Leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints oppose an Idaho ballot initiative that would establish a right to abortion in the state.
They also encouraged church members to “voice their opposition” to the proposed law in a letter that will be read from the pulpit during worship services for the next two Sundays, according to a letter the leaders sent to the faith’s 1,300 congregations in the state.
“We join with other like-minded individuals and organizations working against this initiative,” the letter states, “and encourage our members to voice their opposition to it in a respectful manner consistent with prophetic direction of always demonstrating Christlike love and civility in political discourse.”
The letter was signed by the church’s U.S. Central Area Presidency — Elders José A. Teixeira, Ricardo P. Giménez, Karl Hirst and James Fantone.
The Idaho Reproductive Freedom and Privacy Act is on the Nov. 3 ballot. It would amend current law to establish a state right to abortion four years after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that there is no federal right to abortion.
Since then, 11 states have established rights to abortion — Arizona, California, Colorado, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, Ohio, New York and Vermont, according to Ballotpedia.
Latter-day Saint opposition follows that of other faith groups and organizations in the state. Roman Catholics have been holding special pro-life masses in the state for months after the Most Reverend Peter F. Christensen, the bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Boise, sent a letter in July.
The Catholic effort has included special prayer and fasting on Fridays.
The Catholic leader called the ballot initiative “radically pro-abortion” and stated it would legalize late-term abortions into the third trimester.
“If passed, this initiative will entirely dismantle Idaho’s current protections for unborn children and weaken important safeguards for women, minors and parents,” he wrote. “This ballot initiative presents a serious moral and cultural challenge for our communities.”
The Latter-day Saint leaders said the church’s position on abortion “remains clear and unchanged.”
“The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believes in the sanctity of human life,” according to a statement on its official website. “Therefore, the church opposes elective abortion for personal or social convenience and counsels its members not to submit to, perform, encourage, pay for or arrange for such abortions.”
The church maintains a political neutrality policy in individual races for office but regularly states that it reserves the right to weigh in on matters of morality.
“As states work to enact laws related to abortion,” the church states on its official website, “church members may appropriately choose to participate in efforts to protect life and to preserve religious liberty.”
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints opposes abortion with possible exceptions for when:
- Pregnancy results from rape or incest, or
- A competent physician determines that the life or health of the mother is in serious jeopardy, or
- A competent physician determines that the fetus has severe defects that will not allow the baby to survive beyond birth.
“Abortion is a most serious matter,” the church website states. “It should be considered only after the persons responsible have received confirmation through prayer. Members may counsel with their bishops as part of this process.”