Southern Baptist Convention

Official Denominational Website: http://www.sbc.net

Beginning of Life

Official Statement: from Southern Baptist Convention, "Position Statements: Sanctity of Life" “Procreation is a gift from God, a precious trust reserved for marriage. At the moment of conception, a new being enters the universe, a human being, a being created in God's image. This human being deserves our protection, whatever the circumstances of conception.” ("Position Statements: Sanctity of Life")

Abortion

The SBC is against abortion for all reasons except to save the life of the mother:

Official Statement: from Southern Baptist Convention, "On Reaffirming The Full Dignity Of Every Human Being" (Dallas, TX, 2018)

"we affirm the full dignity of every unborn child and denounce every act of abortion except to save the mother’s physical life" ("On Reaffirming The Full Dignity Of Every Human Being")

Official Statement: from Southern Baptist Convention, "On The Sanctity Of Human Life" (Columbus, OH, 2015) See also "Resolution On Sanctity Of Human Life" (Atlanta, GA, 1991)

"[We] affirm the dignity and sanctity of human life at all stages of development, from conception to natural death; and . . .

we reaffirm our repudiation of the genocide of legalized abortion in the United States and call on civil authorities to enact laws that defend the lives of the unborn; and . . .

we encourage Southern Baptists to continue and to expand their local ministries that care for and protect the unborn, the vulnerable, and the aged; and . . .

we call on Southern Baptist churches and entities to show the love of Christ through appropriate means to those women most vulnerable to the victimization of the abortion industry, and to show grace and mercy to those individuals who grieve with repentance over past abortions." ("On The Sanctity Of Human Life")

Official Statement: from Southern Baptist Convention, "On Thirty Years Of Roe V. Wade" (Phoenix, AZ, 2003)

"[W]e reaffirm our belief that the Roe v. Wade decision was an act of injustice against innocent unborn children as well as against vulnerable women in crisis pregnancy situations, both of which have been victimized by a “sexual revolution” that empowers predatory and irresponsible men and by a lucrative abortion industry that has fought against even the most minimal restrictions on abortion; and . . .

we lament and renounce statements and actions by previous Conventions and previous denominational leadership that offered support to the abortion culture; and . . .

we urge our Southern Baptist churches to remain vigilant in the protection of human life by preaching the whole counsel of God on matters of human sexuality and the sanctity of life, by encouraging and empowering Southern Baptists to adopt unwanted children, by providing spiritual, emotional, and financial support for women in crisis pregnancies, and by calling on our government officials to take action to protect the lives of women and children; and . . .

we express our appreciation to both houses of Congress for their passage of the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003, and we applaud President Bush for his commitment to sign this bill into law; and . . .

we pray and work for the repeal of the Roe v. Wade decision and for the day when the act of abortion will be not only illegal, but also unthinkable." ("On Thirty Years Of Roe V. Wade")

Official Statement: from Southern Baptist Convention, "Resolution On Ru 486, The French Abortion Pill" (Orlando, FL, 1994)

"[W]e . . . condemn the blatant advocacy of RU 486 by the Clinton Administration, and oppose the testing, approval, manufacturing, marketing, and sale of the abortion pill in the United States. ("Resolution On Ru 486, The French Abortion Pill")

Official Statement: from Southern Baptist Convention, "Resolution On The Freedom Of Choice Act, Hyde Amendment" (Houston, TX, 1993)

"[W]e affirm the biblical prohibition on the taking of unborn human life except to save the life of the mother; and . . .

we oppose all efforts by the United States Congress to pass the radical abortion on demand bill, the Freedom of Choice Act; and . . .

we call upon Congress to maintain the Hyde Amendment and other pro-life policies which prohibit the use of federal funds to encourage, promote, or perform abortions except to save the life of the mother, thereby protecting the unborn and the consciences of millions of pro-life taxpayers; and . . .

we oppose the inclusion of abortion in any health care plan which may be proposed by the President and adopted by Congress and urge policy makers to protect the consciences of millions of pro-life taxpayers and employers by not forcing them to pay for such a repugnant act; and . . .

we oppose the passage of any legislation which would have the effect of denying First Amendment freedom of speech rights, especially as a means of responsible, non-violent protest at abortion clinics; and . . .

we oppose the testing, approval, distribution, marketing and usage in the United States of any abortion pills and urge U.S. corporations which are considering such business ventures to refuse to do so; and . . .

we remain morally opposed to the use of electively aborted fetal tissue in all experiments conducted by the federal government and urge President Clinton to reconsider his decision to advance such reprehensible research." ("Resolution On The Freedom Of Choice Act, Hyde Amendment")

Official Statement: from Southern Baptist Convention, "Resolution on Abortion and Infanticide" (New Orleans, LA, 1982)

“[We]affirm that all human life, both born and pre-born, is sacred, bearing the image of God, and is not subject to personal judgments as to ‘quality of life’ based on such subjective criteria as stage of development, abnormality, intelligence level, degree of dependency, cost of medical treatment, or inconvenience to parents.

. . . we abhor the use of federal, state or local tax money; public, tax-supported medical facilities; or Southern Baptist supported medical facilities for the practice of selfish, medically unnecessary abortions and/or the practice of withholding treatment from unwanted or defective newly born infants.

. . . we support and will work for appropriate legislation and/or constitutional amendment which will prohibit abortions except to save the physical life of the mother, and that we also support and will work for legislation which will prohibit the practice of infanticide.” ("Resolution on Abortion and Infanticide," reaffirmed in 1989, 1991, and 1993 Resolutions)

To see the Southern Baptists Convention's earlier formulations on abortion, see the following:

"Resolution On Abortion" (St. Louis, MI, 1980)

"Resolution On Abortion" (Houston, TX, 1979)

"Resolution On Abortion" (Kansas City, MI, 1977)

"Resolution On Abortion" (Norfolk, VA, 1976)

"Resolution On Abortion And Sanctity Of Human Life" (Dallas, TX, 1974)

"Resolution On Abortion" (St. Louis, MI, 1971)

Contraception

Official Statement: from Southern Baptist Convention, "Resolution On Family Planning" (Los Angeles, CA, 1981). See also "Resolution On Permissiveness And Family Planning" (St. Louis, MI, 1980)

"[W]e oppose the distribution of birth control devices to minors except with parental or guardian consent." ("Resolution On Family Planning")

Healthcare & Medicine

Organ Donation & Transplantation

Official Statement: from Southern Baptist Convention, "Resolution On Human Organ Donations" (San Antonio, TX, 1988)

“[We] . . encourage physicians to request organ donation in appropriate circumstances; and . . .

we encourage voluntarism regarding organ donations in the spirit of stewardship, compassion for the needs of others, and alleviating suffering; and

we recognize the validity of living wills and organ donor cards, along with the right of next of kin to make decisions regarding organ donations; and

Be it finally RESOLVED, That nothing in the resolution be construed to condone euthanasia, infanticide, abortion, or harvesting of fetal tissue for the procurement of organs. ("Resolution on Human Organ Donations")

Privacy of Healthcare Information

Official Statement: from Southern Baptist Convention, "Resolution On Genetic Technology and Cloning" (Dallas, TX, 1997)

“[W]e solicit lawmakers to pass federal legislation protecting genetic privacy and prohibiting the use of information gathered through genetic testing to stigmatize and discriminate against individuals on the basis of their genetic information.” ("Resolution on Genetic Technology and Cloning")

Science & Technology

Biotechnology

Animal-Human Hybrids

Official Statement: from Southern Baptist Convention, "On Human Species-Altering Technologies" (Greensboro, NC, 2006)

“[we] repudiate in strongest possible terms human species-altering technologies; and . . .

we oppose efforts at human-animal hybridization, specifically any attempts to mix human and animal gametes (sperm and egg) or implanting human embryos in animal wombs and vice versa; and . . .

while we support attempts at human somatic cell gene therapy for serious genetic illnesses if proper regard is given to informed consent, safety, efficacy, and the just allocation of available resources, we oppose any biotechnology that results in blurring the human-animal species barrier, such as the implantation of human brain cells into mice; and . . .

while we support the use of simple gene transfer from humans to animals for drug production (e.g., human insulin, human growth hormone, clotting factor VIII) and therapeutic human-animal technologies such as the use of pig heart valves in humans, we oppose any human germline genetic modification that results in the destruction of human embryos or their equivalent (e.g., totipotential cells); and . . .

we cannot endorse any use of human germline modification at this time, no matter how well-intentioned, due to the unpredictability of the process and the possible introduction of irreversible destructive errors into the human gene pool, and . . .

we urge the members of both Houses of the United States Congress to pass as soon as possible a comprehensive ban on all human species-altering technologies, including the creation of animal-human hybrids and human germline genetic modification, given the current state of the unpredictability of the process and the possibility of the introduction of irreversible destructive errors into the human gene pool.” ("On Human Species-Altering Technologies")

Human Cloning

Official Statement: from Southern Baptist Convention, "On Human Cloning" (New Orleans, LA, 2001)

“[we] express our abhorrence at attempts to clone a human being; and . . .

consistent with our positions on both cloning and embryo research, we repudiate both reproductive cloning and research cloning of human embryos; and . . .

we urge Congress to enact a permanent, comprehensive ban on human cloning, making it unlawful to clone a human being, including a human embryo, and attaching severe penalties to attempts to clone human beings, including human embryos; and be it further

RESOLVED, That, with the exception of cloning humans and human embryos, we do not oppose the use of nuclear transfer or other cloning techniques to produce molecules, DNA, cells, tissues, organs, plants, or animals; and . . .

we encourage policymakers around the world to make the cloning of a human being illegal among the entire human family.” ("Resolution on Human Cloning")

Stem Cell Research

Official Statement: from Southern Baptist Convention, "Resolution on Human Embryonic and Stem Cell Research" (Nashville, TN, 2005)

“[W]e . . . strongly support stem cell research that does not require the destruction of human embryos or put them at risk in obtaining human stem cells; and . . .

we deplore embryo-destructive research, since it kills human beings in their earliest stages of development, and . . .

we express our deep disappointment in those members of the United States House of Representatives who voted in favor of embryo-destructive research for their abject failure to protect the lives of these innocent human beings; and . . .

we commend those members of the United States House of Representatives who voted against embryo-destructive research for their courageous stand on behalf of these voiceless human beings; and . . .

we urge the United States Senate to reject any legislation that calls for embryo-destructive research, regardless of the origin of the embryos, beyond the cell lines which are currently approved for federally funded research; and . . .

we commend the president for his commitment to veto any bills that call for federal funding of embryo-destructive research beyond the cell lines he has already approved; and . . .

we encourage Southern Baptists to consider ways they can become involved in life-affirming activities, including adopting embryos being stored at fertility clinics.” ("On Stem Cell Research")

Genetic Ethics

Gender Selection

Official Statement: from Southern Baptist Convention, "Resolution On Genetic Technology And Cloning" (Dallas, TX, 1997)

“[W]e voice our emphatic opposition to the use of prenatal genetic testing for the purpose of abortion decisions.” ("Resolution on Genetic Technology and Cloning")

Genetic Testing

Official Statement: from Southern Baptist Convention, "Resolution On Genetic Technology And Cloning" (Dallas, TX, 1997)

“[W]e voice our emphatic opposition to the use of prenatal genetic testing for the purpose of abortion decisions; and . . .

we solicit lawmakers to pass federal legislation protecting genetic privacy and prohibiting the use of information gathered through genetic testing to stigmatize and discriminate against individuals on the basis of their genetic information.” ("Resolution on Genetic Technology and Cloning")

Patenting of Human Tissue/Gene Patenting

Official Statement: from Southern Baptist Convention, "Resolution On The Patenting Of Animal And Human Genes" (Atlanta, GA, 1995)

“[We] encourage the continued development of genetic technologies which contribute to the treatment and cure of genetic illnesses; and . . .

we encourage a national dialogue about the merits and liabilities of patenting animal and human genes; and . . .

that our national discussion include religious communities and their values, as well as the scientific community with its values; and . . .

we call upon the President, the Congress, the National Institutes of Health, and the United States Patent Office to place an immediate moratorium on the patenting of animal and human tissues and genetic sequences until a full and complete discussion has occurred.” ("Resolution on the Patenting of Animal and Human Genes")

Human Research Ethics

Experimentation on Human Embryos

Official Statement: from Southern Baptist Convention, "Resolution on Human Embryonic and Stem Cell Research" (Nashville, TN, 2005)

“[W]e . . . strongly support stem cell research that does not require the destruction of human embryos or put them at risk in obtaining human stem cells; and . . .

we deplore embryo-destructive research, since it kills human beings in their earliest stages of development, and . . .

we express our deep disappointment in those members of the United States House of Representatives who voted in favor of embryo-destructive research for their abject failure to protect the lives of these innocent human beings; and . . .

we commend those members of the United States House of Representatives who voted against embryo-destructive research for their courageous stand on behalf of these voiceless human beings; and . . .

we urge the United States Senate to reject any legislation that calls for embryo-destructive research, regardless of the origin of the embryos, beyond the cell lines which are currently approved for federally funded research; and . . .

we commend the president for his commitment to veto any bills that call for federal funding of embryo-destructive research beyond the cell lines he has already approved; and . . .

we encourage Southern Baptists to consider ways they can become involved in life-affirming activities, including adopting embryos being stored at fertility clinics.” ("On Stem Cell Research")

Official Statement: from Southern Baptist Convention, "On Human Fetal Tissue Trafficking" (Orlando, FL, 2000)

“[We] reaffirm our abhorrence of elective abortion, our repudiation of research using embryos and fetuses from elective abortions, and our repugnance toward the exploitation of unborn human beings through the sale of their body parts; and…That we call upon our elected officials at every level to enforce existing laws against the sale of human fetal tissues and to take appropriate steps to stop the trafficking of baby body parts; and . . .

we call upon our elected officials at every level to enforce existing laws against the sale of human fetal tissues and to take appropriate steps to stop the trafficking of baby body parts.” ("Resolution on Human Fetal Tissue Trafficking")

Official Statement: from Southern Baptist Convention, "Resolution on Genetic Technology and Cloning" (Dallas, TX, 1997)

“[We] call on Congress to enact federal legislation against providing human embryos for the purpose of experimentation, whether by tax-funded or privately-funded researchers.” ("Resolution on Genetic Technology and Cloning")

Official Statement: from Southern Baptist Convention, "Resolution On The Freedom Of Choice Act, Hyde Amendment" (Houston, TX, 1993)

"[W]e remain morally opposed to the use of electively aborted fetal tissue in all experiments conducted by the federal government and urge President Clinton to reconsider his decision to advance such reprehensible research." ("Resolution On The Freedom Of Choice Act, Hyde Amendment")

Official Statement: from Southern Baptist Convention, "Resolution On Fetal Tissue Experimentation" (Indianapolis, IN, 1992)

"[W]e affirm Southern Baptist opposition to the unethical practice of using fetal tissue from induced abortions in experimental research, whether privately or publicly funded." ("Resolution On Fetal Tissue Experimentation")

End of Life

Artificial Hydration & Nutrition

Official Statement: from Southern Baptist Convention, "Resolution On Euthanasia And Assisted Suicide" (Indianapolis, IN, 1992)

“[W]e oppose efforts to designate food and water as "extraordinary treatment," and urge that nutrition and hydration continue to be viewed as compassionate and ordinary medical care and humane treatment.” ("Resolution on Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide")

Extraordinary Measures

Official Statement: from Southern Baptist Convention, "Resolution On Euthanasia And Assisted Suicide" (Indianapolis, IN, 1992)

“[W]e oppose efforts to designate food and water as "extraordinary treatment," and urge that nutrition and hydration continue to be viewed as compassionate and ordinary medical care and humane treatment.” ("Resolution on Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide")

Physician-Assisted Suicide/Euthanasia

SBC is against physician-assisted suicide, but it encourages palliative care: Official Statement: from Southern Baptist Convention, "Resolution On Euthanasia And Assisted Suicide" (Indianapolis, IN, 1992)

“we . . . affirm the biblical prohibition against the taking of innocent human life by another person, or oneself, through euthanasia or assisted suicide; and . . .

in light of the fact that the end of life may be painful, we urge scientists and physicians to continue their research into more effective pain management; and . . .

we encourage hospitals, nursing care facilities, and hospices to increase their efforts to keep dying persons as comfortable as possible and call on Christians to help provide companionship and appropriate physical and spiritual ministry to persons who are dying; and . . .

we reject as appropriate any action which, of itself or by intention, causes a person's death; and . . .

we call upon federal, state, and local governments to prosecute under the law physicians or others who practice euthanasia or assist patients to commit suicide." ("Resolution on Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide")

Issues of Human Dignity & Discrimination

Disability Ethics

Official Statement: from Southern Baptist Convention, "On Reaffirming The Full Dignity Of Every Human Being" (Dallas, TX, 2018)

"we affirm the full dignity of every human being, whether or not any political, legal, or medical authority considers a human being possessive of “viable” life regardless of cognitive or physical disability, and denounce every act that would wrongly limit the life of any human at any stage or state of life; and . . .

we affirm that the full dignity of every human being can never be removed, diminished, or modified by any human decision or action whatsoever." ("On Reaffirming The Full Dignity Of Every Human Being")