Friends Witness for a Pro-life Peace Testimony


member of the Consistent Life Network

 

Pro-life Friends

 

Mission Statement

     The Friends Witness for a Pro-life Peace Testimony witnesses to the value in each human life, regardless of stage of life or life circumstances. As Jesus said, “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” (Matthew 25:40). We deeply feel the call of the Spirit to move away from the violence of war, the death penalty, abortion, and euthanasia towards life-affirming approaches. We seek to educate Friends across the wide spectrum of the Religious Society around this concern, and to unite with others inside and outside of the Society of Friends who are responding to a similar call.

 

 

On-Site Insight

We would be delighted to receive original writings to consider for publication on this web page, including reflections, documentation, personal experiences, and book reviews. Send inquiries or short pieces to clerk @ prolifequakers.org [remove spaces].

 

Positions

The Testimonies and Abortion

Positions of Quaker Bodies on Abortion and/or Euthanasia (pro-life, pro-choice, or not-yet-in-unity)

Quaker Quotations

Sister Historic Peace Church: The Mennonites

 

Reflections

Personal Stories

Is Abortion Against Peace Principles? Listen to those who do them!

Connections of Abortion with Other Violence (nuclear weapons, racism, the death penalty, and weaponized drones)

The Danger of Bubbles among Friends

Friend Susan B. Anthony

Pacifism 101 for Pro-life non-Quakers

Videos (women telling their stories, satires, etc.)

Peace Psychology Considers Abortion (a Power Point presentation given at the Friends Association for Higher Education conference, 2023)

 

 

Responses to Others

Abortion and Civil War by Chuck Fager / responding essay to Chuck Fager

Quaker Earthcare Witness pamphlet: Friends Seeking Clearness on Abortion responding essay to Quaker Earthcare

Should FCNL Take a Position on Abortion?

Responses to AFSC book, Who Shall Live?

A Personal Impact

All Shall Live! book excerpts

 

Friends Journal

Feature article: My Personal Journey on the Abortion Issue – February, 2010

Letters to the Editor responding

Responding article:  What Underlies the Debate About Abortion? – April 2010

Necessary, Not Evil – February 1, 2013         

Quakers Must Take a Position on Abortion – August 8, 2022           (Response.)

 

Full-page ads:

Reflections on Abortion and Pacifist Principles (October, 2007)

The Failed Experiment: Abortion and Women’s Rights, Poverty, and Racism (November, 2007)

The Impact of the Abortion Debate on Peace Movement Goals (December, 2007)

 

Letters to the Editor in Friends Journal responding to ads

 

Books on Peace-Oriented Abortion Opposition (April, 2009)

AFSC – Time for Further Discernment? (May, 2009)

 

Quakes Oppose Abortion

Out-of-Site Insight

Book Recommendations

Northern Spirit Radio – A one-hour radio interview exploring a thoughtful dialog between a pro-life and a pro-choice Quaker: Toward Taking Away the Occasion of Abortion 

A Lively Concern – Spiritual Diversity Issue, article covering Friends, Feminism & Nonviolence Studies journal

 

Quaker Reflections

This is a Person! Is This? [captions to a polluting corporation building and then to an unborn child)

If You Can’t Explain the Opposition to Your Case

 

Web-sites from a peace, feminist, and/or disability-rights point of view:

Consistent Life Network – (see also its blog and weekly e-letter, Peace & Life Connections)

Rehumanize International (see also its blog and its online magazine, Life Matters Journal)

Peace & Life Referendums

Feminists for Nonviolent Choices

Feminists for Life of America

New Wave Feminists

Feminism & Nonviolence Studies Association

Secular Pro-Life

Prolife Alliance of Gays & Lesbians (in the process of changing its name to the Rainbow Pro-Life Alliance; see Facebook Page)

Not Dead Yet

Advocacy from Pro-Life Activists for Public Policies Meeting Needs of Mothers and Children:

PostRoeFuture.com – signed by several prominent pro-lifers. This was published January 19, 2023. Suggested policies include: accessible and affordable health care, expanded child tax credits, paid parental leave, flexible work hours, affordable child care, and prenatal child support laws.

Make Birth Free: A Vision for Congress to Empower American Mothers, Families and Communities is a White Paper by Americans United for Life and Democrats for Life of America. It explains the need for measures to fund obstetrics; one suggestion is to expand Medicare (as a precedent, this was done with end-stage renal disease).

We’ve recommended to the FCNL Policy Committee that, since these policies are ones Friends are in unity on in a way they are not in unity on the legal status of abortion, this may be an opportunity to network on these policies in a way that may be more persuasive to those legislators who have positive regard for pro-life advocates.

See also this article in The Washington Post: Opinion: We disagree on abortion. Here’s a pro-family agenda both parties can support. by Marc A. Thiessen and Alyssa Rosenberg, September 5, 2023. A pro-choicer and a pro-lifer put forward public policy both support.

Quaker Pro-life Women

 

Selected Blog Posts

from the Consistent Life Network

(see a list of all posts here)

 

Harms of Abortion to Women

How Abortion is Useful for Rape Culture

Abortion Facilitates Sex Abuse: Documentation

The Message of “Never Rarely Sometimes Always”: Abortion Gets Sexual Predators Off the Hook 

Gendercide: Millions of “Missing” (Dead) Women

Abortion and Violence Against Pregnant Women

The Myth of Sexual Autonomy 

Isolating Women and Encouraging Jerks

 

Regulations

What Studies Show: Impact of Abortion Regulations 

Who the Law Targets

“The Daily Show” Doesn’t Do Its Homework 

My Ideas for Post-Roe Legislation

Social Programs to Help the Poor are Pro-life 

 

 

Euthanasia

Figuring out Euthanasia: What Does it Really Mean?

How Euthanasia and Poverty Threaten the Disabled 

Grieving for John

 

Pacifism

Applying Pacifist Insights to Abortion

The Civil War Conundrum, 150 Years Later

Would Nonviolence Work on the Nazis?

 

Postal Address: 811 Cleaver II Blvd., Kansas City, MO 64110

E-mail: clerk @ prolifequakers . org  [remove spaces]

Voice and Text (clerk Rachel MacNair): 816 –

753  –  2057