Abortion statement to be tested by many groups before delegate vote at Atlanta

by Laurie L. Oswald

ELKHART, Ind. (MC USA) -- In response to a call from constituents for Mennonite Church USA to reaffirm its stand on abortion, the Executive Board in January unanimously adopted a statement that considers abortion as "counter to biblical principles" but encourages compassionate responses to those caught in a complex issue.

The statement -- still in draft form to undergo another revision -- will be sent to the Constituency Leaders' Council (CLC), area conferences and other groups for feedback before delegates vote on its approval at Atlanta 2003 in July. The new draft statement reworks and updates statements approved by the Mennonite Church in 1975 and General Conference Mennonite Church in 1980.

"Both our former denominations had developed strong statements on this issue, and we wanted to bring these two statements together in a way that can be studied and used by our congregations today," said Ron Byler, the Executive Board's associate executive director.

Like the former documents, the statement balances a strong stand against abortion with an equally strong plea for the church to provide faith-based alternatives -- such as working for a more just health-care system -- and compassionate communities of discernment, said persons involved in the reworking process.

Those persons include former physician George Stoltzfus, staff member of The Anabaptist Center for Health Care Ethics, who coordinated the process with a CLC subcommittee that provided input and revision suggestions for his rewriting. The CLC is an advisory group to the Executive Board that consists of leaders from area conferences and other constituency groups.

"This statement speaks against abortion but at the same time doesn't vilify the person who has had an abortion performed," Stoltzfus said. "This statement is explicit in its language about the need to be unflinching about sin but at the same time the need to deal with real people who need to be cared for in the church." v The document also shows that MC USA is committed to being pro-life on a wide spectrum of issues, said Elaine Good, subcommittee member and CLC representative for Mennonite Women.

"It's important when we as a church talk about issues of life that we take a consistent pro-life stance across the board," Good said. "You can't just be concerned about abortion and then not deal with issues of capital punishment, war and nonresistance, or vice versa. You can't be pro-life without looking at ways to settle conflict without violence, or without examining the range of choices people make at all stages of life."

The eight-page statement includes four sections; beliefs of the church, confessions about areas the church needs to strengthen, detailed commentary and an updated recommended reading section. The former denominations wrote their statements soon after the United States legalized abortion 30 years ago through a famous court case, Roe v. Wade. This current statement incorporates much-needed new information, Stoltzfus said.

The document's belief section states: "Human life is a gift from God to be valued and protected. Abortion runs counter to biblical principles. ... The fetus in its earliest stages (and even if imperfect by human standards) shares humanity with those who created it. v "There are times when deeply held values, such as saving the life of the mother and saving the life of the fetus, come in conflict with each other. ... The faith community should be a place for discernment about difficult issues like abortion. ... Abortion should not be used to interrupt unwanted pregnancies.

"Christians must provide viable alternatives to abortion that provide care and support for mothers and infants. The church should witness to society regarding the value of all human life. ... Professionals whose ministry involves dealing with the moral dilemmas of abortion and productive technologies need our support."

Janeen Bertsche Johnson, subcommittee member and vice chair of the CLC from Central District, feels that the church needs to provide strong networks of support for healthy alternatives and to become safe places of discernment.

"If the church wants to uphold life, than we have to stand by those who choose life and provide resources for those who have chosen to make this long-term commitment," she said. "But in the cases when there are no good outcomes no matter what -- such as danger or incest when someone may choose abortion as the least bad choice -- then the church needs to walk with those people in compassion."

One such section of the statement reads, "We urge members of the faith community to engage in a discerning process rather than making decisions in isolation. ... Through this process of mutual counsel and accountability, the church may promote a standard without insisting on uniformity for all."

Bertsche Johnson said, "The discernment process doesn't have to engage an entire congregation. It can be one person or smaller group to whom people can turn to share their pain. Perhaps it's a pastor, a Sunday school class, a friend, a spiritual director. ... People make decisions in isolation because they fear judgment. But no one should have to go this alone."

The document encourages discernment within the faith community, but it does not ask the church to call for legalizing its pro-life stance. One commentary section reads, "Because of the diversity of moral conviction in the civil community, we realize that what the law permits is not necessarily moral behavior for the Christian. We believe, however, that the church should witness to society concerning the general presumption against any human decision to terminate life. We do not assume society will conform to biblical standards. Nevertheless, we will offer counsel about alternatives to abortion to all."

Ed Kauffman, subcommittee member and CLC representative for Central Plains Conference, believes that delegates may struggle most for consensus on the legality issue. "Most of us agree that abortion is wrong, but where we differ is what to do about it," he said.

But Good, who informally tested the draft of this statement with several people in her congregation, Lititz (Pa.) Mennonite Church, believes that the statement has reached a "center" in its language and spirit that many delegates will embrace. "The people I showed it to said, 'Wow, this is right where we should be,'" she said.

"We talked a lot in our committee about the legality issue, and many of us felt that it would be impossible to have laws on this because it's so complicated. We felt it was more important to state our position and encourage people to live out their convictions rather than put it out into the public arena."

More important than the document's finer points is the fact that MC USA has created a statement to share inside and outside the church when people look to the church for guidance on issues, Good and Bertsche Johnson said.

"The pastors in our subcommittee expressed how important having church statements on particular issues can be," Good said. "When people who are unacquainted with the Mennonite Church come into their office and ask what the church believes about 'x, y and z,' the pastor can refer to a particular statement."

Bertsche Johnson said, "Recently I was a counselor at a snow camp for youth, where some of the gals talked about how teen pregnancy is one of the biggest issues at their high school. ... They asked me what the church thought about abortion. I felt so grateful that I could point to this statement. It's a resource that our youth need, and it sends a message that we care about them and their struggles."

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