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Three sections:

• Pro-life Positions
• Pro-Choice Positions
• Not in Unity

 

Pro-life Positions

 

Freedom Friends Church, Salem, Oregon (Unaffiliated)

(2-6) We hold dear the gift and sacredness of human life. This is lived out in a commitment to end hunger and preventable disease, and to make sure that no one ever has to choose abortion because of economic or relational coercion. We oppose capital punishment, domestic violence and child abuse. We have an enduring commitment to mercy and compassion.

— Faith and Practice, Freedom Friends Church (no longer online)

Rocky Mountain Yearly Meeting (EFI)

G. Abortion

Married people, single mothers, and pregnant teenagers have tremendous needs when facing an unwanted pregnancy. It is the position of Rocky Mountain Yearly Meeting that the gospel of Jesus Christ mandates our advocacy on behalf of those who are faced with an unwanted pregnancy. It is our position that it is God’s will for us to offer a practical ministry through education, discipleship, reconciliation, and extended help to meet the needs of mothers who might turn to abortion when their children will be born into families that are not prepared or willing to care for them. Release for adoption is a positive option in such situations.
Friends recognize and affirm only one Authority. In the matter of abortion it is our firm conviction that life begins at conception. God is the Creator of life. The practice of abortion violates the will of God and is therefore sinful.

Friends recognize and affirm God’s forgiveness and grace which covers those who sin, either by withholding ministry from pregnant women, or by aborting their own or another’s baby. May the Holy Spirit, who convicts of sin, comfort all who face an unwanted pregnancy. May His people offer His grace, truth, and practical ministry in such situations.

Faith and Practice, Rocky Mountain Yearly Meeting of the Friends Church, 2000, p. 11-12

Friends Church – East Africa (FUM)

g) Sanctity of Life. Friends affirm the sanctity of life and oppose abortion as a method of birth control, and euthanasia.

Christian Faith and Practice in the Friends Church, Friends United Meeting in East Africa, 2002, p.7

Evangelical Friends Church – Mid-America (EFI)

10. Abortion. Friends believe that all life is a gift of God (Genesis 2:7; Job 33:4); therefore, when the matter of an abortion is being considered, neither the life of the mother nor of the unborn child is to be lightly treated. We hold that abortion on demand or for reasons of personal convenience, social adjustment, or economic advantage is morally wrong.
We believe it may be employed therapeutically to safeguard the health or life of the mother, but only after spiritual, medical, and psychological counseling have been obtained.
Friends believe an appropriate and morally acceptable alternative to abortion is to arrange for immediate adoption upon birth. They believe that married couples have the right to exercise their preferences as to means of preventing or avoiding conception.

Faith and Practice, Evangelical Friends Church – Mid-America

Evangelical Friends Church Southwest (EFI)

Abortion and Euthanasia/Assisted Suicide

We believe that all human life is a gift from God and that each person bears the image of God.
We believe that Scriptures teach that we are knit together in our mother’s womb (Ps.
139:13-14) and that God is the author and sustainer of life. Moreover, we believe, with the
Scriptures, that one’s life is never entirely one’s own. We belong to God, first of all, but in a very
real way, we also belong to one another.

The motivations to pursue an abortion are various and complicated. They often involve fear,
concern for the quality of life for the child and mother, as well as confusion and sometimes
convenience. Yet abortion is a tragedy from every vantage point. We believe the Lord has
ordained every life for a purpose, and abortion violates the purpose for which the child in the
womb was destined. Additionally, abortion does great harm to the woman herself—often
leaving deep scars psychologically and spiritually. Many women, as well as men, suffer with
guilt, regret, and grief over the decision to abort. We affirm the value of the life of every child,
and we affirm the dignity and value of every woman. Our position on the destructiveness to life
that abortion renders includes concern for the woman who felt the need to make such a
sorrowful decision. Therefore, while we stand against abortion, we must also stand with

women who find themselves pregnant by coming alongside them with support and resources.

Further, we stand with women who have experienced abortion by loving them and leading
them to the forgiveness and restoration found in Jesus Christ.

Euthanasia and assisted suicide are often fueled by compassion and confusion regarding
suffering. Sadly, at the core, these practices violate the basic principle of life that God ordains
and authors the days of one’s life. Any judgment about the potentiality or quality of one life is a
diminishment of human life in all of its forms. We recognize that human suffering can be very
real, but we also affirm that God’s presence is just as real.

We believe our best answer to abortion and euthanasia is to value life profoundly and to
embody Christ’s love completely in our communities, especially towards those who have
undergone an abortion or have been part of an assisted suicide. We recognize that these sinful
choices are frequently made under great stress and confusion. We realize as well, that while we
must speak clearly against these practices, we must just as clearly proclaim God’s love and the
availability of forgiveness to those who have experienced them.

Evangelical Friends Church Southwest Faith and Practice, 2023, pp. 22-23

Northwest Yearly Meeting (EFI)

6 .Respect for Human Life: We reject the unchristian preempting of God’s authority over human life. Because we trust God as the righteous and final judge before whom we spend our lives in probation, we oppose capital punishment. Because we believe in the sacredness of human life, we oppose abortion for personal convenience.

Northwest Yearly Meeting Faith and Practice

Alaska Yearly Meeting (EFI)

Christian Social Concerns

The Christian Social Concerns Committee shall be concerned with the application of Christian principles to individual and community life. It shall promote the use of peaceful methods of settling differences in all areas of conflict and the promotion of good will among men. It shall provide information and education in opposition to abortions, the use of alcoholic beverages, tobacco, harmful drugs and other harmful narcotics. It shall be concerned for social justice and for the physical and spiritual well-being of individual and group life.

Alaska Yearly Meeting of Friends Churches Handbook of Faith, Practice & Discipline, 1988, p. 16

 

Pro-choice Positions

Illinois Yearly Meeting

The basic Quaker belief of “that of God in every person” demonstrates the great reverence Friends have for life. The issue of abortion presents us with a very painful dilemma as we weigh our respect for the rights of each woman’s individual leadings and her bodily privacy against the loss of a potential life.

Members of the Committee with a Concern for Reproductive Issues are united in caring about the clearness of each woman considering this decision. Recognizing the gravity of the situation, we urge Friends to hold each other in the Light without being judgmental.

We know that it’s not always easy to honor convictions other than our own, but we would remind Friends that one person’s honest and carefully sought leading may not be another’s. We urge Friends to give aid and succor to women in need, whether this aid be spiritual or temporal. We ask of women that they open their hearts freely to the leadings of the Light. We ask of the Society that they accept the varied leadings of women who come to them for help.

Neither abortion nor pregnancy should be compulsory nor illegal. A pregnant woman forced by legal or economic means to act against her own leadings is an abused woman. We hold that it is morally wrong for the federal or state governments to take upon themselves the power of compelling women to complete or terminate pregnancy, whether such coercion be done by legal or economic means.

We pledge our support for a society which raises its children to cherish themselves and those around them. We pledge our support for a society in which women and children are valued as much as men. We pledge our support for a society in which at least as much time and money is spent over the quality of life as is now devoted to the means of destruction and war.

[MINUTE, proposed in 1990 by a Committee with a Concern for Reproductive Issues, and adopted by Illinois Yearly Meeting as its own Minute, 7-24-1992.]

Friends Meeting of Washington (DC) 

Friends believe that there is that of God in every person, and that the spiritual journey is one of continual seeking and revelation. Often life brings us to difficult, meaningful moments of decision making. We are taught to hold these decisions in the Light, seeking guidance by Spirit. Often, we turn to our community for help in gaining clarity. We know and respect the individuality of each person’s spiritual journey, knowing that decisions can lead to both endings and beginnings, often in unexpected ways.

The decision to have, or not have, children and the decision of who to marry, or not marry, are examples of deeply personal, individual decisions to be made by the person or people involved, in the presence of Spirit. Friends believe that all families have privacy rights and people of all genders have rights to reproductive health care, including pregnancy termination.

If a Friend or couple is struggling with a question regarding these personal decisions and asks the Meeting for help, the Meeting should provide a clearness committee to support them in their decision-making. Friends should also work to decriminalize any such decisions, and to preserve an individual’s right and ability to carry out their decision.

[Minute: Privacy and the State*, June, 2022, in response to the Dobbs US Supreme Court decision.]

*This minute builds on a statement from the 1988 edition of BYM’s Faith and Practice, which reads: When the number of children exceeds the financial, physical and even spiritual capacity of the parents, a hardship is worked on all involved. Thoughtful decisions either to have or not to have children should be accepted and supported by the Meeting.

Adelphi Friends Meeting (Maryland)

As Quakers, we recognize that our spiritual journey is one of continually seeking the Divine and following the inspiration we receive. Often life brings us to difficult moments of decision making. We are taught to hold these decisions in the Light, seeking guidance by Spirit. We may turn to our community for help in gaining clarity. We know and respect the individuality of each person’s spiritual journey, understanding that decisions can lead to both beginnings and endings, often in unexpected ways.

An equitable society does not impose the greatest burdens on those least able to bear them. An equitable society cares for, educates, and ensures that the needs of parents and their children are met.
Adelphi Friends draw on our shared beliefs and practice to support:

• Every person’s ability to freely choose the family relationship that best meets their needs, including full marriage protections for heterosexual, same-sex, gender nonconforming, and interracial couples.
• Ready access to comprehensive sex education and safe, affordable, and legal contraceptives.
• Ready access to high quality, affordable prenatal healthcare and nutrition support for those who are pregnant.
• Ready access to safe, legal, and affordable abortion, with decisions on whether to have, or not have, children to be made by the pregnant person.
• Ready access to high quality, affordable postnatal, infant, and child healthcare, as well as nutrition and other economic support for parents who need it.
• Ready access to high quality childcare and education for all children.
• Protecting children from abuse and exploitation; including physical, sexual, and emotional violence; trafficking; child labor; forced conscription; and the school to prison pipeline.

On Reproductive Justice, October 23, 2022

Red Cedar Friends Meeting (Lansing, Michigan)

Quakers have maintained a policy of silence on the abortion issue while Roe v. Wade has been the law. Some Quakers have stood against abortion on religious grounds; we could not reach consensus on the theology of abortion, and we chose a policy of silence. It was a convenient policy. While Roe v. Wade was the law, we could afford to stand by silently while the U.S. Supreme Court provided the protection and took the heat.

But when the court abandons its opinion in Roe v. Wade, the landscape will change. The theological question will be less relevant. The new question will be: Why punish those who seek or provide abortion services? Silence is hardly a complete response to that question. . . .

Wrestling with that question must begin at the level of conscience; move through monthly meetings; and ultimately inform larger Quaker institutions, like FCNL. Our meeting is participating in that discernment, and we trust that other Friends are doing the same.

[April, 2022, reported in Friends Journal]

Oxford Friends Meeting (Oxford, Ohio)

. . . We recognize that diversity exists among Friends on the issue of legal limits or bans on abortion.  In order to preserve the freedom of individual conscience and the responsibility to discern our choices with the guidance of the Inner Light, we stand with those who hold that bodily autonomy and reproductive choice is a human right. Although we hold with respect and compassion those who oppose abortion, we believe that it is unjust to impose their beliefs upon others, and we uphold the separation of church and state.  We are especially aware of the unequal impact of abortion limits and bans upon those who are racially marginalized and economically disadvantaged, and believe that this inequality is incongruent with our vision of a society free of discrimination.

[Minute on Reproductive Health, November 18, 2022]

Friends Committee on National Legislation

III.2.7. Reproductive health and abortion. Quakers recognize that human life is sacred, and that Spirit can
guide us individually and collectively. Based on these beliefs, members of the Religious Society of
Friends have come to different conclusions regarding abortion. FCNL supports individual discernment
in a spirit of love and truth in making reproductive healthcare decisions, as we do in other areas of
conscientious moral choice. Government must ensure that people have the legal right to make these
decisions. We oppose the criminalization of people seeking, undergoing, or involved in abortion
services. We support equitable access to abortion services. FCNL also supports policies that reduce
unwanted pregnancies by ensuring equitable access to contraception, sex education, family planning,
fertility and adoption services, and support for all who decide to have children.

[from the Statement of Legislative Policy, addendum of November, 2023]

Note: the large meeting of 150 people referred to in If You Can’t Explain the Opposition to Your Case refers to the annual meeting at which this new position was decided. 

 

Not in Unity

Bennington Friends Meeting

4. Abortion

On this issue we were not in unity.

Some felt that abortion should be “legal but rare,” and should involve both the man and woman’s decision. One consideration would be the welfare of an unwanted child.

Others felt that abortion is an act of violence and shouldn’t be used as an escape clause from behaving ethically and wisely.

[Minutes on Spirituality and Sexual Ethics, Approved April 18, 2010]