During the 34th United Church of Christ (UCC) General Synod held earlier this month, a resolution was decisively passed, urging member congregations of the liberal mainline denomination to provide assistance to “pregnant people” seeking abortions. The resolution also condemned the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in June 2022 on the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization case, while advocating for the denomination to support abortion access. While 611 delegates supported the resolution, 24 opposed it, and 13 abstained from voting. The resolution asserts that a majority of Americans are in favor of legal abortion in either all or most cases. It also argues that state abortion bans can pose a threat to the lives of pregnant individuals and exacerbate disparities in access to comprehensive reproductive care, particularly affecting minority communities.
The Christian Post reports:
The United Church of Christ overwhelmingly passed a resolution calling on member congregations of the liberal mainline denomination to help “pregnant people” get abortions.
At the 34th UCC General Synod earlier this month, delegates passed the measuredenouncing the U.S. Supreme Court’s June 2022 Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision and calling for the denomination to support abortion access by a vote of 611 in favor, 24 opposed and 13 abstaining.
The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 in Dobbs that abortion is not a constitutional right, overturning the 1973 decision Roe v. Wade. The decision also allowed several states to enact restrictions and bans on the procedure’s legality in most circumstances.
The UCC resolution claimed that “a majority of Americans support legal abortion in all or most cases” and that state abortion bans can threaten “the lives of pregnant people,” as well as “deepen unequal access to comprehensive reproductive care” for minority communities.
The resolution supports “resisting by peaceful means, including civil disobedience, any laws banning abortions, and calls upon every setting of the United Church of Christ to use Just Peace practices to confront abortion bans and restrictions on reproductive healthcare.”
The resolution also urges the United Church Board Ministerial Assistance to “provide emergency grants to any UCC Medical beneficiaries and other eligible applicants to cover out-of-pocket costs and travel costs incurred by accessing care not available in their home state.”
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