Religious leaders discuss abortion

The need for sex education and birth control dominated the discussion recently when several local religious leaders gathered at Temple Bat Yahm in Newport Beach to discuss abortion.

More than 100 people gathered Thursday night to listen to the discussion sponsored by Planned Parenthood.

The event, called “God, Women, Faith and Choice,” was led by eight religious leaders — including the Rev. Carol Aguilar of the Zen Center of Orange County in Costa Mesa; the Rev. Sarah Halverson of the Fairview Community Church in Costa Mesa; Rabbi Mark S. Miller of Temple Bat Yahm; and the Rev. Karen Stoyanoff of the Orange Coast Unitarian Universalist Church in Costa Mesa.

The Rev. Carolyn Bohler of Tustin’s Aldersgate United Methodist Church; former chairwoman of the North American Interfaith Network Kay Lindahl; and Rabbi Julie Pelc, from the University of Judaism, rounded out the panel. The Rev. Stanley Smith of the First Christian Church of Orange moderated.

About 20 protesters, many with signs showing pictures of aborted fetuses on them, picketed outside the temple.

The discussion’s goal was to shed light on certain faith communities’ stances on the issue.

“A lot of our supporters and volunteers are people who come from communities of faith, and they struggle with these issues,” Planned Parenthood Orange and San Bernardino counties spokeswoman Stephanie Kight said Friday. “It’s nice to give them venues where they can talk about these issues in a safe environment.”

Halverson said she wanted to speak out as a Christian and as someone who supports abortion rights. She spoke about the importance of education for not only teens, but adults.

“Education is so important…. Somehow we think God isn’t there, it’s a dark place, maybe even dirty … but the reality is that’s not so,” Halverson said. “God is part of all our lives, and when we do have sex education we can prevent teens, youth and perhaps even adults” from having unwanted pregnancies.

Irvine resident Sue Boozier, chairwoman of the Village Church of Irvine’s Fight for Life anti-abortion group, questioned the motives behind the evening’s panel discussion.

“I think they’re hiding behind religion in the name of supporting” abortion, said Boozier who participated in the picketing. “They say they support love, but killing babies is not love.”

Miller and the other panelists disagreed.

“If God agrees and supports everything you believe, then you should look for a different God,” Miller said, talking about protesters questioning the panelists’ faith in God. “I think the people outside should begin that search.”

Miller explained that in the Jewish culture, life does not begin till birth and that the mother’s physical and mental health is “deemed paramount.”

Many of the panelists agreed that religious beliefs should not determine the legality of abortion.

“When the Supreme Court ruled and then reaffirmed that fetal viability began outside the womb … [they] refused to turn theology into law,” Miller said.

Donald Smith of La Mirada and Anne Franczek of Long Beach said that they believe life begins at conception and, therefore, could not agree with the panelists.

“All of us started life as fertilized eggs and continue until natural death,” Smith said after the discussion. “Any place you cut the thread, you’re acting inappropriately; you’re acting evilly.”

Other audience members felt like the discussion answered many questions and was enlightening and educational.

“I think this wonderful panel should be invited to every church, every church,” Newport Beach resident Terri Juskovic said. “You don’t have to agree — we just need to be open for education.”