Petition Text: 22343-CS-NonDis-O

Understanding Petition Numbers

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Faithful and conscientious persons hold widely different convictions concerning abortion. Some opponents of abortion have publicly postulated a "justifiable homicide" rationale for killing abortion providers. Escalation of attacks on abortion clinics has resulted in the murder of doctors, clinic office workers, and visitors and constitutes domestic terrorism. Escalation of rhetoric on all sides continues to push people apart and make useful dialogue around common ground issues difficult.

The increase of violence, both in attitude and acts of physical violence, calls all of us to:

1. repent of violence, turn toward attitudes of respect, and seek areas of common ground between those who call themselves pro-life and those who call themselves pro-choice;

2. reject and condemn the use of violence against providers of legal services related to reproductive health;

3. encourage local churches, annual conferences, and General Conference agencies to speak out whenever such violence occurs.

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Petition Text: 22343-CS-NonDis-O
1996 United Methodist General Conference