Orthodox Church in America

Official Denominational Website: https://oca.org/

Beginning of Life

The position of The Orthodox Church in America emphasizes the dignity of all human beings:

Official Statement: from Holy Synod of Bishops, "Synodal Affirmations on Marriage, Family, Sexuality, and the Sanctity of Life," (Miami, FL, 1992)

“As the crown of God’s good creation, redeemed by Christ and sanctified by the Holy Spirit, all men, women and children—young and old, sick and healthy, rich and poor, powerful and weak, educated and uneducated, born and unborn—are eternally precious in God’s sight.” (“Synodal Affirmations on Marriage, Family, Sexuality, and the Sanctity of Life,” "Introduction")

Abortion

Official Statement: from Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America, “The 40th Anniversary of Re v. Wade” (2013)

“The Church has consistently held that children developing in the womb should be afforded every protection given to those outside the womb. There is no moral, religious or scientific rationale which can justify making a distinction between the humanity of the newly-conceived and that of the newly-born.

Abortion on demand not only ends the life of a child, but also injures the mother of that child, often resulting in spiritual, psychological and physical harm. Christians should bring the comfort of the Gospel to women who have had abortions, that our loving God may heal them. The Orthodox Church calls on her children, and indeed all of society, to provide help to pregnant mothers who need assistance brining [sic] their children safely into the world and providing these children loving homes.” (“The 40th Anniversary of Re v. Wade”)

Official Statement: from Holy Synod of Bishops, "Synodal Affirmations on Marriage, Family, Sexuality, and the Sanctity of Life," (Miami, FL, 1992)

“God creates human beings in His own image and likeness, male and female. He declares human life, with all that He makes, to be “very good” (Genesis 1:27-31).” (“Synodal Affirmations on Marriage, Family, Sexuality, and the Sanctity of Life,” "The Mystery of Marriage")

“Abortion is an act of murder for which those involved, voluntarily and involuntarily, will answer to God.

Those finding themselves confronted with tragic circumstances where the lives of mothers and their unborn children are threatened, and where painful decisions of life and death have to be made—such as those involving rape, incest, and sickness—are to be counseled to take responsible action before God, who is both merciful and just, to whom they will give account for their actions.

Women and men, including family members and friends of pregnant women considering abortions, are to be encouraged to resist this evil act, and be assisted in bearing and raising their children in healthy physical and spiritual conditions.

Women who have had recourse to abortion, men who have fathered aborted children, and others involved in cases of abortion, are to be provided with pastoral care which includes recognition of the gravity of the act and assurance of the mercy of God upon those who repent of their sins.

Orthodox Christians are to contribute to legislative processes according to their knowledge, competence, ability and influence so that laws may be enacted and enforced which protect and defend the lives of unborn children while being sensitive to the complexities and tragedies of life in contemporary society.” (“Synodal Affirmations on Marriage, Family, Sexuality, and the Sanctity of Life,” "Abortion")

Official Statement: from "Encyclical Letter of the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Orthodox Church in America on Marriage"

“Abortion is condemned as a form of murder.

The teaching of the Orthodox Church is well expressed by canon 91 of the Sixth Ecumenical Council. Those who give drugs for procuring abortion, and those who receive poisons to kill the fetus, are subjected to the penalty for murder.

The willful aborting of unborn children, as an act of murder, is contrary to the will of God. The unborn child is human life with potential, and not potential human life. The Church recognizes the existence of certain extreme cases in which difficult moral decisions must be made in view of saving human life, and fully sympathizes with those who must make such decisions. Such an extreme circumstance is the definitely diagnosed danger to the life of the mother at childbirth. The mother must decide whether to lay down her own life for that of her unborn child. Whatever the decisions of human legislatures and courts, the Church cannot accept the willful destruction of an unborn child at any stage of its development as anything other than the destruction of life.” (“Encyclical Letter of the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Orthodox Church in America on Marriage,” "Appendix: Abortion")

Contraception

Official Statement: from Holy Synod of Bishops, "Synodal Affirmations on Marriage, Family, Sexuality, and the Sanctity of Life," (Miami, FL, 1992)

“Married couples may express their love in sexual union without always intending the conception of a child, but only those means of controlling conception within marriage are acceptable which do not harm a fetus already conceived.

Married couples may use medical means to enhance conception of their common children, but the use of semen or ova other than that of the married couple who both take responsibility for their offspring is forbidden.” (“Synodal Affirmations on Marriage, Family, Sexuality, and the Sanctity of Life,” "The Procreation of Children")

Official Statement: from "Encyclical Letter of the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Orthodox Church in America on Marriage"

“The greatest miracle and blessing of the divinely sanctified love of marriage is the procreation of children, and to avoid this by the practice of birth control (or, more accurately, the prevention of conception) is against God’s will for marriage.

Orthodox Christians must not allow themselves to be manipulated by the abstract calculations of statisticians regarding such matters as the population explosion and the need for birth control and family planning. The Church is aware of the complexities which can arise in life due to social, medical and economic problems, but she still affirms that statistics do not reflect God’s loving and providential care and inconceivable manner of bringing about the salvation of the world. Preoccupation with statistics can depersonalize us and our co-creativity with God in the begetting of children. The goal of the Christian life is the accomplishment of God’s will, which may involve the begetting of children.

In all the difficult decisions involving the practice of birth control, Orthodox families must live under the guidance of the pastors of the Church and ask daily for the mercy and forgiveness of God.

Orthodox husbands and wives must discuss the prevention of conception in the light of the circumstances of their own personal lives, having in mind always the normal relationship between the divinely sanctified love of marriage and the begetting of children. Conception control of any sort motivated by selfishness or lack of trust in God’s providential care certainly cannot be condoned.“ (Appendix to “Encyclical Letter of the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Orthodox Church in America on Marriage”)

Infertility & Reproduction

Reproductive Technologies

Official Statement: from Holy Synod of Bishops, "Synodal Affirmations on Marriage, Family, Sexuality, and the Sanctity of Life," (Miami, FL, 1992)

"Married couples may use medical means to enhance conception of their common children, but the use of semen or ova other than that of the married couple who both take responsibility for their offspring is forbidden.” (“Synodal Affirmations on Marriage, Family, Sexuality, and the Sanctity of Life,” "The Procreation of Children")

Healthcare & Medicine

Access to Healthcare

Official Statement: from Holy Synod of Bishops, "Synodal Affirmations on Marriage, Family, Sexuality, and the Sanctity of Life," (Miami, FL, 1992)

"Adequate health care is to be made available for all men, women and children regardless of their, race, religion, social status, or financial condition. Great care must be taken so that healing services are not restricted to the affluent or the apparently “deserving.”

Extreme caution is to be exercised in decisions involving medical treatment, especially in the face of death. Extreme care is always in order to find the “royal path” between providing all necessary healing measures and merely prolonging the biological functioning of organs when human life is no longer possible, or even present. (“Synodal Affirmations on Marriage, Family, Sexuality, and the Sanctity of Life,” "Sickness, Suffering, and Death")

Science & Technology

Biotechnology

Human Cloning

The Orthodox Church in America is against the cloning of human embryos:

Official Statement: from The Holy Synod of Bishops, “Cloning of Human Embryos” (2002)

“In this present statement we repeat our firm opposition to creation of cloned embryos, either for reproductive purposes or for so-called therapeutic purposes. Although the latter is usually judged acceptable even where the former is condemned, we urge recognition of a Basic truth: All cloning is reproductive. It always involves creating an embryo, recognized by the Church (and by much of the scientific community) as an individual human being.

we must affirm that—scientifically and biologically—all human cellular life is by definition human life.

Any living organism is characterized by growth and change. Thus it possesses both actual and potential aspects. The fact that much in the life of an embryo is potential does not alter its nature as a human being. Because the DNA or genetic code is fully present from fertilization (or, we must specify today, from the onset of embryonic growth), unique and individually differentiated human life is fully present, even though it has not been expressed as specific organs or capacities, and even though it may twin to produce multiple offspring.

Ours has been called a “culture of death.” The fact that we are now, through in vitro fertilization and cloning, destroying millions of embryos with the aim of producing or improving life suggests that we are living rather in a culture of utilitarian expediency, in which ends justify means.

The two techniques used by ACT to produce cloned embryos—nuclear transfer and parthenogenesis —should be legally banned because they are inherently immoral. We may not use evil means to achieve good ends; therefore we may not kill human embryos, even to make possible life-saving or life-enhancing therapies.

Every effort should be made to perfect the harvesting of stem cells from adult tissue and from the blood of umbilical cords. These cells have proven to be as potentially useful for therapeutic purposes as embryonic cells. Research on such cells should therefore be supported with public (government) funding.

Laws, such as exist in Western European nations, covering the private sector as well as government-funded institutions, should be passed to prohibit all human cloning and embryonic cell research." (“Cloning of Human Embryos”)

Stem Cell Research

Official Statement: from The Holy Synod of Bishops, “Embryonic Stem Cell research in the Perspective of Orthodox Christianity” (2001)

“Human life is sacred from its very beginning, since from conception it is ensouled existence. As such, it is “personal” existence, created in the image of God and endowed with a sanctity that destines it for eternal life.

We cannot, however, condone the manipulation of embryonic cells in any form for research purposes, including lines developed from destroyed embryos. Rather, we can only express dismay at the fact that the debate over this issue has avoided major considerations regarding the very meaning and value of human life.

Research on existing stem cell lines should be prohibited for the simple reason that those embryos should never have been created in the first place. The moral line has been crossed, and Mr. Bush’s proposed limitations do little to prevent an inevitable descent down an increasingly slippery slope.

ever since the Holocaust the principle has been universally accepted by the scientific community that no experimentation should be undertaken on human subjects without the subject’s informed consent. Obviously, such consent cannot be granted by an embryo (nor, by the way, by a two-year old). Neither the mother nor anyone else has “proxy” rights in this regard over the life and well-being of a Child in utero or in vitro.

we firmly reject any and all manipulation of human embryos for research purposes as inherently immoral and a fundamental violation of human life. We call upon the President and the Congress of the United States to restore and maintain a total ban on ESCR. Furthermore, we encourage the scientific community to reject pressures for ESCR exerted by the pro-abortionist lobby, the biotech and pharmaceutical industries, and to devote their energies and resources to discovering, harvesting and utilizing non-embryonic stem cells, including those derived from adults, placentas and umbilical cords.

Above all, we urge our faithful, together with the medical community and political leaders, to return to the spirit of the Hippocratic Oath: primum non nocere, “First of all, do no harm.” Embryonic stem cell research results in unmitigated harm. It should be unequivocally rejected in the interests of preserving both the sacredness and the dignity of the human person.” (“Embryonic Stem Cell research in the Perspective of Orthodox Christianity”)

Official Statement: from The Holy Synod of Bishops, “Cloning of Human Embryos” (2002)

“The two techniques used by ACT to produce cloned embryos—nuclear transfer and parthenogenesis —should be legally banned because they are inherently immoral. We may not use evil means to achieve good ends; therefore we may not kill human embryos, even to make possible life-saving or life-enhancing therapies.

Every effort should be made to perfect the harvesting of stem cells from adult tissue and from the blood of umbilical cords. These cells have proven to be as potentially useful for therapeutic purposes as embryonic cells. Research on such cells should therefore be supported with public (government) funding.” (“Cloning of Human Embryos”)

Emerging Technologies

Ethical Use of Technology

Official Statement: from The Holy Synod of Bishops, “Guidelines for Clergy Use of Online Social Networking" (Syosset, NY, 2011)

"The popularity of social networking and digital communications is growing exponentially. The Church should not shy away from these new forms of media, but should be actively present in them. However, as with all forms of communication and personal interaction, there are healthy, normative ways of using these media and unhealthy, potentially abusive ways as well. These guidelines serve to identify normative behaviors that protect our clergy, our parishioners, and especially our youth. Social networking tools can build and deepen relationships, if used appropriately. These recommendations apply healthy boundaries to digital, online, and social media communications and relationships. It is important to always keep in mind that clergy are often assumed to be authoritative representatives of their church and diocese." (“Guidelines for Clergy Use of Online Social Networking")

Human Research Ethics

Experimentation on Human Embryos

Official Statement: from The Holy Synod of Bishops, “Embryonic Stem Cell research in the Perspective of Orthodox Christianity” (2001)

"ever since the Holocaust the principle has been universally accepted by the scientific community that no experimentation should be undertaken on human subjects without the subject’s informed consent. Obviously, such consent cannot be granted by an embryo (nor, by the way, by a two-year old). Neither the mother nor anyone else has “proxy” rights in this regard over the life and well-being of a Child in utero or in vitro.

we firmly reject any and all manipulation of human embryos for research purposes as inherently immoral and a fundamental violation of human life. (“Embryonic Stem Cell research in the Perspective of Orthodox Christianity”)

End of Life

Extraordinary Measures

Official Statement: from Holy Synod of Bishops, "Synodal Affirmations on Marriage, Family, Sexuality, and the Sanctity of Life," (Miami, FL, 1992)

“Extreme caution is to be exercised in decisions involving medical treatment, especially in the face of death. Extreme care is always in order to find the “royal path” between providing all necessary healing measures and merely prolonging the biological functioning of organs when human life is no longer possible, or even present.

Scientific research and experimentation are to be undertaken with extreme caution in order not to bring greater evils and sufferings to humankind in place of intended blessings. (“Synodal Affirmations on Marriage, Family, Sexuality, and the Sanctity of Life,” "Sickness, Suffering, and Death")

Withholding and Withdrawing Treatment

Official Statement: from Holy Synod of Bishops, "Synodal Affirmations on Marriage, Family, Sexuality, and the Sanctity of Life," (Miami, FL, 1992)

“All efforts to heal physical and spiritual sickness, to alleviate physical and spiritual suffering, and to prevent physical and spiritual death are to be supported and defended.

Adequate health care is to be made available for all men, women and children regardless of their, race, religion, social status, or financial condition. Great care must be taken so that healing services are not restricted to the affluent or the apparently “deserving.”

Extreme caution is to be exercised in decisions involving medical treatment, especially in the face of death. Extreme care is always in order to find the “royal path” between providing all necessary healing measures and merely prolonging the biological functioning of organs when human life is no longer possible, or even present. (“Synodal Affirmations on Marriage, Family, Sexuality, and the Sanctity of Life,” "Sickness, Suffering, and Death")