Abortion
The Church's position stated precisely — the opposition, the exceptions, and the line it does not draw.
The Position
The Church teaches that elective abortion for personal or social convenience is contrary to the will and commandments of God. Members are not to submit to, perform, arrange for, pay for, consent to, or encourage such an abortion. The position rests on the sanctity of human life: mortal life is a gift from God and a necessary step in His plan of salvation, and it is not for man to destroy it at will.
Life is God's to give, and the taking of innocent life is condemned throughout scripture. The value of a human life does not depend on its stage or its convenience to others.
“Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee.”
The Exceptions
The Church recognizes that abortion may be justifiable in a few grave circumstances:
• When pregnancy results from rape or incest;
• When a competent physician determines that the life or health of the mother is in serious jeopardy;
• When a competent physician determines that the unborn child has severe defects that will not allow survival beyond birth.
These are the only exceptions the Church names, and even they do not automatically justify abortion. Each is to be considered only after the persons involved consult with their bishop and receive divine confirmation through prayer. The exceptions describe when abortion may be considered — not when it is required or approved as a matter of course.
The Line the Church Does Not Draw
The Church has deliberately not defined the moment when the spirit enters the body, and it has not taken a position on every legal or political question surrounding abortion. It condemns elective abortion as a moral evil while leaving certain related questions unanswered because they have not been revealed. This restraint is itself doctrinally honest: the Church teaches what God has made known and does not manufacture certainty where He has been silent.
What is clear is enough to live by. Elective abortion for convenience is wrong; the exceptions are narrow and prayerful; and the sanctity of life is the governing principle.
Key References
- Jeremiah 1:5 — Known and sanctified before birth
- Psalm 139:13–16 — God forms the child in the womb
- Exodus 20:13 — “Thou shalt not kill”
For Those Who Have Had One
The Church's firmness on the doctrine is matched by its confidence in the Atonement. A person who has participated in an abortion — and later comes to understand its seriousness — can repent and be forgiven. The Savior's mercy reaches this sin as it reaches every other sin that is honestly forsaken and confessed.
The doctrine is meant to protect life, not to crush the repentant. Both truths hold at once: elective abortion is a grave wrong, and the door of forgiveness remains open to those who turn to Christ.