Many Judeo-Christian leaders speak out against abortion, but the few who advocate for abortion often are the ones who get the most media attention.
On Monday in Kentucky, pro-abortion clergy held a rally at the State Capitol to advocate for abortion and other issues, the State-Journal reports. The event was called the Higher Ground Moral Day of Action, and it was held in conjunction with other rallies nation-wide.
Led by clergy, the event highlighted the upcoming election and called on candidates and elected officials to uphold “the most sacred moral principles of our faith and constitutional values.” These included “the economic liberation of all people; ensuring every child receives access to quality education; healthcare access for all; criminal justice reform; and ensuring historically marginalized communities have equal protection under the law,” according to the declaration.
Among other issues, the declaration called for the defense of abortion as “health care” and a woman’s “right.” In this way, the declaration omitted unborn babies from its call to stand against “systemic racism, classism, poverty, xenophobia, and any attempt to promote hate towards any members of the human family.”
About 100 people attended the Kentucky rally, including Baptists, Methodists, Episcopalians, Jews and Presbyterians, according to the report. While abortion was mentioned, the state rally focused more on criminal justice reform, marriage and gender issues. Similar events were held in about 30 other cities on Monday, the report states.
The Judeo-Christian faiths teach that every human life is sacred because he/she is created in the image of God. However, some sects and clergy have strayed from the teaching by promoting abortion, which destroys an innocent human life in the womb.
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In 2014, two pro-abortion Reverends, Dr. Alethea Smith-Withers and Harry Knox, wrote a column for the Washington Post arguing that people of faith should not oppose abortion.
“Decisions about reproduction are morally complex,” they wrote. “And clergy do not always use Bible verses as political weapons — a misrepresentation too often promoted in the media. The wisdom found in our faith traditions is rich, nuanced, and rarely absolute. Here is the good news: Most people of faith in the United States support access to compassionate abortion care.”
Polls do not support their statement. A 2016 Gallup poll found a majority of Protestants, Catholics and Mormons believe that abortion is not morally acceptable. However, a majority of Jewish responders said abortion is morally acceptable.
Recently, one Christian denomination with a historically pro-abortion stance also decided to change. In May, United Methodists voted to end their affiliation with the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, which advocates for abortion on demand.
UM Action Director and Elected General Conference Delegate John Lomperis commented: “This is a necessary and good step towards affirming that the unborn are persons of sacred worth. This also shows the UMC moving away from other liberal, declining, ‘mainline’ denominations to embrace a new faithful, global identity.”
