Today is being celebrated and mourned as the 36th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, which made abortion on demand a constitutional right.
Perhaps I have been reading too much of the bloggernacle, but I was surprised to see how strongly Mormons as a whole oppose abortion. According to a Pew Forum study, Mormons as a religion as are the second most likely to oppose abortion. The survey breaks down views on abortion by degree of support or opposition and by religion. Mormons as a whole, were second only to Jehovah’s Witnesses (?) to oppose abortion in most or all cases, even more so than Evangelicals
However, it’s worth noting that compared to other religions who generally oppose abortion, Mormons are dispproportinately less likely to believe it should be illegal in all cases and more likely to believe that abortion should be illegal only in most cases. That seems in line with what the Church counsels.
Some members have expressed that the the Church is essentially “pro-choice” because its allows some exceptions for abortion. But those exceptions are only in rare circumstances and even then abortion should not be considered lightly. That doesn’t seem to be in line with today’s “pro-choice” view that abortion should be unrestricted and even government funded .
Elder Russell M. Nelson reiterated the LDS Church’s strong opposition to abortion a few months ago in the Ensign:
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has consistently opposed the practice of abortion. More than a century ago, the First Presidency wrote, “We again take this opportunity of warning the Latter-day Saints against those … practices of foeticide and infanticide.”
Early in his presidency President Spencer W. Kimball (1895–1985) said: “We have repeatedly affirmed the position of the Church in unalterably opposing all abortions, except in two rare instances: When conception is the result of forcible rape and when competent medical counsel indicates that a mother’s health would otherwise be seriously jeopardized.” Current policy now includes two other exceptions—incest and if the baby cannot survive beyond birth, as determined by competent medical counsel. Even these exceptions do not justify abortion automatically. It “should be considered only after the persons responsible have consulted with their bishops and received divine confirmation through prayer.”
