Resolution to Oppose the HHS Birth Control Mandate

I must give credit to Rev. Gifford Grobien for the majority of the text.  He was working on this resolution for his district and asked my input.  He agrees with all my alterations.   

We both agree that anyone should feel free to use this for their own congregation, circuit, or district:

Resolution to Oppose HHS Mandate on the Provision of Abortifacient Drugs and IUDs

Whereas, the Holy Scriptures testify that the human person is made in the image of God, and thereby prohibits every kind of murder (Genesis 1:26-27; Genesis 9:6; Exodus 20:13; Matthew 5:21-22; James 3:9-10); and

Whereas, according to God’s good order, human life is created and conceived by the union of man and woman (Genesis 1:27-28; Genesis 2:18-24; Genesis 4:1); and

Whereas, science describes the beginning of human life as fertilization, that is, the formation of a human embryo, a unique human being, which exists prior to implantation[1]; and

Whereas, all hormonal and IUD forms of birth control include as part of their published physiological mechanism for preventing pregnancy the potential inhibition of an embryo’s implantation in the uterus, thereby causing the death of the embryo, and the drug Ulipristal (Ella®) also has the potential of destroying an embryo after implantation, thus directly causing an abortion[2]; and

Whereas, the United States Department of Health and Human Services has mandated virtually all health insurance programs, including those serving or managed by the Christian church, to provide sterilization, hormonal birth control drugs and IUDs; and

Whereas, while Christians are called to obey political authorities (Romans 13:1-7), when human authority violates God’s will, Christians are bound to “obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:28-29); and

Whereas, the doctrine of the two kingdoms does not promote quietism, but affirms that civil government is to be concerned with things other than the gospel and should not exercise its authority in the church (CA XXVIII.11-12), and commands the Christian to use political laws and public redress for the benefit of temporal life (Ap XVI); and

Whereas, the aforementioned HHS mandate does not comply even with United States law, which prohibits the Federal government from establishing religion or preventing the free exercise of religion (The Constitution of the United States, Amendment 1); be it therefore

Resolved, that the _______ District of the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod in convention express its opposition to the HHS mandate; and be it further

Resolved, that the President of the _______ District of the LCMS formally petition the Congressional Delegation from _______ to oppose this mandate and to introduce and/or support legislation prohibiting it; and be it further

Resolved, that the laity and church workers of the congregations of the _______ District be encouraged in the opposition of this mandate, also by requesting their congressional representatives and other government office-holders to use all means to oppose and/or overturn this mandate.
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[1] LCMS Sanctity of Human Life Committee, “Response to Resolution 6-10: Guidance on Contraceptive Methods” n.d., http://www.lcms.org/page.aspx?pid=864 (Accessed February 20, 2012), 3; Maureen Condic, “A Biological Definition of the Human Embryo,” chapter 11 in Persons, Moral Worth, and Embryos: A Critical Analysis of Pro-Choice Arguments, ed. Stephan Napier (Springer Science+Business Media, 2011).

[2] 2 LCMS Sanctity of Human Life Committee, “Response to Resolution 6-10”; Walter I. Larimore and Joseph B. Stanford, “Postfertilization Effects of Oral Contraceptives and Their Relationship to Informed Consent” Arch Fam Med 9 (February 2000): 126-133 www.polycarp.org/larimore_stanford.pdf; Donna J. Harrison and James G. Mitroka, “Defining Reality: The Potential Role of Pharmacists in Assessing the Impact of Progesterone Receptor Modulators and Misoprostol in Reproductive Health,” The Annals of Pharmacotherapy 45 (January 2011), http://www.theannals.com/content/45/1/115.full.pdf+html.

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