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Were it not for Roe v. Wade, I probably would have died in 1977.
John and I had been married just a year, and we had chosen to use an intrauterine device known as a Copper-7 for our family planning. We were among the unfortunate 0.1 – 0.4 percent to experience "device failure," i.e., I became pregnant.
Complications ensued immediately, starting with my own health. My gynecologist was blunt: overweight, with high blood pressure controlled by medication, I was extremely unlikely to carry the pregnancy to term. Furthermore, there was a high likelihood that the fetus was already compromised by the presence of the IUD. He referred us to a practice that specialized in terminating pregnancy.
On the day of our appointment, the doctor first removed the IUD; it hurt. Then he went on with a procedure known as dilation and curettage, scraping out my uterus, followed by vacuum aspiration to ensure removal of all excised tissue.
Although the discomfort was minimal, I cried through the whole procedure.
At the time we hadn’t resumed active participation in our local United Methodist congregation, so we went through the termination without spiritual support. Because I was ordered to rest for 24 hours after the medical procedure, we told our family it was a miscarriage (which is a spontaneous natural abortion). Given the social stigma around abortion, I just couldn’t bring myself to acknowledge then that we’d actively decided to terminate a pregnancy, even though it was medically the best choice.
Looking back on that episode, I realize now how fortunate I was. I had the unconditional support of my husband. I had courageous doctors unafraid to recommend what was best for my health. I had access to safe, appropriate medical care. I had the financial means to get the care I needed.
Most of all, I had the right to make the decision for myself privately, without interference from any government entity, because Roe v. Wade ensured my right.
Since that time, I have been staunchly supportive of the United Methodist stance on abortion, which for decades was characterized as “medically safe, legal and rare.” Here is the language found today in Paragraph 161 of the Book of Discipline:
K) Abortion—The beginning of life and the ending of life are the God-given boundaries of human existence. While individuals have always had some degree of control over when they would die, they now have the awesome power to determine when and even whether new individuals will be born. Our belief in the sanctity of unborn human life makes us reluctant to approve abortion.
But we are equally bound to respect the sacredness of the life and well-being of the mother and the unborn child.
We recognize tragic conflicts of life with life that may justify abortion, and in such cases we support the legal option of abortion under proper medical procedures by certified medical providers. We support parental, guardian, or other responsible adult notification and consent before abortions can be performed on girls who have not yet reached the age of legal adulthood. We cannot affirm abortion as an acceptable means of birth control, and we unconditionally reject it as a means of gender selection or eugenics (see Resolution 3184).
We oppose the use of late-term abortion known as dilation and extraction (partial-birth abortion) and call for the end of this practice except when the physical life of the mother is in danger and no other medical procedure is available, or in the case of severe fetal anomalies incompatible with life. This procedure shall be performed only by certified medical providers. Before providing their services, abortion providers should be required to offer women the option of anesthesia.
We call all Christians to a searching and prayerful inquiry into the sorts of conditions that may cause them to consider abortion. We entrust God to provide guidance, wisdom, and discernment to those facing an unintended pregnancy.
The Church shall offer ministries to reduce unintended pregnancies. We commit our Church to continue to provide nurturing ministries to those who terminate a pregnancy, to those in the midst of a crisis pregnancy, and to those who give birth.
We mourn and are committed to promoting the diminishment of high abortion rates. The Church shall encourage ministries to reduce unintended pregnancies such as comprehensive, age-appropriate sexuality education, advocacy in regard to contraception, and support of initiatives that enhance the quality of life for all women and girls around the globe.
Young adult women disproportionately face situations in which they feel that they have no choice due to financial, educational, relational, or other circumstances beyond their control. The Church and its local congregations and campus ministries should be in the forefront of supporting existing ministries and developing new ministries that help such women in their com- munities. They should also support those crisis pregnancy centers and pregnancy resource centers that compassionately help women explore all options related to unplanned pregnancy. We particularly encourage the Church, the government, and social service agencies to support and facilitate the option of adoption. (See ¶ 161M.) We affirm and encourage the Church to assist the ministry of crisis pregnancy centers and pregnancy resource centers that compassionately help women find feasible alternatives to abortion.
Governmental laws and regulations do not provide all the guidance required by the informed Christian conscience. Therefore, a decision concerning abortion should be made only after thoughtful and prayerful consideration by the parties involved, with medical, family, pastoral, and other appropriate counsel.
This carefully crafted social principle captures most of the nuances involved in a thoughtful, ethical decision process around abortion. Sadly, few women get the opportunity to go through such a process. Now, with the apparent decision of the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade looming, this difficult ethical process will be closed off to all women, especially those in states where ultra-right politicians have already deprived women of their reproductive rights.
There is but one solution to the restoration of women’s right to make their own decisions about their bodies and their health care. We must elect leaders who will recognize that the question of abortion is not a simple issue, but a choice fraught with deep personal anguish and potential physical harm, leaders who will legislate protection of the right for all women and girls.
To ensure women’s reproductive rights, the church must do a better job of teaching sexual health with a spiritual emphasis. Merely touting abstinence isn’t sufficient; age-appropriate sex education is the key to reducing both abortions and unwanted pregnancies.
We simply must not turn away from the controversy or the peril around advocating for women’s reproductive rights. Too many lives are at stake.
Cynthia B. Astle serves as Editor of United Methodist Insight, which she founded in 2011.