Abortion Statements

"Led by the Spirit, and beginning in the church, we witness to all people that violence is not the will of God. We witness against all forms of violence, including . . . abortion." Confession of Faith in a Mennonite Perspective

Churchwide Statement on Abortion (PDF), adopted by Mennonite Church USA Delegate Body in Atlanta 2003.

The Executive Board of Mennonite Church USA has officially acted to accept previous statements of the Mennonite Church and the General Conference Mennonite Church. Therefore, the following statements present our views on abortion.

Mennonite Church
A summary statement accepted by Mennonite General Assembly August 5-10, 1975, Eureka, Illinois

General Conference Mennonite Church
Guidelines on Abortion , 1980

In April 2000, the former Peace and Justice Committee published a bulletin insert that your congregation might find helpful. We work closely with Mennonite Central Committee on peace and justice issues. They have an abortion statement.

As we work on this contentious issue, let us keep the wisdom of "Agreeing and Disagreeing in Love: Guidelines for Mennonites who disagree" in mind.

May we all work together to make abortion unthinkable.

Susan Mark Landis, peace advocate

Abortion Resources

News		View All News
Title	Date	Author
NEWS: Abortion Statement	2/14/2003	by Laurie L. Oswald
In response to a call from constituents for Mennonite Church USA to reaffirm its stand on abortion, the Executive Board in January unanimously adopted a statement that considers abortion as "counter to biblical principles" but encourages compassionate responses to those caught in a complex issue.
Statements		View All Statements
Title	Date	Author
MCC Statement on Abortion	11/3/2001	by MCC
Mennonite Central Committee: Statement on Abortion
Writings		View All Writings
Title	Date	Author
Witnessing against violence: Abortion	7/19/2005	by Tom Beutel
For most Christians, mere mention of the A word brings on a flood of feelings and strong opinions. The author gives his perspective on dealing with this crucial violence/nonviolence issue.
Abortion: providing an alternative	7/29/2002
As followers of Jesus, how do we respond to the brokenness of abortion?
Standing firm: Mennonites oppose abortion	4/1/1998	by Susan Mark Landis
Clearly, the official stand of the Mennonite Church continues to be that all life is valuable. We must remember that we take this stand because of our theology, because we worship a God of love and life.
Standing firm: Opposition to abortion remains strong	4/1/1998	by Susan Mark Landis
Because we believe the Bible teaches that persons are created in God's image, that human life is a gift from God to be held in high esteem, and that God's interest in individuals begins before their birth with His desire that they develop into knowledge of and faith in Him: