United Methodist Bishop Defends 'Religious' Abortion Rights Coalition
by Staff
April 23, 2008
WASHINGTON, (christiansunite.com) -- San Francisco-area United Methodist Bishop Beverly Shamana, President of the church's Washington lobby office, is urging continued United Methodist membership in the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice (RCRC).Washington-based RCRC defends unrestricted abortion rights in the name of its denominational members. The Washington-based United Methodist Board of Church and Society and the New York-based United Methodist Women's Division both belong to RCRC.
Bishop Shamana was responding to numerous anti- RCRC petitions, including three from regional Methodist bodies, submitted to the United Methodist General Conference, which meets April 23-May 2 in Ft. Worth, Texas.
UM Action Executive Director Mark Tooley commented,
"RCRC claims that no unborn child ever deserves legal protection. Why would any "religious" group wish to endorse such an outlandish perspective?
"Bishop Shamana claims that 'God offers the freedom of choice to the human family.' On what Scripture or Christian tradition do she and other pro-RCRC church officials base their draconian and absolutist claims that no abortion anywhere should ever be restricted?
"RCRC is not a faith organization. It is a radical political lobby that advocates limitless abortion on demand. It is funded primarily by left-wing foundations, while borrowing the credibility of mainline churches in order to slap a religious veneer on abortion rights extremism."
The Institute on Religion and Democracy, founded in 1981, is an ecumenical alliance of U.S. Christians working to reform their churches' social witness, in accord with biblical and historic Christian teachings, thereby contributing to the renewal of democratic society at home and abroad.
