Panel votes to 'put legs' into abortion statement By Angela R. Treadway The Layman Online Wednesday, June 30, 2004 2004 General Assembly Richmond, Virginia June 26-July 3, 2004 General Assembly news index RICHMOND, Va. – The General Assembly Committee on Health Issues on Tuesday, by a 54-8 vote, approved a response to an overture that asked for clarity on late-term pregnancy in the denomination's current statement on abortion policy. The action by the committee recommends new language in the current "Statement on Post-Viability and Late-Term Abortion," and was identical to the committee's response to Overture 04-10 from the Presbytery of Charlotte, "On Urging Churches to Affirm in Their Ministries the Protection of Babies in the Womb Who Are Viable." The Overture Advocate for 04-30, from the Presbytery of Beaver-Butler, said the current statement has "good work, but does not put legs" to the content, and does not give guidance. The commissioners heard testimony on the overture in a public hearing during its first work session Monday morning. Speaking in favor of the overture were Les Winters, Charles James and Dick Crondike, while Lillian Bowers, Donald Weber and Toddie Peters spoke against it. Since the questions and issues pertaining to Overture 04-30 had already been discussed by the committee in dealing with Overture 04-10, there was no further discussion after the motion was made to answer the item with the same response given for 04-10. The action recommends to the General Assembly that language in the current "Statement on Post-Viability and Late-Term Abortion" be changed to read as follows: "The ending of a pregnancy after the point of fetal viability is a matter of grave moral concern to us all. We affirm the protection of viable babies in the womb. In cases where problems develop late in the pregnancy, we urge our members to support the live delivery of the baby. In the interest of protecting the life and health of both the mother and the baby, late term abortion should be considered only if the physical life or mental health of the mother is at serious risk and no alternative means of delivering the baby alive is available. Furthermore, we urge our members to provide pastoral and tangible support to women in problem pregnancies, seeking ways that the church can intervene to mitigate the problems in a pregnancy or late-term abortion. We affirm adoption as a provision for women who deliver children they are not able to care for and ask our members to assist in seeking loving adoptive families."

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