Moral Agency

Moral agency is at the heart of many a faith. It’s also at the center of medical decision making. The value of personal conscience that informs interpretation of Scripture, deliberation over religious belief and practice, and consideration of contraception and abortion also occupies an important role in religion.

What is more, the United States Supreme Court decisions Roe v. Wade, Griswold v. Connecticut and Cruzan v. Director, Missouri Department of Health, for instance, reflect the Court’s respect for the capacity to come to personal conclusions over electing and forgoing medical care as enshrined in the United States Constitution.

We have recently witnessed the Court’s inclination to curtail the Constitutional protections of Roe and related decisions. And in states across the nation, literally hundreds of abortion restrictions are impairing access to the care that women know they need. Fortunately, for New Yorkers, the Reproductive Health Act (RHA) is currently under consideration by the State legislature. RHA would safeguard the right to elect or forgo contraception and abortion, thereby protecting religious liberties and moral agency.

VOICES OF FAITH AFFIRMING THE MORAL AGENCY OF WOMEN

[A]ny proposed legislation on the part of national or state governments regarding abortions must take special care to see that individual conscience is respected and that the responsibility of individuals to reach informed decisions in this matter is acknowledged and honored.
– Episcopal Church

We affirm the ability and responsibility of women, guided by the Scriptures and the Holy Spirit, to make good moral choices.
– Presbyterian Church (U.S.A)

Affirm our unwavering commitment to the protection and preservation of the reproductive rights of women.
– Union for Reform Judaism

We call all Christians to a searching and prayerful inquiry into the sorts of conditions that may warrant abortion. We commit our Church to continue to provide nurturing ministries to those who terminate a pregnancy, to those in the midst of a crisis pregnancy and to those who give birth.
– United Methodist Church

Recognizing that each person is ultimately responsible to God, we encourage women and men in these circumstances to seek spiritual counsel as they prayerfully and conscientiously consider their decision.
– American Baptist Churches, USA

Jewish obligation begins with the informed will of every individual.
- Central Conference of American Rabbis

…an examination of core principles of Catholic theology reveals a tradition that respects the capacity of individuals to make moral decisions.
– Catholics for Choice

…the right to individual conscience… the personal right to choose in regard to contraception and abortion. …a consistent position supporting a woman’s right to follow her own conscience…free of the coercion of poverty, racial discrimination and availability of services to those who cannot pay.
– American Friends Services Committee