Oklahoma faith leaders weigh in on abortion rights after Supreme Court Roe v. Wade leak

Conversations abound these days regarding the fate of Roe v. Wade, the controversial U.S. Supreme Court ruling that effectively legalized abortion in America.

No where is this more prevalent than in Oklahoma houses of worship, where some leaders and congregants are eager to see the end of abortion rights in the state and across the U.S., while others are troubled that women may lose autonomy over their bodies and personal health choices.

Four Oklahoma ministers on both sides of the issue recently weighed in on the latest development causing a furor around the country.

Here's what they said:

'Momentous point in American history'

"The possibility that Roe may soon be overturned is a momentous point in American history. Oklahoma Baptists, because of our biblical convictions for life, have long worked to save unborn children and to see an end to the tragic practice of legalized abortion, even as we seek to minister to those facing an unintended pregnancy. We uphold the value of life at every stage, and we are hopeful and prayerful the end of Roe signals the end of abortion in our state and across our nation. We are prepared to continue to minister and serve women, men and their children, meeting needs in the name of Jesus."

— The Rev. Todd Fisher, executive director-treasurer of Oklahoma Baptists, formally Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma, the state Southern Baptist Convention affiliate

Abortion should be legally available

"United Methodists are guided by our Book of Discipline, which includes a section called the Social Principles. The Social Principles include a statement about abortion. Basically, we think abortion should be legally available. We hope that societal conditions are such that it would be incredibly rare but that it should be available and that a woman should have the ability to decide along with her doctor, spouse and anyone else she wishes to consult, about whether or not she should seek an abortion.

"We believe in the sanctity of life, so I'm not a big fan of the 'pro-life' versus 'pro-choice' language. I think it is 'pro-life' to have a 'pro-choice' stance on whether abortion should be legal.

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"I personally know of both women who have chosen to have an abortion and women who have not chosen to have an abortion. It's never a simple choice. It's always been a choice that's been made with much prayer and deliberation and grief. I don't think that should be regulated by the government.

"Of course, I'm also dismayed by the Oklahoma law that was just passed that won't allow an abortion after six weeks because you don't necessarily know at six weeks that you're pregnant. The thing that our Social Principles say that I would also very much agree with is that we uphold the sanctity of life, and so this goes beyond just whether or not abortion is legally available, it goes to 'Is there widely available prenatal care, post-natal care, support for parents of young children, family support?' — all of those things are a part of this conversation. I just think any law that limits and restricts the rights of women to make choices about their own bodies is problematic."

— The Rev. Jen Logsdon Kellogg, senior pastor of Bridgeview United Methodist Church, Norman

'Thrilling answer to our prayers'

"If the draft opinion is a precursor of what is to come in the Dobbs case, the reversal of Roe v. Wade would be a thrilling answer to our prayers and a significant step in building a culture of life that recognizes the inherit dignity of each and every human person, particularly the poor and people of color who are disproportionately targeted by the abortion industry.

"I applaud Oklahoma leaders for being proactive with legislation that would essentially eliminate abortion in Oklahoma if the Roe case were overturned. Our focus must continue to be providing support and resources to families in need and connecting with expectant mothers who need reassurance they are not alone. Let us pray for the conversion of hearts and minds to embrace each child as a gift from God.”

— The Most Rev. Paul S. Coakley, archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Oklahoma City

'Dark day for America'

"Abortion is the unyielding moral dilemma of our time. Good and sincere people, including people of faith, have different, but very strongly held, opinions on whether women should have the right to safely end a pregnancy. As a Christian minister, I have always believed that this decision belongs to women, and to women alone. I am pro-life, but I am also pro-choice, because I believe the state has no right to interfere with this decision, which is the very epitome of government overreach. In a pluralistic society that is supposed to honor the separation between church and state, our best choice in an unyielding moral dilemma is to protect both options, not to give one the force of law over the other.

"If you don’t believe that abortion is ever morally justifiable, then don’t have one. But who are we, no matter how fervent our beliefs, to make that choice for every other woman in every circumstance in which she may find herself pregnant?

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"Now that Roe v Wade is almost certainly gone, what kind of world will we return to? We know exactly what kind of world because we’ve been there. One in which rich women will always have access to abortion, and poor women will drive through the night, seeking the most basic autonomy over their own bodies.

"As for those 'exceptions for rape and incest or health of a mother,' they are a cruel hoax. Imagine the shame and fear that would accompany a woman into a courtroom as she tried to prove this in a timely way, or the fear of a doctor who might diagnose a health threat only to be sued later for misdiagnosis by an angry spouse, partner or family member.

"Roe v. Wade protected choice for women even if they lived in Oklahoma, and now that choice will essentially be outlawed, and we will deputize each other to turn in our neighbors instead of loving our neighbors — whose lives we know absolutely nothing about, except that 'there but for the grace of God go [all of us].' Why don’t we just trust women with this monumental decision? The suffering this will cause them, and all of us, is immeasurable. It will be a dark day for America, and the dignity and autonomy of women everywhere."

— The Rev. Robin Meyers, pastor of First Congregational Church UCC, Norman

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma faith leaders discuss Roe v. Wade, abortion after SCOTUS leak