Abortion and Spiritual Care

Even before the overturn of Roe v. Wade, abortion was one of the most contentious medical procedures in the United States. It was also one of the most theologically charged, galvanizing not only people of faith but also entire voting blocks. Spiritual care providers need resources that move past stalemated debates about abortion, so they respond to the needs of care seekers. This book provides ethically sound and spiritually just practices for care. It begins by offering a historical overview of how religious, medical, linguistic, and legal communities wield their power by framing our collective understanding of abortion. It considers myths and realities about women who have abortions. It then turns to frameworks that may be helpful to caregivers as they consider their own beliefs about abortion, including those that allow caregivers to maintain a belief in fetal personhood while allowing for the moral permissibility of abortion. It closes by offering a set of concrete best practices for spiritual care. Abortion and Spiritual Care ultimately transcends the pro-choice/pro-life divide in spiritual communities about abortion. Using a combination of lived experience, psychological data, and theological conviction, it weaves together a self-reflexive way of offering lifegiving care to individuals and communities.