Our Church’s Stance on Abortion

In our belief system, we define life to begin when the heart starts to beat, which is at 22 days after conception/fertilization or 22 days after the sperm enters the egg. Our church encourages our members continue their pregnancy once it passes 22 days after fertilization. (This equates to about 36 days of pregnancy because in our culture today, “pregnancy” is counted from the first day of the last period, which is 2 weeks prior to fertilization).

Abortion up to 44 days after fertilization/conception is still permitted if the couple ultimately decides to do so. A firm decision should be made by this point. (Again, since we start counting after fertilization, this would equate to about 8 weeks into pregnancy using today’s counting method.)

Once passed 44 days after fertilization, abortion is not permitted with the exception that the mother’s life is at risk, and when there is a fatal fetal abnormality. If the issue is relating to child’s health that’s not life threatening, then we advise our members to not abort and to take on the responsibility to care for the child.

Note on Contraceptions:

External contraptions such as condoms are allowed. However, oral/internal contraceptions like birth control pills and hormone regulating drugs are not allowed.

Note on In Vitro Fertilization (IVF):

IVF is permitted for those women that have fertility problems or difficulty in conceiving. IVF is not permitted for sex selection of the embryo.