In God’s Image
Quality of Life for Women and Children
These resources will help congregations respond to the
Mennonite Church USA Delegate Assembly Statement on Abortion adopted at Atlanta
2003. The statement and posters are enclosed. See worship resources on the back
page.
Introduction
Human life is a gift from God that should be valued and
protected. However, the issue of abortion has caused deep division in our society,
even among people of faith. Christians take strong stands on both sides of this
debate, agreeing that human life is sacred, but disagreeing about when life
begins, how the Christian community should respond and what the role of
government should be.
According to national studies, people who disagree on the
issue of abortion can agree that the quality of life for women and children
should be improved. They often agree that they don’t want abortions to occur
and that they want to prevent unwanted pregnancies, support women during
pregnancy, promote birth control and teach abstinence to teenagers, as well as
to reduce infant mortality, promote adoption and accept children with
disabilities.
In short, when people divided by typical pro-life/pro-choice
labels are willing to look beyond the traditional stereotypes, they find common
concerns about the social, economic and cultural contexts that lead to
abortions. People want to support and respect women and children and reject
behavior that is coercive or intimidating.
Our statement on abortion concludes that “a difficult
moral issue like abortion requires ongoing study and discussion” and commits
Mennonite Church USA to continue “to search for God’s will in this matter even
as we continue to speak out against abortion.” We pray that these resources
will help you and your congregation in this discernment process.
Talking points
What can we learn from community groups like Common Ground
and The Public Conversation Group that are helping communities to put aside
their hostilities on the topic of abortion and to unite to increase the quality
of life for the women and children in their communities? These groups have
created rules for conversation circles that make it possible for persons with
opposing points of view to work together for true change in their communities.
This process includes respectful conversation that concentrates on personal stories, openness for
individuals to express their struggles and confusion about abortion and finding
other mutual areas of concern.
Often, former adversaries can come to a deeper
understanding about the consequences of abortion and can unite to begin local programs
that teach abstinence to teenagers, start school breakfast programs and provide support for women during pregnancy.
Conversations in our own congregations about abortion can
be aided by a commitment to be respectful of each other, a willingness to drop
presuppositions about people with opposing viewpoints and by a willingness to
study the scriptures and know the mind of God together.
Facing abortion is a difficult, heart-wrenching decision.
A majority of women who choose abortions do so because they feel trapped by the
demands of others. A Feminists for Life study found that in 59 percent of the
cases, a woman’s husband, boyfriend or parents pressured her to have an
abortion. Many women who have had abortions carry grief, guilt or shame about
it.
Quality of Life for Women and Children “As a visual image for these materials, I surrounded the
‘i’ in image to denote a womb or arms to depict God’s desire and love for life.
The dot in the ‘i’ is a flame made from an upside down heart. God is light and
we are reflections and bits of flame of that light. It is out of God’s love that
we are created.” —Cynthia Friesen,
graphic designer |
A 2000 study by the Alan Guttmacher Institute estimated
43 percent of all women will have at least one abortion by the time they are 45
years old. This surely includes some women in our own congregations who are
facing this difficult decision alone, or suffering the consequences of a past
abortion in secret.
Ironically, our failure to create an environment of love and forgiveness for those who fall short of sexual chastity outside of marriage may contribute to the secrecy surrounding abortion. One young Mennonite woman,
the daughter of a church leader, confided to a therapist that when she became
pregnant and she was not married, she felt she had no choice but to abort the
child. She had been taught that premarital sex was wrong and she could not
bring herself to face her family’s disappointment and embarrassment.
Until we as a church can become more compassionate toward
single mothers and less judgmental of women who face unplanned pregnancies, we
cannot expect God to bring about the changes of heart we seek.
In the abortion debate, we sometimes forget the tens of thousands
of women who died from back-alley abortions before the Supreme Court’s Roe vs.
Wade decision in 1973 (see When Abortion was a Crime: Women, Medicine, and Law
in the United States, 1867-1973, by Leslie J. Reagan, University of California
Press, 1997). The American Medical Association lobbied for abortion to be safe
and legal in America because doctors had seen too many women lose their lives or fertility due to
unsafe medical procedures or risky, self-induced abortions.
As an historic peace church, Mennonite Church USA
opposes all forms of violence as stated in the Confession of Faith in a
Mennonite Perspective. Our two predecessor denominations, the General ConferenceMennoniteChurch
(1980) and the MennoniteChurch (1975), both passed
statements that affirmed the sanctity of all human life. A new statement on
abortion, passed by the 2003 Delegate Assembly of Mennonite Church USA in Atlanta, clearly states
that Mennonites “oppose abortion because it runs counter to biblical
principles.” Statistics - There are 246 legally induced abortions for every 1,000
live births, or 857,475 abortions in 2000. This is a drop to approximately the
same level of abortions as in 1974.
- Among American women, 49% of pregnancies are
unintended. One-half of these are terminated by abortion.
- 52% of the women in the United States who have an
abortion are younger than 25. Women ages 20–24, account for 33% of all
abortions and teenagers for 19%.
- Two-thirds of all abortions are by women who have never
been married. 55% of women who have abortions have already given birth to a
child.
- Poor and low-income women account for more than half of
all the abortions in the United
States. White women account for nearly 60%
of these abortions.
- Women who choose abortions say they do so because a child
would interfere with work, school or other responsibilities (75%), they cannot
afford a child (66%) and they do not want to be a single parent or they are
having problems with their husband or partner (50%).
- About 13,000 women have abortions each year following rape
or incest (see www.rcrc.org/faith).
—Statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (www.cdc.gov/reproductive health) and the Alan
Guttmacher Institute (www.agi-usa.org/pubs/fb). |
The continuing reality is that women who feel desperate
will seek ways to have abortions. Let us work for a society that honors and
supports mothers and their children so that women will never need to consider
abortion as a way to resolve unplanned pregnancies. We pray for God to change
hearts and minds, and we work toward the day when abortion is no longer sought,
even as a last resort. According to polls, a majority of Americans still favor
some form of legalized abortion, though with restrictions. As Mennonite
Christians, we are called to bear witness to the state in
favor of all life. However, it is unjust to create abortion-related legislation
that targets pregnant, low-income women without also focusing on the irresponsible
fathers of the unwanted children. Abortion-related legislation that does not
also address the lack of resources, health care and education that contributes
to choices for abortion is equally unjust.
To be effective and just, anti-abortion legislation
should include provisions to protect the lives of mothers and incentives for
fathers to share in raising their children. Most importantly, it should be
accompanied by legislation that provides needy families with living wages,
affordable housing and adequate health care.
Discussion questions
Use the Common Ground guidelines under “Talking Points”
to frame a respectful conversation. Before you begin this discussion, consider
whether class members are comfortable with disagreement and knowing where
people stand on abortion. Alter questions to suit your context, realizing that
some people are undecided.
- What views do you have in common with people on the other
side of the pro-life/pro-choice divide?
- What experiences have led you to your position on
abortion?
- What question have you always wanted to ask someone on
the other side? (This should be a sincere question that you don’t know the
answer to.)
- The slogan of one pro-life group is, “Every abortion
is evidence that society has failed a woman.” What are your reactions? As a
group, list these failures.
- Which of the statistics (above) leads you to question
your assumptions about abortion?
- How can we, as a congregation, be obviously pro-woman and
pro-child? What concrete steps and actions can your class take?
- The question of whether Mennonites should work against
abortion by supporting government legislation has many facets. List the
opportunities and challenges from various perspectives.
Actions for congregations creating a culture of grace and
support
- Work to build self-esteem in teenagers so they do not
look for love through premature sexual intercourse.
- Encourage those who love, support and make a home for children
who might have been aborted.
- Provide a space for women who are grieving about having
had an abortion.
- Support persons with disabilities and their families.
Most Americans approve of abortion when medical technology shows disability in
the fetus.
- Promote teen pregnancy prevention, family planning and
contraceptive services, and federally funded day care for children.
- In the privacy of your church’s restroom stalls, place
contact information for local pregnancy services and domestic abuse safe homes.
- Support young, single mothers through baby showers,
baby dedication services, donations of baby clothes, free babysitting, performing
simple home repairs, etc. The lack of communal, economic and social supports
often coerce an abortion that would not be necessary in a more just society.
- Support agencies in your community that assist single
pregnant women, both before and after the birth of their babies.
- Nurture an attitude of acceptance and love toward unmarried
pregnant women.
- Support doctors, nurses and other medical professionals
who may jeopardize their jobs by refusing to perform or help perform abortions.
- Encourage men to mentor young men to accept
responsibility for their sexual actions and to become responsible fathers. Information
from the MCC “Resource Packet on Abortion.”
Advocacy ideas
How can the church be a pro-life witness to government?
To work toward a world in which mothers are nurtured,
children are welcomed and abortions are rare, urge your
legislators to support—
- Affordable housing. Without a place to call home, it’s nearly
impossible for women to keep a job, stay in school or remain healthy, let alone
care for children. But rising housing costs are prohibitive to many mothers,
and subsidized housing options are limited. (If a woman pays 30% of her income
in rent, she would have to make $15.21 an hour, nearly three times minimum
wage, to afford a two-bedroom apartment at the current market rate, according
to the National Low Income Housing Coalition.)
- Adequate childcare. Mothers are more likely to be able
to work if they have access to childcare. However, affordable, reliable
childcare is becoming harder to find as tax cuts and military spending
overwhelm the federal budget and states look for programs to cut. The
Children’s Defense Fund estimates that childcare expenses range from $4,000 to
$10,000 a year per child. More than one of every four families with young
children earns less than $25,000 per year.
- Universal health care. Many single mothers, those most at-risk
for abortions, work part-time, low-wage jobs with little or no health
insurance, inadequate maternity leave or time off to tend to sick children. In
2002, 43.6 million US Americans were uninsured, according to Families USA.
Universal health care would help empower single mothers to care for themselves and
their children.
- Direct child support. When single mothers are current
or former welfare recipients, many states retain their child support (money
paid by fathers for the care of their children). However, according to the
Center for Law and Social
Policy, fathers are more likely to be accountable for
child support when they know their families, rather than the government, will
receive the payments directly. For more information, contact the Mennonite
Central Committee Washington Office, (202) 544-6564, mccwash@mcc.org.
Resources
- MCC abortion statement and resource packet can help congregations
discuss the many peace and justice facets of abortion. Available for $5 by
calling 717-859-1151 or writing mccresources@mcc.org.
- “Agreeing and Disagreeing in Love: Guidelines for Mennonites
who disagree” call Mennonite Media, 1-800-999-3534 or www.MennoniteUSA.org (see
peace resources).
- Beyond Pro-life and Pro-choice: Moral diversity in the abortion
debate. Kathy Rudy. Boston,
Mass: Beacon Press, 1996.
Related websites
While we found helpful materials on these websites,
Mennonite Church USA does not endorse them.
- Women Affirming Life (www.affirmlife.com).
- Project Rachel: There is hope after abortion (www.hopeafterabortion.com).
- Birthright International (http://www.birthright.org).
- The Center for Bioethics and Human Dignity (http://www.cbhd.org).
- Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice (http://www.rcrc.org).
- Feminists for Life (www.feministsforlife.org). Led by
the Spirit, and beginning in the church, we witness to all people that violence
is not the will of God. We witness against all forms of violence,
including…abortion.
—Confession of Faith in a Mennonite Perspective
The single most important factor in how a woman feels about
an unplanned pregnancy is the attitude of the baby’s father. If he says, “I
love you; I love our baby; I’ll do anything to make this work,” she is far less
likely to choose abortion than if he declares, “I do not want this baby! You
must have an abortion!”
—Frederica Mathewes-Green, in book “Real Choices”
May 2004. This resource was prepared by Beth Graybill, Director
of MCC Women’s Concerns, Bethany Spicher, MCC Washington Office, and Susan Mark
Landis, peace advocate, Mennonite Church USA Executive Board, 330-683-6488. SusanML@MennoniteUSA.org;
www.Mennoniteusa.org. Graphic design: Cynthia Friesen, Peace and Justice
Support Network volunteer. Additional funding from MCC Women’s Concerns.
Quality of Life for Women and Children
“So God created humankind in his image, in the image of
God he created them; male and female he created them.” Gen. 1:26-27 NRSV
“I have set before you life and death, blessings and
curses. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live.” Deut. 30:19b
NRSV
Prayer for Choosing Life
Loving God, Creator and Sustainer of life, we praise you
for the tender care you extend to all creation. You have created us—male and
female, man, woman, and child—in your most amazing image. We are formed in your
likeness and you have pronounced us good. We are called to be your people and
you bid us to choose life, that we may live.
But choosing life is difficult in a culture of death
where hundreds of thousands of lives are aborted each year before they can
begin; where support for war and the death penalty result in the deaths of many
more; where poverty and the accumulation of wealth, abuse, drugs and overwork
result in unfulfilled lives; and where the discussion of abortion itself can be
divisive within our church community. How can you help us choose life in a
culture of death?
Lord, we claim your promise that through Jesus’ death and
resurrection you have conquered death. Bring us a love and respect for life
that will infuse our culture. Create in our hearts a desire to choose life, in
all its death-defying manifestations.
Help us respect all life: persons of every race and
economic group; persons with disabilities; families in all their varied forms.
Help us welcome children into our congregations and work for social policies
that undergird their welfare. Fill our hearts with compassion to do your work
of love. Remind us that choosing life may be costly, but that as persons made
in God’s image, we are called to stand for life.
Lord, hear our prayers as we remember the following:
[After each petition, leader says, “Let us pray to the Lord,” and the
congregation responds, “Lord, hear our prayer.”]
We pray for those of us who are facing the distress and
indecision of an unplanned pregnancy, or for those of us who are contemplating
abortion to avoid the stigma, inconvenience, or disruption of an unintended
pregnancy. Enable those of us who find ourselves or our family members pregnant
to choose life, trusting that you will give us hope and a bright future.
We pray for our female friends, co-workers, and church
members who often choose abortion in secret, without counsel. Make us safe
people in whom they can confide. Help us offer compassionate hearts and speak
from the truth of our convictions and empower them to make courageous choices
for themselves and their unborn child.
We pray for children who lack love and opportunities for
development. Help us ensure that all children are loved and cherished and that
they have homes where they can be nourished. Help us to hear the cries of our
children and to respond to the “least of these” in our communities.
We pray for single mothers who are struggling to keep
food on the tables and roofs over their heads. We pray for families for whom
the thought of another child to nurture raises anguish and despair. We ask that
our awareness of their desperate circumstances may move us to act with
compassion and work for justice for all people.
We pray for women who carry in their womb a baby with
severe disabilities and we ask you to guide them toward wise counsel,
understanding friends and caring pastors. Remind us that each life has worth
and dignity in your eyes and help us to offer concrete expressions of support
to parents raising children with disabilities in our communities.
We pray for men who are the partners and husbands of
women facing unplanned pregnancies, and fathers of children whose lives hang in
the balance. Give strength to these men so that they will not give in to their
fears or to their desires to avoid responsibility that would tempt them to push
their partners for abortions. Give them the courage and strength to help them
support the children they have conceived.
We pray for women who have had abortions and we ask you
to hear the lament of each woman who mourns the loss of her child. Forgive her,
comfort her, and restore to her the grace of your salvation. Help us make our
congregations safe places where our stories can be shared without fear of
recrimination.
Lord, help us not to exclude anyone from your love. Help
us offer your healing and forgiveness to those who participate in abortion,
that in all things the world may know the height, depth, breadth, and width of
your love and grace. Amen
Writer: Beth Graybill, Director of MCC Women’s Concerns.
Graphic design: Cynthia Friesen, Peace and Justice Support Network volunteer.
Peace Advocate Office, Mennonite Church USA Executive Board, 330-683-6844; SusanML@MennoniteUSA.org;
www.Mennoniteusa.org. May 2004.