Family

It was fall 1973 and my wife (Maradee) and I had just moved back to Cache Valley where I was about to start teaching Economics at Utah State University. Maradee was about four months pregnant and we were anticipating adding a second child to our family. The first months had been uneventful, but then things quickly went wrong and she had a miscarriage.

We experienced all the uncertainty, anguish, and guilt that tend to be associated with a young couple having a miscarriage but managed to move forward with our lives. Just over a year later, we were blessed with the birth of our daughter, Lisa. All went well and she is now an amazing wife and mother.

As I looked at my precious infant daughter, I wondered, “Is she the same spirit who didn’t make it the first time or is she a completely different person? And if different, what is the status of the spirit who was programmed for the fetus that miscarried?” At some point, I will know for sure, but not right now.

In contrast, our fourth child, Jenny, had a myriad of special needs. We cared for her for 38 years until she passed away in 2017. Although our experience was much more difficult than the temporary setback of a miscarriage, the ultimate outcome is clear. Jenny never approached the standard for accountability, so her destiny is guaranteed by D&C 137:10, “…. all children who die before the years of accountability are saved in the celestial kingdom of heaven.” On another occasion, I would like to share the pathos and humor of our chaotic 38 years with Jenny.

One purpose of this article is to consider what happens to spirits that don’t properly enter mortality–miscarriages, stillbirths, and, yes, abortions. Do they bypass the normal process of mortality or are they recycled into another body as part of an alternative path for that spirit?” The outcome of those three situations is the same, but the cause of not being born differs dramatically. With miscarriage and stillbirth, the reason is a biological malfunction, but with abortion it is a conscious choice to terminate the pregnancy.

A second purpose is to look more closely at abortion and to consider how abortion can be viewed much differently through the lens of the restored gospel, as compared to other religious perspectives. The goal here is not to debate whether abortion is right or wrong, but to probe what is the eternal consequence.  However, I acknowledge that I support the Church’s position on this issue.

Miscarriage and Stillbirth

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (hereafter, Church) does not record stillbirths or miscarriages on church membership records. The Church’s policy generally involves recording ordinances and milestones such as births, baptisms, confirmations, and other ordinances for individuals who are born alive. Moreover, temple work is not done when there is a miscarriage or stillbirth. That would seem to imply that the process isn’t complete until the spirit has had its opportunity for mortality through birth. However, there is some ambiguity because the Church Handbook also refers to those who die before birth as “children” and specifically states that the lack of requirement for temple ordinances “does not deny the possibility that they may be part of the family in the eternities.” [Handbook, 38.7.3)

The issue of whether or not the spirits associated with a miscarriage or stillbirth get a second chance at mortality can be inferred, but specific doctrinal statements are difficult to find. Under God’s plan, every one of His children will have the opportunity to have the experiences necessary to realize their eternal potential as a child of God. One of these requirements is a physical body. That body might be received as part of another physical birth or during the Millenium when all incomplete matters, such as infirmities, marriage, and bodies will be resolved. No one will be unwillingly left behind.

The scriptures teach that all of God’s spirit children who accepted the great Plan of Salvation will be resurrected. But they can’t be resurrected unless they first have a body. If there is opportunity for exaltation for all of us who have lived and sinned, there must be a path for those who haven’t sinned because they haven’t yet experienced mortality.

This explanation assures equity for all of God’s children, but it doesn’t answer the question of if my daughter Lisa was a spirit who tried to come to us twice or if there was another spirit who unsuccessfully tried to join us. It probably doesn’t have to be the same in every case. At this point, I am satisfied not to know, but just to be Lisa’s father.

Abortion Attitudes and Church Policy

Now to the sensitive topic of abortion.  It’s a political issue as well as being deeply personal. The range of extreme views is so broad as to defy compromise. Extreme pro-choice advocates argue that a woman’s right to choose is inviolate.  Equally extreme pro-life advocates oppose abortion under any circumstance and equate it to murder. Views on abortion differ dramatically.  A 2022 Pew Research Center survey reported the following percents saying “YES” to the statement: Abortions Should Be Illegal in All/Most Cases

Jehovah’s Witness       75%
Church of Jesus Christ of LDS       70%
Evangelical Protestant         63%
Catholic           47%
Islam           37%
Mainline Protestant            35%
“Nones”            23%
Judaism           15%

Church members are not unanimous in their opposition to abortion, but they are more opposed than any other group except Jehovah’s Witnesses. This opposition may reflect support for the Church’s policy with respect to abortion, as stated in the General Handbook of Instructions:

“The Lord commanded, ‘Thou shalt not … kill, nor do anything like unto it’ (D&C 59:6). The Church opposes elective abortion for personal or social convenience. Members must not submit to, perform, arrange for, pay for, consent to, or encourage an abortion. The only possible exceptions are when:

Pregnancy resulted from forcible rape or incest.
A competent physician determines that the life or health of the mother is in serious jeopardy.
A competent physician determines that the fetus has severe defects that will not allow the baby to survive beyond birth.

Even these exceptions do not automatically justify abortion. Abortion is a most serious matter. It should be considered only after the persons responsible have received confirmation through prayer.…..  As far as has been revealed, a person may repent and be forgiven for the sin of abortion.” (Handbook, 38.6.1)

Abortion and the Doctrine of Pre-Mortal Life

Attitudes toward abortion are often based on the person’s belief regarding when life begins. In most other faith traditions, life is viewed as beginning at conception, as shown below.

When Does Life Begin?

Roman Catholic                  Conception

Eastern Orthodox               Conception

Episcopal                              Conception

Evangelical Protestant       Conception

Mainline Protestant            Conception

Jehovah’s Witness              Conception

Judaism                                Birth

Islam                                   Conception/But the soul enters the body at 120 days

LDS                                      Each entity is eternal

Based on the premise of life beginning at conception, an abortion results in an irrevocable termination of existence. If life starts at conception, then when the life is ended by abortion, that potential person will never exist. There are no second chances for that life form. One and done. No mulligans. Thus, an abortion may permanently deprive the world of an Einstein, a Gandi, or an Aaron Judge.

The perspective is much different for those with an understanding of the Plan of Salvation because the concept of pre-mortal life comes into play.  I am once again reminded of the incredible explanatory power associated with this doctrine. It has so many implications.

A critical component of the Plan of Salvation is that each of us is an eternal being—we had no beginning and we will have no end. Mortality is not our starting point, it is just one step along the way to achieving our eternal destiny of becoming like our Heavenly Father. But mortality is an essential part of that journey that can’t be skipped.

Dallin H. Oaks taught that “our attitude toward abortion is not based on revealed knowledge of when mortal life begins for legal purposes. It is fixed by our knowledge that according to an eternal plan, all of the spirit children of God must come to this earth for a glorious purpose, and that individual identity began long before conception and will continue for all the eternities to come.” (1991 Supplement to the 1989 General Handbook of Instructions, p. 1)

What are the implications of abortion when coupled with the doctrine of pre-mortal life? Elder Oaks stated that abortion is a serious sin because “the ultimate act of destruction is to take a human life.” (Ibid.) It puts a person in the position of making a decision about the duration of life, which is clearly God’s prerogative. The immediate plan for a specific spirit to be part of a specific family is at least temporarily thwarted by the termination of a pregnancy by abortion.

But what are the long-term ramifications? If all of God’s spirit children are guaranteed the right to a mortal body, then the consequence must be temporary. That spirit will be embodied at some point. It may be with the same family through a later pregnancy, it may be as part of another family, or it may not happen until the millennium.  We don’t know the details. What we do know is that abortion will not abrogate the right of that spirit to have a body so that she/he can continue the journey to exaltation.

What else can be said? Some argue that mortals have had experiences that shed additional light on the question of uncompleted births.  For example, Sarah Hinze has published several books, including the 2015 The Castaways, that include stories of visitations by yet unborn children. The title refers to those children who were prevented the opportunity for life by abortion. The accounts are a little inconsistent in that some of those children are given another chance to be born, while others languish in heaven and are cared for by others. It’s unclear in the book how this determination is made.

These accounts are touching and there is no reason to doubt the sincerity of those who share their experiences. Hinze asserts that she has collected accounts of hundreds of encounters with pre-birth beings. I have always been skeptical of these claims and also of near-death encounters. But I make no judgement here and I was struck by a statement by her husband in a 2022 documentary movie on the topic, Remembering Heaven. He argues that one such story is an anecdote, but many similar testimonies approach the status of data.  As a social scientist, I can’t summarily dismiss that argument.

Finally

There is much that we don’t know about abortion. What we do know is that it cannot thwart the will of God and the promises made to His children. Note how different this conclusion is than the view from the perspective of other religions that “life begins at conception” and life is one and done.  The doctrine of pre-mortal life sheds light on so much of human existence.

This understanding should not be used to justify “convenience abortions” or to lessen the seriousness of the choice involved. But it does once again show that God will prevail and testifies of the amazing enlightenment we receive through the doctrines of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.