Letter to the editor: Religions do not agree on abortion – Journal Inquirer

Recently, I addressed Don Pescis misinformation on abortion; later Conrad McIntire Jr. challenged my rebuttal with even more misinformation. He stated, for example, that only secular humanism supports the right to abortion. This is patently false. Although the American Baptist Church board opposes abortion as a primary means of birth control, it does not condemn abortion outright. Buddhists have no official position on abortion. The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)s General Assembly says the termination of a pregnancy is a personal decision based on prayer and Scripture. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America states that abortion prior to fetal viability should not be prohibited by law or by lack of public funding, but should be prohibited later unless the mothers life is threatened or fetal abnormalities pose a fatal threat to a newborn. Reform and Conservative Judaism openly advocate for the right to safe and accessible abortions. The United Church of Christ advocates for reproductive rights, including safe abortions.

I could continue, but the point is evident. The worlds religions do not agree about abortion. More importantly, their opinions are irrelevant. The United States is not a theocracy. Religion is not the governments business, nor should it be.

The Fourth Amendment protects a womans right to be secure in her person. A fetus does have certain rights, but not those of personhood until it can exist outside the womb. Pregnancy does not cause a woman merely an inconvenience as Mr. McIntire states, but sometimes death or disability. When he further claims a woman makes her choice by agreeing to have sex, he ignores recent state laws that make no exception for rape or incest. A 10-year-old child raped by her father, then, would be forced to bear another child. I find that morality repugnant. I think many others would as well.

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Letter to the editor: Religions do not agree on abortion - Journal Inquirer