This is NOT a political post!
With a title like that, it’s obvious that I’m going to be writing about something political. And for many, the question of laws concerning access to abortion are fundamentally a matter for government policymakers and political discourse. I disagree. And it’s all a question of how you frame the issue. If the question is fundamentally about access to healthcare services, then yes, the matter is primarily a political one. However, if you believe the question is fundamentally about what defines a person and who is worthy of respect and protection as a human being made in the image of God, then the matter of laws concerning abortion is principally theological for the Christian.
While most of the nation’s attention is devoted to a highly fraught presidential race, those who vote in Maryland will also be presented with the opportunity to vote on an amendment which would enshrine the right to abortion in our state’s constitution. For the exact language of the ballot question, click here. Currently, Maryland has among the most permissive laws in the nation concerning abortion access. Abortion is legal until fetal viability (considered as 24 weeks gestational age in Maryland), though it is also permitted any time up until birth to protect the life or health of the mother or if the child has a genetic “defect” or serious abnormality.
Given these already expansive laws, it’s natural to wonder why this amendment is such a concern. The reason is that an amendment carries more authority than a law or statute. In fact, depending on how the amendment (should it pass) is interpreted it could easily have the effect through litigation of narrowing protections of conscience for medical providers and physicians. It could also eliminate the minimal existing requirements for the notification of parents of minors seeking an abortion. Furthermore, it is likely through litigation that the partial limit on abortions after fetal viability would be found unconstitutional should the amendment be adopted, making Maryland tie with several other states for the most permissive abortion laws in the nation.
On behalf of the session of elders at Covenant of Grace, I strongly encourage those of you who plan to vote to oppose this amendment. Regardless as to what you believe the law should be regarding protections for pre-born children and abortion access, we should be able to agree that this amendment represents a likely expansion of the ability to end life far beyond when scripture plainly says it begins. God’s word is clear that life begins in the womb, not the delivery room, and it is something to be celebrated, honored, and protected, not despised and destroyed. One of my favorite Psalms, Psalm 139, beautifully says in prayer to God,
“For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place,
when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw my unformed body;
all the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be.”
We acknowledge that the state government is not the church and the law of the land is not the law of God. As the church we are like exiles living in a strange land and longing for a heavenly kingdom. No nation is the kingdom of God and we must not conflate the two or think that our chief hope is in Christianizing the state. Yet, to quote Jeremiah 29:7, we have the calling as God’s covenant people to “seek the welfare of the city where [God has] sent [us] into exile.” For us, that involves using what voice we have to see that our governing authorities rule with justice and integrity and do not fail to protect the weak.
Therefore, we believe it is right and appropriate for the church to speak into “matters extraordinary” like this when legislation is considered that deeply offends against God’s law and the sanctity of the image of God in humanity. Our denomination, the Presbyterian Church in America, recently did this nationally on the matter of abortion access. You can read that statement here.
Finally, we recognize that the subject of abortion is highly personal and painful to those who have considered or had an abortion as well as those who know and love others who have. Often it is an experience of profound violation and injustice that causes women to seek abortion. At other times it is a very real lack of support and care, as well as the experience of shame and fear of rejection by those they know and love. We affirm that the church must be a place that receives such people with compassion and honor, not condemnation and disdain. In the words of Lesslie Newbigin, “Whoever touches the Church—even in the most tenuous fashion…should find that he has touched the source of healing.”
It is for this reason that we strongly support ministries like the Alpha Pregnancy Center in Reisterstown, that provide resources for unplanned pregnancies, care and training for prospective parents, counselling resources, and pre-natal services like ultrasounds. We also have a generously-resourced mercy-needs ministry which serves not only members of Covenant of Grace but those in crisis in our community as we are able. As the church we must be willing to engage in self-giving care and love on any matter about which we determine we must speak publicly. The gospel requires it of those who in humility acknowledge their own need of forgiveness and grace.
Finally, know that no matter how the vote on this amendment goes, our work and mission as the church will not change. There is no reason for despair should it pass or excessive exuberance should it fail. Our hope is not ultimately in the justice or righteousness of any government, but in the Savior King Jesus who rules and reigns over all things now and who will one day come again in glory to restore and make all things new. On that note, let me leave you with a reminder of our ultimate hope from Psalm 46.
God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging…
The Lord Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Blessings in Christ,
Pastor Mark (writing on behalf of the session of elders)