity in the in May 1989, just prior to the meeting of the 201st church on legal and moral issues surrounding abortion. General Assembly (1989) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. For example, with regard to legal issues, 64 percent of membersand eldersand 68 percentof pastorsdid not wish From the beginning, we have understoodthat we are to see Roev. Wadeoverturned. Yet, when asked whether only the most recent in a long line of Presbyterianchurch or not it should be possible for a pregnant woman to bodies that have broughtthe Bible and theologyto bear on obtain a legal abortion "if the family has a very low issuesof abortion, and which have attemptedto guide with income and cannot afford any more children," only 42 love and understandingthose individuals and families who percentof members,36 percentof elders, and 43 percent face problem pregnanciesand the question of abortion. of pastorssaid "yes." Asked if abortion should be legal Assembliesof both the PresbyterianChurch in the United "if she is not married and does not want to marry the Statesand the United PresbyterianChurch in the United man," only 36 percentof members,34 percentof elders, Statesof America, as well as of the reunited denomina- and 39 percentof pastorssaid "yes." Respondents'con- tion, have consideredand/or adopted statementson abor- ..1 clusions in the specific instances cited would seem to tion issues. contradict their general position that Roe v. Wade should not be overturned. B Process of Our Work Regarding moral issues surroundingabortion, again there was lack of clarity amongrespondents. There was no Throughoutthe three years that our special committee agreement,for example, as to when life begins. Panelists met, we understoodour primary task to be twofold: (1) to were also askedabout, and differed on, questionsconcern- respond to the mandateof the 200th General Assembly ing whetherabortion is murder, whetherabortion is moral A. under certain circumstances, and whether Christians First of all, it should be noted what circumstances, should try to impose their personalstandards of morality faced by womenor couples,are brought to pastors and/or on others. physicians as "problem pregnancies": Our committeewas faced with a diversity of passion- .Pregnancies that will result in a baby with congeni- ately held views on problem pregnanciesand'abortion, tal anomalies,inborn errors of metabolism, or inherited both within our group and in the church at large. In fact, diseases. the struggles of our church over these issueshave been reflected in the struggles in our committee. Thus a very .Pregnancies that result from rape and incest. We vital part of our life has been prayer and worship. We would include in thesecategories any sexual activity with- haveopened each session with prayer, and have worshiped out consentwith strangers,friends, partners, or husbands, together at each meeting, including a celebration of the and sexual activity with relatives. This category would Lord's Supperat one meeting. Each of our meetingshas also include women unable to give informed consentbe- included intensive study of Scripturesrelevant to our topic cause of a mental or physical handicap. and to our generalspiritual growth. We have soughtthe .Pregnancies in which the baby is exposed to the work of the Holy Spirit in our efforts to hear and respect potential transmissionof HIV, or to a congenital defect each other's differing voices and opinions. And we have induced by self-administeredor prescribeddrugs, indus- often interrupted our work to enter into times of obedient trial chemicals or toxins, alcohol, x-ray or radioactive prayer, asking the Holy Spirit not only to guide us, but exposure, or other probable causesof serious deformity. also to heal us and to heal our denominationas we work to .Cases of multiple pregnancyin which reductionto a serve our Lord and our church. safe number of fetuses is needed. Throughout our deliberations,we have rarely found ourselves to be in unanimousagreement. However, there .Pregnancies resulting from failed contraception. are two things upon which the special committee has .Pregnancies where continuation will threaten the agreed: that the Holy Scripturesare the ultimate authority life or emotionalwell-being of the mother, suchas recent for faith and practice, and that the church is subject in all breast cancer, terminal stages of cancer, major trauma, things to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Therefore, we severedepression or schizophrenia,or advancedcar- submit this paperto the General Assemblyof
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