General Board of Church & Society
June 24, 2022 | WASHINGTON, D.C.

United Methodists value women’s rights and recognize the importance of ministries that support women and their reproductive health.

The United Methodist Church, responding to the Gospel and informed by our Wesleyan history, affirms the sacred worth of all people and calls us to advocate in support of policies that support abundant, healthy life for all.

This commitment to the sacred worth of all people has called us to prayerfully reflect on the justice, rights, and health for the mother, child and family. Through our prayerful advocacy and witness we as a church affirm that, “we are equally bound to respect the sacredness of the life and well-being of the mother and the unborn child. We recognize tragic conflicts of life with life that may justify abortion, and in such cases, we support the legal option of abortion under proper medical procedures by certified medical providers.” (United Methodist Social Principles ¶161.K)

This prayerful response from the United Methodist Church is a collective witness that centers on the value and dignity of every mother, child, and family. However, today The United States Supreme Court decision denied the value and dignity of women to access the fundamental right to the supportive care and services they deserve.

Today’s decision unleashes severe consequences and threatens access to care for every community, and specifically Black, Brown, Indigenous and low-income communities. This decision comes at a time when many states are already moving to restrict access to quality care and comprehensive health care services like family planning, birth control, and the expansion of Medicaid. These restrictions deny the basic right to lifesaving care that everybody has the right to access and receive.

As people of faith, God calls us to transform conditions of injustice and advocate for the rights of all people to have access to affordable, equitable and comprehensive healthcare that includes reproductive and maternal care.

We grieve and lament today’s decision. We ask that churches provide a healing and nurturing presence that cares for the women and families in your communities wrestling with today’s decision and their own experiences. We also acknowledge that today’s decision compels us to renewed advocacy for policies that create an environment where all people have access to a community, services, and healthcare that lead to flourishing and abundance.

The General Board of Church and Society is dedicated to the work of living faith, seeking justice, and pursuing peace.