Since its inception, the Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) has been a voice for Quaker meetings and churches to lobby for the concerns of Friends on Capitol Hill. On abortion and reproductive health care issues, Friends have historically not been in unity, leading FCNL to take no position for or against abortion legislation. However, after the Supreme Court’s ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, overturning Roe v. Wade, the Policy Committee heard concern from Friends around the country about FCNL’s lack of stance on the issue of abortion.
As a result, FCNL’s Policy Committee has invited meetings and Friends to help discern what FCNL should say about reproductive health care in its policy statement. Friends are invited to share the results of their discernment and to offer guidance on what FCNL should say about these issues in its policy statement. FCNL realizes this is a sensitive topic and provides a set of queries to help guide discernment.
Please submit the outcome of your discernment by May 1, 2023, by emailing policycommittee@fcnl.org or by going to visiting the FCNL’s policy committee site. The Policy Committee will review the responses offered by meetings and churches nationwide. It will use these discernments to guide them as they develop a recommendation for the General Committee to consider at its November 2023 meeting.
If you need guidance or more information to pursue your discernment, please get in touch with Genie Stowers (gstowers835@gmail.com, 510- 734-3624) or Ebby Luvaga (luvaga@iastate.edu, 515-451-9177). FCNL will additionally be hosting a Zoom meeting on March 22 for advice on engaging your meeting in discernment.
