April 26, 2022
RE: Assembly Bill – 2223 Reproductive Health
Dear Members of the California State Senate and Assembly,
Freedom of Religion – United Solutions (FOR-US) is a multi-faith coalition comprised of over 50 religious leaders of many faiths, all of whom firmly believe that America’s government should not inject itself into the personal medical decisions of an individual because these decisions are often tied to deeply held religious beliefs.
Every faith leader who has signed on to our coalition, and/or this letter, firmly believes in protecting the religious freedom of bodily autonomy. Many religions may not agree as to when life begins, however ALL religions believe that once a baby has been born it has the right to life. This right to life is further guaranteed by:
Article 6 of the 1959 Declaration of the Rights of the Child:
1. States Parties recognize that every child has the inherent right to life.
2. States Parties shall ensure to the maximum extent possible the survival and development of the child.
Furthermore, in the United States, children obtain their citizenship at birth through the legal principle of jus soli (“right of the soil”)—that is, being born on U.S. soil. As a citizen of the U.S. all individuals, including children, are guaranteed under the Declaration of Independence, “that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
AB-2223, Section 7, 123476. states,
(a) Notwithstanding any other law, a person shall not be subject to civil or criminal liability or penalty, or otherwise deprived of their rights under this article, based on their actions or omissions with respect to their pregnancy or actual, potential, or alleged pregnancy outcome, including miscarriage, stillbirth, or abortion, or perinatal death due to a pregnancy-related cause.
(b) A person who aids or assists a pregnant person in exercising their rights under this article shall not be subject to civil or criminal liability or penalty, or otherwise be deprived of their rights, based solely on their actions to aid or assist a pregnant person in exercising their rights under this article with the pregnant person’s voluntary consent.
AB-2223 also states, “This bill would delete the requirement that a coroner hold inquests for deaths related to or following known or suspected self-induced or criminal abortion, and would delete the requirement that an unattended fetal death be handled as a death without medical attendance. The bill would prohibit using the coroner’s statements on the certificate of fetal death to establish, bring, or support a criminal prosecution or civil cause of damages against any person.”
According to the American Heritage Dictionary, 5th Edition, the definition of perinatal states, "Of, relating to, or being the period around childbirth, especially the five months before and one month after birth." This bill codifies abortion through all nine months of pregnancy and decriminalizes killing newborns weeks after birth. AB-2223 would essentially protect a mother from criminal charges for any “actions or omissions” related to her pregnancy. This includes “miscarriage, stillbirth, or abortion, or perinatal death due to a pregnancy-related cause.” Furthermore, AB-2223 would abolish the requirement that coroners investigate stillbirths, or the death of a child up to one month after birth. Under current law, all fetal deaths at or after 20 weeks, apart from abortions, which are treated as “unattended deaths” in California, and require a coroner’s investigation.
In his testimony against AB-2223 in the Assembly Health Committee, Dr. Vansen Huang, a practicing OBGYN of over thirty years, stated, “A close inspection of this bill DOES allow for the legalizations of killing of innocent newborn children up to the age of 28 days.”
Additionally, Pastor Jack Hibbs of Calvary Chapel Chino Hills, stated in his testimony, “We are talking about, in a sense, legalizing murder because nobody can investigate, no one can determine how this child died. Those that are supporting this bill, they are supporting a bill that legalizes the termination of a born child and a child that is beyond the age of debate, is it life or is it a blob.”
While religions may disagree as to when an embryo obtains a soul, ALL religions agree that once a baby is born, they are with a soul and the killing of an infant, also known as infanticide, is murder.
Christians base their life and faith on God’s Word. God is the creator of all things, and He is the source of all life. Christians view life as holy, pure, and inviolable, and must respect it as they respect God, the giver of life. Life is not ours to take, and God’s Word clearly says, “You shall not murder” Exodus 20:1. Thus, “Terminating” a life is just as much a sin against God, as it is the life of an innocent child. Additionally, the early church openly condemned the practices of infanticide. Christians have always implicitly affirmed the right of even the disabled to live. From the earliest days of the Christian church, Christians collected funds for distribution to protect abandoned infants. This was done through the development of hospitals with designated sections for foundlings and through the later development of orphanages that would house and care for foundlings. The Christian church gained such a reputation for their care of abandoned infants that churches became the established site for abandoning infants.
Further Biblical passages that support the life of a child, both in and out of the womb, are as follows:
So it is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish. Matthew 18:14
As you do not know the way the spirit comes to the bones in the womb of a woman with child, so you do not know the work of God who makes everything. Ecclesiastes 11:5
This day, I call upon the heaven and the earth as witness (that I have warned) you: I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. You shall choose life, so that you and your offspring will live.’ (Deuteronomy. 30:19)
Pastor Rob McCoy, Senior Pastor of God Speak Calvary Chapel and a faith leader with the FOR-US coalition states, “When did women’s health become the death of a newborn? AB-2223, no matter how these legislators spin it, is simply vile and barbaric.”
While Judaism is clear that “the fetus is regarded as one of the limbs of the mother” (Talmud, Gittin 23b and Chullin 58b); it is explicitly criminal to abort a fetus that is not actively threatening the mother’s life (Exodus 21:22, Leviticus 20:2, as well as sources below). More importantly, regarding the proposed bill, once the crown of the head is revealed, the baby is now considered a full human being legally. Any form of killing an infant whose crown has shown, as well as passively allowing the child to die, is considered murder and is a capital crime according to Jewish law (Leviticus 20:1-3; Talmud Hilchot Sanhedrin 15). The Jewish law regarding killing any infant (or fetus whose crown has been exposed) is explicitly clear. “Whomever gives his seed such as Moloch (an ancient cult that sacrificed children) shall surely be put to death.” (Lev. 20:2). Well over a dozen times the injunction against infanticide (as defined as any moment after the crown of the baby has been revealed) is clearly prohibited in the Hebrew Scriptures and explicitly referred to as a capital crime punishable by death. (Lev. 18, 21; Deut. 12, 18; 2 Kings 16, 17, 21; 2 Chronicles 28, 33; Jeremiah 7, 19; Ezekiel 16, 20, 23). While a woman’s rights supersede the rights of the fetus in the early development stages if, and only if, the fetus is endangering the mother’s life, Judaism is explicitly clear that killing or even passively allowing a developed fetus/infant to die, as proposed by this bill, is considered homicide and is a capital crime.
Rabbi Michael Barclay, Spiritual Leader of Temple Ner Simcha and a faith leader with the FOR-US coalition has stated, “To actively cause, or even passively allow a developed fetus or infant to die is considered murder in Judaism. Our governmental leaders must be more conscious of the sanctity of all life, and thoroughly reject AB-2223 or they would, God forbid, each be personally responsible for murdering souls that could have developed into great leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Mother Teresa, and Dr. King.”
The preservation of life is equally important to those of the Muslim religion. The murder or killing of an innocent soul is a major sin in Islam; “And do not kill the soul which Allah has forbidden to be killed except in the course of justice” (6:151). Similarly, having children is considered a blessing from God. Many Prophets in the Quran, such as Zakaria and Abraham, prayed to God to give them righteous children. In particular, the Quran prohibited killing one’s children out of fear of poverty: “Do not kill your children for fear of poverty; we give them sustenance and yourself (too); surely to kill them is a great wrong” (17:31). Additionally, all schools of Muslim law regard abortion as wrong and haram (forbidden), specifically after 120 days in the womb, the point at which Muslims believe a baby is given a soul.
Regarding the Buddhist and Hindu religions, most followers of Buddhism have adopted classical Hindu teachings that the transmigration of consciousness occurs at conception. Hindus believe that it is acceptable to choose the action that will do the least amount of harm to the people involved: the mother, the father, and the child. Hence, Hinduism is generally opposed to abortion unless it is necessary to save the mother's life. Ahimsa (non-violence) teaches that it is wrong not only to kill living beings, but to also to kill embryos, therefore, it is usually best not to have an abortion unless the mother’s life is at risk.
Additionally, religions which believe in reincarnation, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, and Jainism, make a strong argument against abortion and taking the life of a child. They argue that if a fetus is aborted or a child is killed, the soul within it suffers a karmic setback. It is deprived of the opportunities its potential human existence would have given it to earn good karma, and is returned immediately to the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth. Thus, abortion hinders a soul's spiritual progress.
We ask the California State Legislature to recognize that AB-2223 is in direct violation of the Declaration of the Rights of the Child, as well as America’s Declaration of Independence, which holds, “that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” AB-2223 additionally violates the teachings and beliefs of some of the world’s most recognized religions.
FOR-US faith leader, Minister Jennifer Wolff-Gillispie, implores our California legislature to consider that, “While we, as sovereign human beings, have the power to make our own choices, there is undoubtedly a Divine force at work that is the ultimate judge. This force that made life, reminds us to always choose it. A vote for AB-2223 is a vote against the word of G-d.”
Please consider the religious practices and beliefs of ALL faiths when voting on this bill. Thank you for holding true to America’s core values in valuing ALL human rights, including those of an infant.
In faith and freedom,
Freedom of Religion – United Solutions (FOR-US)
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