In the wake of the recent Supreme Court Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade and the subsequent rise of the Evangelical pro-life movement, I sought to answer just how influential clergy members are. I hoped that researching abortion attitudes of clergy members could reveal how these individuals balance their personal experiences and opinions, and their religious teachings.
Hypotheses
I started my data collection process with three hypotheses:
- Clergy members’ opinions on abortion will align with their religious teachings. Clergy members are individuals that have specifically chosen to devote their life to their religious text and living in accordance with that text.
- When advising members of their congregation about abortion, clergy members will focus on providing moral guidance as opposed to offering specific solutions. Historically, clergy members exist to provide religious guidance to members within their congregation, not offer clear cut solutions, typically offering support through open dialogue and prayer.
- Cultural differences and different lived experiences will impact an individual’s relationship with their faith an abortion. It is widely accepted that an individual can be influenced by many things, such as the culture that they have surrounded themselves with, or even the structure of their congregations.
Data
For my data collection, I interviewed three Bloomington clergy members. Bloomington is unique because it is a politically Democratic city within a staunch Republican state. In the context of my thesis, individuals within Bloomington are multifaceted, offering unique perspectives that could challenge each hypothesis of my thesis, due to external environmental factors such as income, upbringing, education, and peer influence.
After many, many emails, the three clergy members I interviewed were a Catholic Priest, Seventh-Day Adventist Pastor, and a Reformed Jewish Rabbi. Interviews ranged from thirty minutes to an hour. Clergy members were asked a multitude of questions, ranging from their relationship with their congregations to current political issues. This qualitative method of data collection allowed each clergy member to produce in-depth answers, based on their personal experiences, religious beliefs, and emotions.
Results
The interview results support my first hypothesis, that clergy members’ opinions on abortion will be aligned with their religious teachings. The strongest evidence in support of this hypothesis comes from my interviews with the Catholic Priest and Rabbi. In his interview, the Priest stated that as a Priest he has an obligation to uphold the traditions and teachings of the Church, in which all Priests must be opposed to abortion. In her interview, the Rabbi stated that Jewish law teaches that abortion is not only allowed but recommended in the case of extreme emotional distress, or if a pregnancy is not viable. This conclusion could be complicated by the answers of the Seventh-Day Adventist Pastor, who did not seem to take a strong stance either way. However, in reflecting on my conversation with the Pastor, it seemed as though he would not choose to have an abortion due to his view on the sanctity of human life but understands and respects an individual’s choice to have one.
Regarding my second hypothesis there is some conflicting evidence. This again comes from my interview with the Catholic Priest, as he explicitly stated that in addition to providing moral guidance, he would highlight Project Rachel Ministry or Bloomington’s Women Care Center, depending on what the individuals needed. Both the Rabbi and Seventh-Day Adventist Pastor also stated that their job in any given situation is to provide an individual with comfort and guidance. The answers given by all clergy members support this hypothesis however, the additional answers provided by the Catholic Priest reject the hypothesis.
I believe that differences in each clergy member’s answer, specifically between the Catholic Priest and Seventh-Day Adventist Pastor, stem from cultural differences. While Catholicism is regarded as having a stricter interpretation of the Bible, the deviations in answers from each clergy member were followed by examples from their life experiences, not just the Bible, that made them reach these conclusions. This evidence supports my third hypothesis that cultural differences and different lived experiences will impact an individual’s relationship with their faith and abortion.
Implications
When looking further at the answers given by each interviewee it was obvious to me that clergy members are not politically neutral beings. Each clergy member I interviewed is a politically active private citizen. In their public role, they may not openly identify with the Republican or Democratic party, but each clergy member showed consistency within their answers about current political turmoil in the United States, spotlighting that they believe that our current polarization is unsustainable for our country. Each stated that communities must begin to bridge the gap and come together, and not let the current political divide continue to tear communities apart.
Despite the limitations within this thesis this research can be used as a reference within discussions surrounding religion and abortion. Additionally, the research conducted can serve as a valuable starting point for further exploration into the role of clergy members in shaping public opinion and policy debates.
Shauna Mahoney is graduating May 2024 from the O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs with a B.S. in Public Affairs, minoring in History, and Media Law & Ethics. Following graduation, Shauna is moving back to the D.C metro area. Connect with her on LinkedIn!
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