LDS Position on Abortion

[zerinus]

I was looking through the newly redesigned “Gospel Library” section of the LDS Church’s website, “Gospel Topics” section, and came across a link on abortion. In view of some recent discussions regarding the subject that has taken place on this board, I thought some of you might be interested to read what it says. This must be the most recent official statement by the Church on the subject. Click on the links below the heading “Abortion” for further information. The articles linked to are informative and educational. Here is the link.

zerinus

 

[majick275]

this says nothing new. It implies that SOME “elective” abortions will result in church discipline. It NEVER says that abortion is murder, it never says ALL abortion is wrong it only addresses abortion that is performed fro “convenience”.

 

[Scottgun]

Pertinent quote:

Church leaders have said that some exceptional circumstances may justify an abortion, such as when pregnancy is the result of incest or rape, when the life or health of the mother is judged by competent medical authority to be in serious jeopardy, or when the fetus is known by competent medical authority to have severe defects that will not allow the baby to survive beyond birth. But even these circumstances do not automatically justify an abortion. Those who face such circumstances should consider abortion only after consulting with their local Church leaders and receiving a confirmation through earnest prayer.

So it is only a slightly more stringent version of the mainstream view of abortion. That is, consequentialism.

Scott

 

[PaulDupre]

Church leaders have said that some exceptional circumstances may justify an abortion, such as when pregnancy is the result of incest or rape…

Remind me again, why do the Mormons believe that the sin of one or both of the parents justifies the murder of the child? This I truly don’t get.

From the Didache:

you shall not murder a child by abortion nor kill that which is born.

Lord, have mercy.
Paul

 

[Loginus]

Remind me again, why do the Mormons believe that the sin of one or both of the parents justifies the murder of the child? This I truly don’t get.

From the Didache:

Lord, have mercy.
Paul

What is your take if the woman is raped and she gets impregnated?

 

[Veritas41]

What is your take if the woman is raped and she gets impregnated?

Actually, studies show that women who give birth fare better psychologically than those who abort. Many women who abort feel further violated by the abortion procedure.

 

[PaulDupre]

What is your take if the woman is raped and she gets impregnated?

A devout Catholic woman will see the child (not the rape), like all children, as a gift from God to the world. She may choose to raise the child herself, or adopt the child to a loving family who are better prepared to raise the child. Every child is created by the Holy Spirit, who is “the Lord, the Giver of Life”. The circumstances surrounding the conception are immaterial.

It is all a matter of faith. You either have it or you don’t.

And by the way, I have a cousin who was impregnated by rape. Cousin Anne was 15 at the time, and with the support of her parents, gave the child to a wonderful infertile couple who had been longing for a child. So there were 3 people who were healed by her courageous and faithful response to an evil act perpetrated upon her. Had she aborted that child, she would never have had that chance to be an agent of joy and healing, both to herself and to the new parents she created.

God knows what he is doing, whether we see it or not. One of God’s amazing qualities is how He can bring joy out of any evil committed against us, if only we will believe Him and do what He lovingly commands.

God love you,
Paul

 

[Allweather]

God knows what he is doing, whether we see it or not. One of God’s amazing qualities is how He can bring joy out of any evil committed against us, if only we will believe Him and do what He lovingly commands.

Not to necessarily change the subject, since abortion and artificial birth control are related, I’ve wondered what the Mormon teaching is regarding artificial birth control. Many Mormon families I see have many children. In programs I’ve seen about the plural marriages, there are HUGE numbers of children. This suggests to me that Mormons tend not to practice artificial birth control. Given their emphasis on the family in the afterlife and the idea of pre-existence, maybe this is related. But I wonder what the official teaching is.

 

[Mom_of_5]

I know several young, active, LDS couples that have decided not to have more children. Husbands had vasectomy (sp?) This is a religion that says one thing and does another. The church is not against having large families and would love to have many more church members by encouraging large families, however, not against birth control.

To get an abortion the woman should seek guidance from the bishop, or other men in office at the time in their ward. Keep in mind these church leaders are not trained in psychology, theology, etc. They "pray’ about the problem and get the answer directly from God. My husbands extended family (LDS)has several members that had abortions. They did not meet resistance. The reason for the abortions was simply that the girls were not married and didn’t want the babies for a whole variety of “reasons”.

The fact that abortion is allowed in LDS is not in keeping with the “we are the religion of the family” concept they portray to the world.

Love and peace, Mom of 5

 

[kellie]

Hi zerinus,

This is from that link…

*But even these circumstances do not automatically justify an abortion. Those who face such circumstances should consider abortion only after consulting with their local Church leaders and receiving a confirmation through earnest prayer. *

Those 3 words “should consider abortion” are exactly what we have been speaking about on other threads regarding the LDS and murder.

This new link does not give us any happy news

 

[zerinus]

This new link does not give us any happy news

I never said it did. I sincerely hope that the LDS Church isn’t going to become Catholic! It does, however, provide more information on the subject which is informative on the LDS position. That is why I posted it.

zerinus

 

[Karin]

I sincerely hope that the LDS Church isn’t going to become Catholic!

Forbid

It does, however, provide more information on the subject which is informative on the LDS position. That is why I posted it.

zerinus

Yes thank you for sharing the view that the LDS feel murder /genocide is acceptable

 

[Karin]

A 1998 quote from President Hinkley:
“*While we denounce it, we make allowance in such circumstances as when pregnancy is the result of incest or rape, when the life or health of the mother is judged by competent medical authority to be in serious jeopardy, or when the fetus is known by competent medical authority to have serious defects that will not allow the baby to survive beyond birth. But such instances are rare, and there is only a negligible probability of their occurring. In these circumstances those who face the question are asked to consult with their local ecclesiastical leaders and to pray in great earnestness, receiving a confirmation through prayer before proceeding.” (*The Ensign Nov.1998 pg.71)

really contradicts what the Bible says…
**‘You created my inmost self,
knit me together in my mother’s womb.
For so many marvels I thank you;
a wonder am I, and all your works are wonders.’ **
(Psalm 139: 13-14; NJB)
**‘Let the little children come to me, and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs.’ **
(Gospel of St. Matthew 18:16; NJB)

 

[christianley]

I was looking through the newly redesigned “Gospel Library” section of the LDS Church’s website, “Gospel Topics” section, and came across a link on abortion. In view of some recent discussions regarding the subject that has taken place on this board, I thought some of you might be interested to read what it says. This must be the most recent official statement by the Church on the subject. Click on the links below the heading “Abortion” for further information. The articles linked to are informative and educational. Here is the link.

zerinus

Given the official position on abortion in the Catholic Church and in the Mormon Church, it would be interesting to know the difference in the number of abortions Catholics received as compared to Mormons. How does the official abortion policy actually impact the practice of members of the two faiths? I suppose there is no answer, but I suspect the number of abortions among Mormons and Catholics is relatively the same. Perhaps there are fewer abortions among believing Catholics than there are among believing Mormons, but I doubt the statistics are available.

Having said that I would never encourage anyone to have an abortion no matter what the circumstances were.

 

[zerinus]

Given the official position on abortion in the Catholic Church and in the Mormon Church, it would be interesting to know the difference in the number of abortions Catholics received as compared to Mormons. How does the official abortion policy actually impact the practice of members of the two faiths?

That is an excellent question Christian. Let us compare!

I suppose there is no answer, . . .

There is! There is much research and many surveys conducted to find the answer to that question in various Catholic countries. I am not sure about the Mormons. I did a search, and here is what I found:

Research and publications from the Alan Guttmacher Institute in America illustrate some contradictions in the Catholic stance against abortion:

Catholic women in the United States are as likely as women in the general population to have an abortion, and 29% more likely than Protestant women.

Catholic countries, even where abortion is illegal, have high levels of abortions: In Brazil, the estimated number of abortions ranges from 1 million to 2 million per year and in Peru, 5% of women of childbearing age have abortions each year, compared to 3% in the United States.

64% of US Catholics disapprove of the statement that abortion is morally wrong in every case (Survey of 493 Catholics, designed by Lake Research and Tarrance Group, for US News & World Report, Sept. 1995, margin of error ± 4.5%.)

72% of Catholics in Australia say decisions about abortion should be left to individual women and their doctors. (Survey for Family Planning Australia and Children by Choice, Melbourne, AGB McNair, Aug. 1996.)

Here is the source of that information:

bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/christianity/christianethics/abortion_4.shtml

. . . but I suspect the number of abortions among Mormons and Catholics is relatively the same. Perhaps there are fewer abortions among believing Catholics than there are among believing Mormons, . . .

I very much doubt that that is the case. I haven’t see any LDS statistics yet, but judging by my personal acquaintance with LDS matters, I am pretty confident that that is not the case.

. . . but I doubt the statistics are available.

Statistics are available, at least for the Catholics.

zerinus

---

P.S. Found stats for LDS!:

Data from the U.S. Govt. Census Bureau lists Utah as the state with the lowest teen pregnancy rate and the lowest abortion rate in the United States. [Source: Statistical Abstract of the United States 1997: National Data Book. Washington, D.C.: Census Bureau, U.S. Dept. of Commerce (1997).]

The CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics abortion statistics (1993) listed only two states with lower abortion ratios than Utah: Idaho (where 27% are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) and Wyoming. But, whereas in Wyoming and Idaho the percentage of out-of-state residents included in the state’s abortion figures were only 6 or 7 percent, the proportion in Utah was 30 percent. [Online source]

Bear in mind that Utah has a high proportion of non-LDS population, which distorts the picture for purely LDS. I believe that the figures purely for LDS would be far lower. Here is the source of that information:

adherents.com/largecom/lds_dem.html

 

[christianley]

That is an excellent question Christian. Let us compare!

There is! There is much research and many surveys conducted to find the answer to that question in various Catholic countries. I am not sure about the Mormons. I did a search, and here is what I found:

Research and publications from the Alan Guttmacher Institute in America illustrate some contradictions in the Catholic stance against abortion:

Catholic women in the United States are as likely as women in the general population to have an abortion, and 29% more likely than Protestant women.

Catholic countries, even where abortion is illegal, have high levels of abortions: In Brazil, the estimated number of abortions ranges from 1 million to 2 million per year and in Peru, 5% of women of childbearing age have abortions each year, compared to 3% in the United States.

64% of US Catholics disapprove of the statement that abortion is morally wrong in every case (Survey of 493 Catholics, designed by Lake Research and Tarrance Group, for US News & World Report, Sept. 1995, margin of error ± 4.5%.)

72% of Catholics in Australia say decisions about abortion should be left to individual women and their doctors. (Survey for Family Planning Australia and Children by Choice, Melbourne, AGB McNair, Aug. 1996.)

Here is the source of that information:

bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/christianity/christianethics/abortion_4.shtml

I very much doubt that that is the case. I haven’t see any LDS statistics yet, but judging by my personal acquaintance with LDS matters, I am pretty confident that that is not the case.

Statistics are available, at least for the Catholics.

zerinus

---

P.S. Found stats for LDS!:

Data from the U.S. Govt. Census Bureau lists Utah as the state with the lowest teen pregnancy rate and the lowest abortion rate in the United States. [Source: Statistical Abstract of the United States 1997: National Data Book. Washington, D.C.: Census Bureau, U.S. Dept. of Commerce (1997).]

The CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics abortion statistics (1993) listed only two states with lower abortion ratios than Utah: Idaho (where 27% are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) and Wyoming. But, whereas in Wyoming and Idaho the percentage of out-of-state residents included in the state’s abortion figures were only 6 or 7 percent, the proportion in Utah was 30 percent. [Online source]

Bear in mind that Utah has a high proportion of non-LDS population, which distorts the picture for purely LDS. I believe that the figures purely for LDS would be far lower. Here is the source of that information:

adherents.com/largecom/lds_dem.html

Thank you for the information. Since becoming Catholic it is more and more apparent to me that only a small minority of Catholics take their religion seriously, even among those who attend mass regularly. It is reflected in the large number of supposedly active Catholic politicians who take a pro-choice position. I am sure I would rather follow a true religion (Catholicism) rather than the false religion Joseph Smith started, but it does amaze me that Catholics continually ignore the treasure they have. The Catholic Church is in desperate need of renewal, but I am not sure how that is going to be accomplished given the worldly bent of most Catholics on abortion and so many other issues.

 

[Loginus]

(Off-topic)

Dont know why the Church doesnt allow for contraceptives between married couples. Lets face it, family planning has a pretty high failure rate and seeing as Catholics dont have the option to abort at all then they could be left with unwanted children.

 

[Karin]

(Off-topic)

Dont know why the Church doesnt allow for contraceptives between married couples. Lets face it, family planning has a pretty high failure rate and seeing as Catholics dont have the option to abort at all then they could be left with unwanted children.

NFP actually has a high rate of success…as high as any B.C.
It is when the couple does not practice it properly (like with any BC) that pregnancy occurs

 

[Loginus]

NFP actually has a high rate of success…as high as any B.C.
It is when the couple does not practice it properly (like with any BC) that pregnancy occurs

Or any stress. Its only 100% effective if a womans menstrul cycle remains constant. Except all sorts of things may change it
ie. Stress, pills, excitement, living around other woman or being around the same women frequently, illness, and swooning over another man.

So unless you want to lock your lady friend in your basement for the rest of her life and never excite her, then you should have no problem

 

[Karin]

Or any stress. Its only 100% effective if a womans menstrul cycle remains constant. Except all sorts of things may change it
ie. Stress, pills, excitement, living around other woman or being around the same women frequently, illness, and swooning over another man.

So unless you want to lock your lady friend in your basement for the rest of her life and never excite her, then you should have no problem

You are sadly mistaken…while all of those things can effect a womans cycles (this does not occur with all woman) and perhaps you need to find another method of NFP as there are many out there to use

Also as a side note…BC can also be effected by these things