On behalf of the General Committee, the Policy Committee is seeking the help of Friends in discerning what FCNL should say about reproductive health care in its policy statement.
FCNL’s Policy Statement, The World We Seek, serves as our foundational document, outlining FCNL’s broad policy positions.
Section III.2.7 of The World We Seek states that since Friends are not in unity on abortion issues, “FCNL takes no position and does not act either for or against abortion legislation.”
After the Supreme Court’s ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, overturning Roe v. Wade, the Policy Committee of FCNL’s General Committee heard concern from Friends around the country about FCNL’s lack of position on the issue of abortion.
Seeking the help of Friends in discerning what FCNL should say about reproductive health care in its policy statement.
From its inception, the Friends Committee on National Legislation has relied on meetings and churches to ground our work in the concerns of Friends. We invite you to engage your meeting or church in worship and discernment about this issue. Your discernment will guide the Policy Committee as they develop a recommendation for the General Committee to consider at its November 2023 meeting.
Your responses are requested by May 1, 2023. Your group can submit them electronically (preferred) at fcnl.org/policycommittee or by emailing policycommittee@fcnl.org. Postal submissions can be sent to Amelia Kegan, 245 2nd St NE, Washington, DC 20002.
Please note that during its discernment, the Policy Committee will give greater weight to group responses over individual responses.
Queries for Discernment on FCNL’s Policy on Reproductive Health Care
“Friends seek to establish a way of being in the world that grows out of and embodies prayer, worshipful listening for the whisper of divine guidance, and seasoning in the community of faith.”
FCNL’s Policy Statement, The World We Seek, serves as our foundational document, outlining FCNL’s broad policy positions.
The statement currently reads:
III.2.6: Health Care. Universal access to affordable, effective, comprehensive health care is a right and is necessary to allow all people to fulfill their potential. Comprehensive health care includes primary, acute, and long-term care, including prescription drugs, as well as mental health and substance abuse treatment. To ensure access, health services should be provided where an individual’s needs can best be met. Our country can only maintain and improve the physical and mental health of its population with affordable health care that covers the entire life span, from prenatal to end-of-life care. Public health services, which protect us all, require robust federal support.
III.2.7. NOTE: Members of the Society of Friends are not in unity on abortion issues. Therefore, FCNL takes no position and does not act either for or against abortion legislation. On occasion, FCNL may appeal to lawmakers not to use the abortion debate to paralyze action on other legislation.”
FCNL’s Policy Committee invites your Quaker discernment group to focus on the issue of reproductive health care, including abortion, and advise us on whether FCNL should revise our policy statement.
Queries and structure to support discernment:
- What does reproductive health care look like in the world that you and your community seek?
- How are the Quaker values and testimonies relevant to the issue of abortion?
- Should the FCNL Policy Statement be revised on the issues of abortion and reproductive health and abortion?
- If so, what should the Policy Statement say?
Frequently Asked Questions
Guidelines for Group Discernment
Whether you are gathering in person, online, or in a hybrid format, we hope that your discernment will be spiritually grounded and a result of group conversations. These discussions may take many forms, including discernment by a committee, an informal group, or a First Day discussion topic. Some meetings or churches may adopt a minute expressing the sense of their group, although this is not a requirement.
You may want to prepare for discernment by reading the pamphlet, A Guide to Dialogue About Abortion. Tools such as this can help your conversation honor the complexity and urgency surrounding this topic.
To allow for the inclusion of a diversity of voices, we hope you will include people of different ages, backgrounds, and lived experiences in your discernment. Please identify at least one person who will submit your group’s responses.
How Might this Dialogue be Structured?
After an opening period of waiting worship, the gathering might begin with a brief description of the discernment process and the purpose of gathering. Participants may share their concerns about reproductive health care based on the queries provided to support their discernment process.
How to Submit your Group’s Responses
Please respond by May 1, 2023. Your group can submit electronically (preferred) at fcnl.org/policycommittee or by emailing policycommittee@fcnl.org.
Postal submissions can be sent to Amelia Kegan, 245 2nd St NE, Washington, DC 20002.
What information should you record?
Please include the following information as part of your submission:
- Who is responding? (Group (preferred) or individual. Note your Yearly Meeting.)
- Who participated? (The number in the group and approximate ages.)
- What kind of gathering? (Committee meeting, informal gathering, meeting for business, etc.)
- Who is the group’s contact person?
- Responses to the queries.
- Any additional comments on the process your group would like to share?
What happens to the responses after FCNL receives the submissions?
The FCNL Policy Committee, a working group of the General Committee, will read all the responses and meet to consider what meetings, churches, groups, and individuals are telling FCNL regarding reproductive health care. They will share their summary with FCNL staff and the FCNL Executive Committee, then hold listening sessions with the General Committee in the summer of 2023.
The Policy Committee will bring its recommendation to the FCNL General Committee during its Annual Meeting in November 2023.
Throughout the process, the discernment by Friends across the country remains at the center of the committee’s consideration.
Where can I find more information?
You can find the contents of the Feb. 2023 mailing here. If you have additional questions, contact Policy Committee members at policycommittee@fcnl.org.
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