by Fr. Steven C. Kostoff
On June 24 – the Feast of the Nativity of St. John the Forerunner – what no one really expected until recently, actually happened. This was the overturning of the controversial Roe v. Wade Supreme Court ruling of 1973, which granted women the constitutional right to abortion throughout the country. The new ruling is referred to as Dodd v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. For many, Roe v. Wade was flawed from the very beginning, both in form and content. (Even Ruth Bader Ginsburg considered it problematic.) It certainly did not have a grasp of the biological facts about the beginning of human life in the womb. Perhaps one way to envision the acceptance of abortion is to realize just how powerful is the affirmation of the self-autonomous individual, wherein “choice” is the ultimate act of freedom.
The Orthodox Church always has and always will resist abortion. Thus, the Church took a position of “holy resistance” in opposition to Roe v. Wade, encouraging peaceful and prayerful protests against the widespread practice of abortion since 1973. The Church also condemned violence as a legitimate form of protest. Abortion is actually a very old issue, since the ancient Church stood out against this common practice many centuries ago. One of many representative voices was that of St. Basil the Great (+379). In stark terms this is what he wrote about abortion:
Those who give potions for the destruction of the child conceived in the womb are murderers, as are those who take potions which kill the child. (Letter 188)
Notice how St. Basil does not only cast blame on the mother of the child, but first mentions those who provide the means for the abortion to occur. In our contemporary setting, we need be aware and sensitive to the complexities of life situations, especially as these affect women who are not the recipients of structural social support, or of love and concern flowing from family support.
When all is said and done – and remaining aware of the complexities of life just mentioned above - abortion is the taking of a human life. Since the “sacred gift of life” is ultimately in the hands of God, elective abortion is understood to be contrary to the will of our Creator as the One who is the Lord “of the living and the dead.” That, of course, is a “religious” perspective not shared by a large part of American society. A growing secular perspective, developing within our country’s strict separation of Church and State, allowed for the option of abortion that ultimately received the sanction of the Supreme Court. And since 1973 there has a bitter and contentious struggle between those described as “pro life,” and those described as “pro choice.” This recent ruling will prove to be as contentious and controversial as the ruling of 1973. In other words, the debate will continue with no end in sight.
Now this divisive issue has been handed back to the states for their own legislative deliberations. Many states have already enacted strict anti-abortion laws, and others will soon join them. And there are states in which abortions will remain legal. Hopefully women will not be criminalized for seeking an abortion; or for going out of state to have one. And we should certainly hope that the State does not pry into the contents of a person’s mail. Will pro-life politicians fund programs that will financially assist poor mothers with child care, housing and other daily requirements? A pro-life society will need to support children born into difficult circumstances. To abandon them to the harsh realities of life after protecting their “right to life” would be immoral. That would include us, as Orthodox Christians. Are we willing to provide the necessary support to pregnant women and their children once they are born? Being Pro-life needs to continue outside of the womb.
Concerning the overturning of Roe v. Wade, Metropolitan Tikhon recently wrote: “Broadly speaking … this should be a cause for rejoicing.” Yet, he also wrote in the same pastoral letter: “However, we must avoid all triumphalism.” Here is how I understand that comment:
The Christian position – and those who accept that position – always had the moral high ground when it came to defending life from its very conception. Life, from the moment of conception, is not “potential life,” but life with potential. The conceived child is awaiting to behold the light of day, and to enter into the mystery of life in all of its varied manifestations. However, serious problems arise with the “pro-life” position because it is not consistently “pro-life” at all. This inconsistency can be, and often is, hypocritical, because of how selective the “choice” is as to who and what kind of life needs to be protected within a “pro-life” ethic.
In America, we have three forms of State-sanctioned killing: abortion, capital punishment, and war. Capital punishment and the ubiquitous presence of the threat of war certainly predate 1973. A consistent “pro-life” ethos would reject capital punishment and certainly any act of war that is aggressive and belligerent. Has the American fascination with our nation’s ongoing gun culture inured us to public violence? Are we unwilling to accept acts of violence within the womb; but willing to accept State-sanctioned acts of violence outside of the womb?
Many “pro-life” Christians are strong advocates for capital punishment. Most of the autocephalous Orthodox Churches formally oppose capital punishment. I know that the Orthodox Church in America has such a resolution that goes back to the All-American Council in St. Louis in 1989. [See here - webservant.] One may argue that abortion is different from capital punishment – one victim is absolutely innocent, and the other guilty (but certainly not always!) of a heinous crime – but it is still the State-sanctioned taking of a life. St. Prince Vladimir (+1015) abolished capital punishment in medieval Rus’ once he consciously became a Christian, based upon the precepts of the Gospel.
Here is a link to one of many excellent articles that explain why the Church cannot sanction capital punishment:
Many “pro-life” American Christians are “hawks” when it comes to war. And when we maim and kill thousands – including innocent men, women and children - through bombing and precision drone attacks, I wonder just how much distress does that cause, and how much sympathy does that awaken in us as a nation for those non-Americans who have died? Covering that up with a lot of flag-waving does not soften the destruction that has been unleashed. In the new document, For the Life of the World – Towards a Social Ethos of the Orthodox Church, blessed by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew - we read the following:
“Nothing is more contrary to God’s will for creatures fashioned in his image and likeness than violence one against another, and nothing more sacrilegious than the organized practice of mass killing.”
Here are two further links to the Orthodox Church’s attitude toward war: Having written the above, I am fully aware of the inconsistency and hypocrisy of “pro-abortion” advocates. They are very mindful of saving life outside of the womb, but apparently seem to disregard protecting life within the womb. There is also scant recognition of accepting the responsibilities that accompany sexual relationships. Let us further hope that their protests against the overturning of Roe v. Wade does not result in acts of senseless violence. And let us not harshly judge those who disagree with us.
Thus both sides in this debate lack consistency and descend into hypocrisy.
Our Orthodox Church strongly encourages a faithful, consistent and God-inspired attitude to the “sacred gift of life” in all stage of life’s journey from the womb to the tomb. When we abandon that approach for reasons that could be political, social, cultural or philosophical, then we submit ourselves as Orthodox Christians to the skepticism and scorn of the secular world. That undermines our witness to the world of the Truth of the Gospel. Let us continue to protect the unborn and the marginalized alike – “the poor, the sick, the suffering, and the imprisoned; abandoned, abused and orphaned children, and those who are persecuted for their faith.”
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