An article advocating abortion rights for women throughout their pregnancies recently appeared in a Christian journal. The article, “Abortion and Public Policy,” appeared in the December 1997 issue of Christian Ethics Today and was written by retired United Methodist Church seminary professor, John M. Swomley. In the article Swomley writes, there “should be no legislation criminalizing or restricting abortion before the third trimester or the viability of the fetus.”
The article also argues that: the Bible teaches life does not commence until birth, rights of the individual should have priority over the rights of the unborn, banning abortion would result in “compulsory pregnancy … a form of slavery,” prohibiting tax-funded abortions for the poor and requiring parental notification would compound violence against women, health care should be guaranteed by the government, contraceptives, including RU-486 should be developed, and sex education in public schools should be mandatory.
Professor Swomley has been an abortion-rights activist for more than 20 years. Swomley signed a letter supporting President Clinton’s veto of the Partial-birth Abortion Ban sent by the Religious Coalition for Abortion Rights. He also serves on the board of directors of the ACLU and The Interfaith Alliance, and the advisory board of Planned Parenthood of Mid-Missouri and Eastern Kansas.
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