You may have heard about a United Methodist leader mocking participants in the recent March for Life. Bill Mefford, who is the Director of Civil and Human Rights at the General Board of Church and Society, tweeted a picture of himself in front of marchers holding a sign that read, “I march for sandwiches.” An article at First Things picked up the story and got a fair bit of circulation on social media, and the picture showed up on a variety of other websites that were highly critical of Mefford’s unwise photo. A friend and fellow clergy person suggested that I write a piece for the United Methodist Reporter in response, which I did. I’m grateful to the UMR team for publishing the article. You can read the whole thing at their site. Here’s an excerpt:
Given the negative attitude of Mefford and the GBCS toward the lives of the preborn, many might be surprised to learn the United Methodist Social Principles affirm, “Our belief in the sanctity of unborn human life” (2012 Book of Discipline, 161J). And while our Social Principles could certainly take a stronger stand for justice for preborn girls and boys, our Church is committed to reducing the number of abortions and opposes late term abortions. We also oppose the use of abortion as a means of birth control, which is by far the most common reason given by women for choosing abortion according to a Guttmacher Institute poll. According to the Book of Discipline, the GBCS is responsible for implementing the Church’s Social Principles, but there is no evidence whatsoever that it has worked to advance the United Methodist belief in the sanctity of unborn human life. In fact, Mefford’s mockery of pro-life marchers is symptomatic of the larger GBCS opposition to preborn human life. United Methodists deserve more.