Does Faith Belong in the Discussion About Abortion?
A group of Christian, pro-life protestors clash with a group of pro-choice protestors in Santa Ana, California following the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization ruling. Source for photo: revealnews.org
Abortion has been arguably the issue at the heart of American politics since the monumental Roe v. Wade case in 1973. Since then, there have been numerous debates regarding abortion with everyone chiming in with their opinions. Last year, in 2022, the debate over abortion was reignited, as the United States Supreme Court struck down both Roe v. Wade and Casey v. Planned Parenthood (1992) in a monumental decision known as Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. The case overturned the previous two decisions, specifically striking down the right for women to get an abortion based on privacy rights and the 14th Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause. The decision rocked the nation and led to protests across the country, the largest of which occurred right outside the Supreme Court Building.
After the landmark decision, many states took to outright banning abortion and many put restrictions on when one can have an abortion. So far, 11 states have put trigger bans – bans that go into effect after a certain policy is changed or a new law is created – on abortions, limiting or criminalizing them in almost all circumstances. According to the Center for Reproductive Rights, another 12 states are considered hostile toward abortion rights – meaning that while there is opposition, numerous lawmakers in those states are pushing for an abortion ban. Even more recently, a Texas federal judge issued a ruling to suspend the production of Mifepristone, a drug commonly used in abortions, effectively outlawing the creation of more pills. Although this particular judge banned its production, appeals are already on the way.
Faith, specifically Christianity, has long played a significant role in the discussion surrounding abortion. Various denominations and sects have different viewpoints on abortion; however, many large sects of Christianity generally believe abortion to be wrong. According to the Pew Research Center, Christian sects such as Jehovah’s Witnesses, Evangelical Protestants, and Catholics largely do not support abortion. However, when compared to most other religious groups in America, or the population as a whole, the majority of Americans believe that abortion should be permitted in most cases. This raises the question: why is it being banned in numerous states across the nation?
The stance that many Christians take is that they believe that life begins at conception, and thus the abortion of an unborn child is no different than killing a child who has been born. This is an issue that has been long debated, yet there is still no definitive answer to this question. Christians have used numerous verses from the bible such as Psalms 139:13-16 and Jerimiah 1:5 to justify the claim that life begins at conception. Though these verses say that the Christian God knows his children before they are born, they say nothing about abortion specifically, or for that matter, when life actually begins. I am not here to say that these verses are meaningless or that life does not begin at conception, because I have the answer to neither. Regardless, it is important to look at how these verses and this idea may affect people who are not Christian and the role they should play in determining public policy for a country of 350 million people.
The United States was founded by Christians, and while it has never been officially a Christian country, it has always shared a connection to the religion all of its founders practiced. The Declaration of Independence makes several references to “God,” and “Our Creator,” as does the Pledge of Allegiance, but the United States is not a Christian nation; it is, in fact, secular. Due to the history of this nation and its connection to Christianity, it would make sense that this country has Christian principles and morals in its laws and legal documents. One of the most important articles in this country's Constitution states that people are free to practice whatever religion they choose, and that church and government should be separate. The Supreme Court has even ruled in Lemon v. Kurtzman that “The separation of church and state is a precious American principle supported not only by minorities, such as Jews, Muslims, and unbelievers, but applauded by most Protestant churches that recognize that it has allowed religion to flourish in this nation.”
This quote brings back the original question: does faith belong in the discussion about abortion? In my opinion, in a political and public policy setting, the answer is no and should always be no. This country is supposed to be a secular country, free of religion influencing the government in any way, shape, or form. Abortion is a secular issue, not a religious one, and as such religion should play no part in the discussion of the issue.
Recently, UNC’s Public Program for Discourse held a discussion on abortion and faith. One quote from panelist Maharat Ruth Friedman summarized this issue. Friedman is a Rabbi for an Orthodox Jewish Synagogue in Washington, D.C., and spoke on how these abortion rulings are infringing upon her religion and her rights as a Jewish woman. She said, “If our religion [orthodox Judaism] dictates that abortion is permitted under many circumstances that’s something I feel should be protected for us and therefore everybody.”
In banning abortion, the Supreme Court has listened to the outcry from Christians to ban abortion because it is morally wrong. But by doing so, they have effectively infringed on the practices and doctrines of another religion and subsequently violated the freedom of religion we have in this country. Some may argue that the decision from the Supreme Court had nothing to do with religion and was purely based on states’ rights. The Court says that Roe vs. Wade was wrongly decided and the court had no reason to issue a decision in the first place. However, the Court’s mostly conservative Christian majority raises concerns about their ruling and its potentially biased motivations. According to a study by National Public Radio, this is the most conservative court in 90 years, and the justices have produced more conservative decisions of any term since 1931. In fact, an astonishing 62% of their decisions in the last term were conservative-leaning – and many of those decisions were not even close with most of the margins being 6-3 votes. Nonetheless, the allowance of faith in the discussion about abortion has allowed for the violation of other faith’s rights, as well as the rights of people that do not practice religion or have faith. While it is completely understandable and acceptable to believe that abortion is immoral based on your faith, those ideas and beliefs do not belong in this particular discussion—the discussion of a secular issue that impacts not only Christians but all American citizens.