Southern Baptists affirm every life is worthy of protection and is created in the image of God. Life begins at conception, and abortion denies precious human lives both personhood and protection. Scripture is clear that every person is made in the image of God (Jer. 1:5; Psa. 139:13). Furthermore, the Baptist Faith and Message affirms that “children, from the moment of conception, are a blessing and heritage from the Lord” and calls us to advocate for the preborn and contend for the sanctity of all human life, from conception to natural death.
The Dobbs decision did not remove the duty of the federal government to act in protecting life. Though the Dobbs decision, did allow states to decide how abortion should be handled in their state, it did not prohibit Congress from restricting abortion at a federal level. The federal government still has an important role to play, particularly in issues of federal funding, the approval of drugs like mifepristone through the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and implementing conscience protections through legislation and federal rulemaking. The federal government has both the ability and the moral obligation to ensure vulnerable preborn lives are protected from harm.
As it has for decades, the ERLC continues to advocate for the complete end of abortion while supporting legislation that saves as many lives as possible now, such as the Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Act and the Heartbeat Protection Act. Currently, the U.S. is one of only seven nations in the world that allow elective abortions after 20 weeks post-fertilization. The Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Act would prohibit the performance of abortions on babies at 20 weeks or greater gestation. The Heartbeat Protection Act prohibits abortion after a fetal heartbeat is detected except to save the life of the mother.
The ERLC will advocate for Congress to pass legislation that further restricts the availability of abortion across the country as we work toward completely ending abortion in the United States.
