Mormon church voices support for abortion ban
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The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints took an unprecedented leap into abortion politics when leaders issued a letter to be read from the pulpit Sunday, supporting one of the strictest bans in the nation.
Why it matters: While the Utah-based church has long opposed abortion, the move is a departure from its historic neutrality on related public policy.
Driving the news: As Idaho voters consider a ballot proposal reversing the state's near-total ban on abortion, a letter obtained by East Idaho News and addressed to all Latter-day Saint congregations there states, "The Church opposes this initiative."
- "We join with other like-minded individuals and organizations working against this initiative and encourage our members to voice their opposition to it in a respectful manner," wrote four members of the all-male Area Presidency over the church's central U.S. region.
Between the lines: Church leadership is structured hierarchically, so actions by an Area Presidency are understood to reflect the will of higher church leadership in Salt Lake.
- Axios' query to church headquarters was not immediately answered.
The intrigue: For years, the church noted that it "has not favored or opposed legislative proposals or public demonstrations concerning abortion."
Catch up quick: That changed with the overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022, when the church quietly revised its statement to replace that sentence to read: "As states work to enact laws related to abortion, Church members may appropriately choose to participate in efforts to protect life and to preserve religious liberty."
- "The Church's position on this matter remains unchanged," the statement added.
Zoom in: The exceptions in Idaho's ban are narrower than what the church describes as circumstances where it may "allow for" members to undergo abortions.
- For example, Idaho's medical exemption only applies when a pregnancy risks the death of the patient. The church says it may be OK if "the life or health of the mother is in serious jeopardy."
What they're saying: "Prop 1 is closer to our handbook than our current law! That's why I'm shocked but not surprised," Latter-day Saint historian and essayist Kristine Haglund wrote on Bluesky.
Flashback: The recent Idaho letter hearkens back to 2008, when the church's involvement in a California campaign to ban same-sex marriage led to boycotts, a protest march on Temple Square and a campaign finance violation.
- "I'm old enough to remember California's Proposition 8 and the damage the Church's involvement did to the Church's reputation (damage that, I suspect, continues to reverberate with us)," lawyer and author Sam Brunson wrote in a Friday blog post.
The big picture: In the aftermath of Prop 8, there were widespread questions and debates over whether church members would be punished if they supported LGBTQ+ rights or same-sex marriage.
The latest: Similar questions have arisen on social media since the church's abortion letter surfaced, with a few members calling for pro-abortion-rights Latter-day Saints to face church discipline.