The Episcopal Church and Access to Reproductive Health Care and Abortion

In the wake of the US Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs removing federal protections for access to abortion and related health care procedures, many people have asked what the Episcopal Church’s response and position are. The Episcopal Church, through the actions of its highest governing body, our democratically-elected General Convention, has been on record for almost 50 years as being pro-choice, believing that it is not the government’s place to interfere in the difficult decisions a woman has to make—she should be free to make those decisions following the guidance of her own informed conscience in consultation with her physician and her pastor and others she may choose to consult.

The chief pastor of the Episcopal Church, our Presiding Bishop the Most Rev. Michael Curry, released a statement responding to Dobbs, which I am including in full below. I am also linking that statement, as well as a document summarizing the Episcopal Church’s various governing resolutions on the topic, at the bottom of this post.. I am always available to answer questions about the Episcopal Church’s position on this matter, or to have conversations of a more pastoral nature.

The Rev. Gillian R. Barr
Rector

Statement on Supreme Court Dobbs decision by Presiding Bishop Michael Curry 

June 24, 2022

Office of Public Affairs

Today the Supreme Court released its decision in the case of Dobbs vs. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. The court has overturned the constitutional right to abortion that was recognized in the seminal 1973 case Roe v. Wade.  

While I, like many, anticipated this decision, I am deeply grieved by it. I have been ordained more than 40 years, and I have served as a pastor in poor communities; I have witnessed firsthand the negative impact this decision will have.

We as a church have tried carefully to be responsive both to the moral value of women having the right to determine their healthcare choices as well as the moral value of all life. Today’s decision institutionalizes inequality because women with access to resources will be able to exercise their moral judgment in ways that women without the same resources will not.

This is a pivotal day for our nation, and I acknowledge the pain, fear, and hurt that so many feel right now. As a church, we stand with those who will feel the effects of this decision—and in the weeks, months, and years to come.  

The Episcopal Church maintains that access to equitable health care, including reproductive health care and reproductive procedures, is “an integral part of a woman’s struggle to assert her dignity and worth as a human being” (2018-D032). The church holds that “reproductive health procedures should be treated as all other medical procedures, and not singled out or omitted by or because of gender” (2018-D032). The Episcopal Church sustains its “unequivocal opposition to any legislation on the part of the national or state governments which would abridge or deny the right of individuals to reach informed decisions [about the termination of pregnancy] and to act upon them” (2018-D032). As stated in the 1994 Act of Convention, the church also opposes any “executive or judicial action to abridge the right of a woman to reach an informed decision…or that would limit the access of a woman to safe means of acting on her decision” (1994-A054).   

The court’s decision eliminates federal protections for abortion and leaves the regulation of abortion to the states. The impact will be particularly acute for those who are impoverished or lack consistent access to health care services. As Episcopalians, we pray for those who may be harmed by this decision, especially for women and other people who need these reproductive services. We pray for the poor and vulnerable who may not have other options for access. We urge you to make your voice heard in the way you feel called but always to do so peacefully and with respect and love of neighbor.

Link to the Presiding Bishop’s statement. Es disponible en español también.

Link to summary of Episcopal Church positions on reproductive health