Episcopal Church's Views On Abortion

Abortion is not a topic that I take a firm side on in public settings. I never really express my views on this topic. That being said, I am Episcopalian and do agree with the church’s thoughts on the matter. The Pew Research Center states the following in their article, Religious Groups’ Official Positions on Abortion.

While the Episcopal Church recognizes a woman’s right to terminate her pregnancy, the church condones abortion only in cases of rape or incest, cases in which a mother’s physical or mental health is at risk, or cases involving fetal abnormalities. The church forbids “abortion as a means of birth control, family planning, sex selection or any reason of mere convenience.” (Liu)

My family comes from a long line of Episcopalians, and I therefore support the church in their views. However, all thoughts of denominational views aside, this statement does sum up my views on abortion at this point and time.

I do not support people who use abortion to ‘get rid’ of a child that they created ‘accidentally’. I do not support people using abortion to fix a consequence of something that they knowingly and willingly did. That is not okay. It is immoral and should be viewed by everyone, regardless of religion, as such. Another thing that doesn’t make sense to me about abortion is an issue whether you personally believe in abortion or not. If someone murders a pregnant woman, that person is going to be charged with a double murder. Why would a person be charged for murder for destroying a mass of tissue? If a muscle or organ was destroyed, would murder be the logical charge? Murder means you killed a human,