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Mostly Cloudy Malverne and West Hempstead religious leaders have mixed reaction to abortion ruling
The heads of churches and synagogues weighed in on Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization
Religious leaders from Malverne and West Hempstead held diverse opinions on the U.S. Supreme Court’s June 24 ruling to overturn Roe v. Wade, the constitutional right for women to seek an abortion.
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Rockville Centre met the high court’s decision with approval. “The overturning of Roe v. Wade rectifies a grave injustice that has resulted in the taking of more than 60 million preborn, innocent lives and caused an avalanche of devastation to families, the dignity of women, and our culture,” Bishop John O. Barres of the diocese said in a written statement.
The Rev. Jim Stachacz, of Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in Malverne, echoed Barres’s sentiments. “I’m thankful to God that the Supreme Court came down with this decision,” Stachacz said. “It’s going to help save countless innocent children yet to be born.
“Most parishioners I’ve spoken to have been very happy with the decision,” he added. “There are some who are unsure or questioning, especially those who’ve had an unexpected pregnancy impact their family, which I understand. But overall I’d say the reaction has been loving and tempered.”
Stachacz also acknowledged the need to assist parents facing unexpected or unwanted pregnancies. “We need to commit ourselves to helping not just at birth, but throughout life, especially in those early years,” he said.
He called for the expansion of single- mother support groups, and spoke highly of Life Center of Long Island, a pregnancy resource center with four locations across Long Island.
However, Protestant Christian groups reacted with dismay to the Supreme Court’s decision.
In an online statement, Bishop Michael Curry of the Episcopal Diocese of Long Island said, “While I, like many, anticipated this decision, I am deeply grieved by it. I have been ordained more than 40 years, and I have served as a pastor in poor communities; I have witnessed firsthand the negative impact this decision will have.”
Pastor Janice Moore of the Community Presbyterian Church of Malverne said she viewed the decision with trepidation. “As a Christian, we’re called to care for the least of these,” she said.
“Some hold that the least of these is the preborn, but I believe in a wider net. Teenagers who find themselves pregnant, women with depression and rape victims I all count among the least of these.
“I support women being able to choose whether or not to carry a pregnancy to term,” Moore added. “I also support systems to make it easier for women to make the choice of motherhood. While we want to make the decision to get an abortion as rare as possible, we should ensure that it remains safe and accessible. Presbyterian theologian George Hendry said roughly, ‘That in forcing a woman to give birth, she is reduced to an incubator, not a person made in the image of God.’”
Interim Pastor Marianne Tomecek of St. Andrew’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in West Hempstead also expressed concern for women’s health in the wake of the decision. “My concern is with all the women who need procedures which will be called abortions, like the termination of ectopic pregnancies and other situations where the person’s life is at risk,” she said. “These situations can be deadly, and this decision, and laws being enacted in various states, ignore all of that.”
Rabbi Art Vernon of West Hempstead’s Congregation Shaaray Shalom drew distinctions between his legal and religious views on the abortion issue. “They turned it back to the states and I’m in favor of that,” Vernon said. “It should never have been a federal issue. I understand why it was done at the time but I think that was an overreach.
“Jewish tradition allows abortion when there is physical threat to the life of the mother,” he added. “More liberal congregations often expand threat to the mother beyond the physical. If I had my druthers, the only regulations on abortion would be for health and safety reasons. I think the decision is one for women, their doctor, their family, and their religious leaders if the woman so chooses.”
While there is no longer a federal right to abortion, state legislators retain control over abortion policy. On July 1, The New York State Legislature passed a proposed Equal Rights Amendment to the State Constitution, which would guarantee a right to abortion. To be fully adopted, the amendment will have to be approved again by the next elected legislature and then be approved by voters in a referendum.
