Seventh-Day Adventists and abortion
Christians of all denominations are gathering on the National Mall today to
protest the 38th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court decision
that legalized abortion nationwide. But one denomination that may be sparsely
represented is Seventh-day Adventists whose large worldwide
network of 170 hospitals allows elective abortions.
This stance was revealed last week when Maryland state regulators gave Holy
Cross Hospital, a Catholic institution, permission to build a hospital in
growing northern Montgomery County, shutting out the Seventh-day Adventists, who
also wanted to build a hospital in the area. Some abortion rights
advocates opposed Holy Cross's selection because it does not allow
abortions.
Adventists
resemble many conservative Protestant denominations as they believe in divinely
inspired Scripture, six literal days of Creation, justification by faith and
baptism by immersion.
Their distinctive rites include worshiping on Saturday, the seventh day of
the week as opposed to Sunday, an emphasis on the Second Coming of Christ and an
emphasis on following Jewish dietary laws concerning abstinence from pork,
shellfish and other foods proscribed as "unclean" in the Old Testament. The
denomination is known for its emphasis on health. Alcohol and tobacco are
prohibited and many Adventists are vegetarians.
But the denomination may be the only theologically conservative Protestant
group that allows elective abortions. Many of their own members didn't know that
their worldwide hospital network performed the procedure, which has been quite
the discussion on the Adventists for Life
Facebook page. A number of posters were shocked to learn the denomination's
stance.
"I can't belong to a organization who advocates abortion," one
poster wrote. "I believe in Christ my Saviour, the Sabbath & etc. I believe
in Sister White also," referring to Ellen G. White, one of the revered founders
of the denomination.
Another poster said that Adventists opposed
abortion until 1970. That is when Hawaii legalized abortion and Castle
Memorial Hospital, an Adventist institution in Kailua, Hawaii, the poster said,
was pressured by its own doctors, and donors, to start offering abortions. At
the time, Adventist leaders in Washington indicated they did not oppose the
procedure and thus, more Adventist hospitals began offering the procedure. In
1992, the denomination issued these guidelines
on abortion. The official position of the church is that abortion is allowed
in "extraordinary circumstances."
SDA evangelist Kevin Paulson has given the longest defense of the church's
position here where he agrees the
church essentially has no restrictions on the practice and might do well to
restrict it more. "Many [Adventists] are forming opinions about abortion," he
wrote, "not from the study of Scripture or the Spirit of Prophecy (Ellen G.
White's) writings, but from listening to popular Christian leaders like James
Dobson, Tim LaHaye, Franky Schaeffer, and Bill Gothard," all of whom oppose
abortion.
"Sincere though they may be, these men espouse many theological errors and
have no understanding of God's truth for this time," Paulson wrote. "Seventh-
day Adventists should listen to such persons with extreme care and
discriminating judgment. ...Among the Adventist pioneers, J.N. Andrews and John
Harvey Kellogg wrote against abortion, yet the writings of Ellen White maintain
the silence of Scripture on the subject... We find it interesting that when
Ellen White speaks of the "earliest moments" of our children, she speaks of
birth, not conception," he concluded.
Is the Seventh-day Adventists' heavy focus on healthful practices
inconsistent with its position on abortion? Tell us in the comments
section.
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