Presbyterian Advocacy Committee Calls for Continued Nationwide Access to Safe, Legal Abortion

The Advocacy Committee for Women’s Concerns (ACWC) of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has issued a statement calling for the continuation of safe, legal abortion rights nationwide. The committee said it was moved to act as an increasing number of state legislatures passed laws to severely curtail access to abortion.

The committee described its position as part of a Reformed theological tradition that seeks to discern the activity of God in all the events of life and to stay informed by changing cultural contexts. It said the denomination had affirmed in the past 50 years its ability to reform its teachings about women through deliberate theological reflection, and that Presbyterians have affirmed that women are created in the image of God and are fully capable of making moral decisions.

The statement traced several earlier positions. It quoted a 1970 General Assembly declaration that the induced termination of a pregnancy is “a matter of careful ethical decision of the patient” and should not be restricted by law. It noted that in 1973 the U.S. Supreme Court, in Roe v. Wade, ruled that state laws criminalizing abortion violate the due process right to privacy in the 14th Amendment, including a woman’s qualified right to end a pregnancy under the Court’s trimester guidelines. It also cited a 1983 General Assembly paper affirming “women’s ability to make responsible decisions,” and a 1992 General Assembly policy that described a woman’s considered decision to terminate a pregnancy as “morally acceptable, though certainly not the only or required, decision,” and opposed criminal penalties for those seeking abortions or for licensed persons performing them in medically approved facilities. A 2018 General Assembly statement on religious freedom was cited as affirming “freedom of the individual conscience in matters of reproductive rights.”

The ACWC acknowledged that it speaks through the policies of its tradition while also pointing to public opinion. It cited a 2018 finding that 58 percent of Americans say abortion should be legal in all or most cases, and that 15 percent say it should be illegal in all cases. It also cited a 2016 Pew Research finding that 69 percent of Americans do not want Roe v. Wade overturned.

The committee said it was particularly compelled to advocate for poor women and women of color, who it said are disproportionately affected by limited access to abortion services. It argued that factors such as distance and financial resources create inequalities in health care that are unjust and must be addressed. Citing the biblical call to “choose life,” the committee said it affirmed women’s lives as valuable and their right to make decisions about their bodies without governmental interference, a point it tied to advocacy for those with the fewest resources (Proverbs 31:8-9).

The statement also noted support from Presbyterian Women in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Inc., a ministry partner, which said it “fully supports” the ACWC’s position on safe, legal abortion rights. The ACWC also pointed to a May 20 statement on abortion released by the Stated Clerk of the General Assembly, the Rev. Dr. J. Herbert Nelson, II, which it said further emphasizes the denomination’s theological stance.

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