Mormons and Abortion: Does the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints condone it?

This is a loaded hot topic right now. Which is why it’s important to talk about. The short answer to the question above is no. The Church does not condone abortion. Abortion goes against some of our most sacred doctrines and beliefs. 

Why doesn’t the Church condone abortion?

Let’s start at the beginning. 

We believe that all of us existed before this life in a place called the Premortal Existence where our spirits excitedly awaited the opportunity to come to Earth to receive a physical body and experience mortality. 

The purpose of our mortal life is to have joy. In 2 Nephi 2:25 of the Book of Mormon it reads “Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy.” The way to have Joy is to follow the gospel of Jesus Christ and to return to the presence of God. We call this the Plan of Happiness. 

Every child of God deserves the opportunity to come to this earth, receive a body, and experience the Plan of Happiness. Which makes the action of abortion that much more offensive. It’s an abuse of God’s creation and takes away that spirit’s opportunity to experience mortal life. Furthering the reason why Mormons and Abortion don’t mix.

Every soul that comes to this earth is a precious and loved child of God.

The greatest two gifts that God gave us are our agency (the ability to choose for ourselves) and our mortal bodies. Which is why we believe that creating life is one of the greatest and most sacred responsibilities we have. It is also why we believe that taking away someone’s agency by killing them is nearly unforgivable. 

*The reason I say nearly unforgivable is because only God, our Heavenly Father, gets to judge us and forgiveness for such a transgression is only possible in and through Jesus Christ*

“Great Power = Great Responsibility”

As I mentioned above, our bodies are a gift, as is our procreative ability. God gave us the same power that He possesses: the power of Creation. When we use these powers appropriately, we are telling God, and in my opinion, Mother nature, that we respect them and ourselves.

One of my favorite quotes of all time is said by every uncle Ben in every version of Spider-Man ever: “with great power comes great responsibility.”

I know this is a fictional story but life is not. To treat this life and this great power we have been given without an insane amount of responsibility is disrespectful. 

On September 23, 1995, the prophet Gordon B. Hinckly read  “We declare the means by which mortal life is created to be divinely appointed. We affirm the sanctity of life and of its importance in God’s eternal plan.” (The Family; A Proclamation to the World)

Mormons and Abortion and the Freedom of Choice

Freedom of choice is the other greatest gift that God gave us. Without it, we could not obtain happiness. For without opposition, we could not know true joy. If one chooses to abuse the powers of creation that is their choice. But as in all things, all actions have an equal and opposite reaction, meaning there are consequences. Some are unseen or felt (or recognized); some are immediate, and some don’t come till the afterlife.

In the case of abortion, pregnancy is one of those consequences that is seen as negative. We live in a culture of erasing consequences by either running away, numbing ourselves, avoiding, or, in the case of unplanned pregnancy, eliminating.

The concept of “My body my choice” is a catch phrase for many women when it comes to our reproductive rights. I couldn’t agree more with this choice. But what pro abortion advocates chose not to acknowledge is that the choice starts with the act of reproduction aka sex. A direct and known consequence of sex is the creation of human life. 

The beautiful thing about Freedom of Choice, however, is that we get to choose how we react and respond. Will you choose to respond with love, respect, and compassion to the child? 

How will you choose to use this God given right of freedom of choice with your actions?

Compassion in the face of disagreement

The Prophet of the Church of Jesus Christ said, “Cannot boundary lines exist without becoming battle lines?” 

I believe they can. We can all choose to respect one another’s boundaries and beliefs without becoming combative.

Though followers of Jesus Christ do not support abortion, we support everyones right to life and choice. (I know I keep saying that but it’s important that everyone reading this truly understands these eternal truths.)

Elder Neil L. Andersen, an Apostle of the Church Jesus Christ recently stated in April’s world wide General Conference, “We genuinely love and care for all our neighbors, whether or not they believe as we do.” 

I cannot stress enough how true this is. Granted, there are followers of Jesus Christ who struggle with this in some areas but we aren’t all perfect. In fact, we are all quite flawed. But we are all trying our hardest to be like Jesus. 

Even though Mormons and abortion don’t agree on a fundamental level, that’s okay. We can still be friends!

To read the Church’s official policy on abortion, click HERE. 

To read more about how the Church views women, please read this article. https://thetreckingfamily.com/mormons-and-women/