Resolution 85-3: Roe vs. Wade Supreme Court Decision

Whereas, the Bible teaches that human life is given by God and has value: “So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female he created them” (Genesis 1:27); and “Know that the LORD, He is God! It is He who made us, and we are His; we are His people, and the sheep of his pasture” (Psalm 100:3); and “what is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? Yet You have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You have given him dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet,...” (Psalm 8:4-6, see also Psalm 119:73 and 127:3); and

Whereas, the Bible teaches that human life begins at conception: “Now the word of the LORD came to me, saying, ‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you;...’” (Jeremiah 1:4-5a); and “For You formed my inwards parts; You knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are Your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from You, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in Your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them” (Psalm 139:13-16; see also Psalm 22:9-10, 71:6; Job 31:15; Isaiah 44:2, and 46:3); and

Whereas, the Bible teaches that the taking of innocent life breaks God’s Moral Law, and is therefore sinful: “You shall not murder.” (Exodus 20:13); and "Whoever sheds man's blood, by man his blood shall be shed, for in the image of God He made man.” (Genesis 9:6); and “There are six things which the LORD hates, yes, seven which are an abomination to Him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, . . .” (Proverbs 6:16-17); and “Thus says the LORD, ‘For three transgressions of the sons of Ammon and for four I will not revoke its punishment, because they ripped open the pregnant women of Gilead in order to enlarge their borders” (Amos 1:13); and

 Whereas, the Bible Presbyterian Church, having adopted the Westminster Standards as a “subordinate standard” and an accurate commentary of the Word of God (Resolution 79:05), notes that the Westminster Standards affirm the biblical conclusions above (WCoF IV.ii; X.iii; XIX.ii, v; and LC #136 ); and

Whereas, the Bible Presbyterian Church has previously adopted resolutions concerning the evil of abortion (Resolutions 83:01 and 84:06); and

Whereas, the United States Supreme Court has now overturned the tragic Roe vs. Wade decision which allowed the murder of over 63 million children in the United States; and

Whereas, with this court decision, each state within the United States now has the legal and moral right to ban abortion within its borders; and

Whereas, there will now be a greater need for pro-life organizations, foster care, and adoption of children who would have been murdered previously. Now, therefore, be it

Resolved, first, that we of the 85th General Synod of the Bible Presbyterian Church, meeting August 4-8, 2022, in Grand Island, New York, call upon all Christians to praise God for His mercy with this court decision, giving American Christians the first legal opportunity in more than 49 years to remove completely this scourge from our land; and

Resolved, second, that we call upon the appropriate authorities in each state to ban the murder of unborn children; and

Resolved, third, that we earnestly pray for and work with the state authorities so that the evil of abortion be removed from our country; and

Resolved, fourth, that we would encourage all Christians to help fill the greater physical needs of children and their parents that God has graciously laid upon the Church due to the court’s decision by foster care, adoption, and the financial and prayerful support of pro-life organizations, as it is within each Christian’s calling.