SPECIAL REPORT: Abortion and the Central Coast

“I never thought I would ever have an abortion. It wasn’t something that was going to happen to me,” said Peggy Brown, a Seaside resident.

It was in the late 1970s when then 22-year-old Peggy got pregnant. She did not know where to go, but her boyfriend – now husband – said he would support any decision she made.

They shared the news with his family.

“And so it was like, yeah OK, we’re going to do this. And… in the next few days… maybe a week or so, I started thinking more about… I can’t… I’m not ready to be a mom,” said Peggy.

She was terrified. But Peggy found counsel in her sister, who told her she had options. Peggy made the choice to have an abortion, a decision that rocked her to her core.

“We did it, my sister and I together. If anybody thinks that abortion is easy for anybody, it’s not true. Even when you choose to go through it, it’s painful,” she said.

With states like Georgia and Alabama passing new laws restricting abortion in recent weeks, the topic is once again taking center stage in the national discussion, even locally.

A person’s religious beliefs often plays a vital role on where they stand on abortion. And on that issue, Central Coast churches are divided.

“I think if you take the totality of Scripture, Scripture really has almost nothing to say about abortion,” said Reverend Mark Peake, the senior pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Monterey.

Peake’s denomination, the Presbyterian Church USA, makes it clear: it should be up to the woman to decide how to handle her pregnancy. The church believes its role is to provide counsel, financial support and information about other options if necessary.

“God alone is the Lord of the conscience, that there should be no legal restriction on it, that it’s up to each individual and that individual’s community to find their best path forward,” said Peake.

Reverend Peake’s position, however, sharply differs with more theologically conservative churches.

Pastors Scott Stroud and John Bosic are both pro-life, affiliated with the Lutheran and Baptist faith traditions respectively.

They believe the Bible shows them how God sees an embryo or an individual that is in the womb. One example is found in the Old Testament, in the Book of Genesis.

“Jacob and Esau are wrestling inside of their mother, twins, and He refers to them as two nations are struggling within you,” said Stroud. “And so when God looks at the embryo, He’s not looking so much as what it is in the moment, but as what it will be.”

This and other passages in Scripture lead Bosic and Stroud to regard what is growing inside a woman’s womb as a person from conception. But both ministers believe Christ is faithful and just to forgive people for what they have done.

“We want to extend God’s Grace. Whether you’ve had an abortion or not, God’s Grace still needs to be extended,” said Bosic. “And there is redemption, there is healing.”

Both the pro-choice and pro-life pastors look to Scripture as a source of authority. But they differ on abortion partly because of their views on the nature of Scripture itself, namely its inerrancy, infallibility and inspiration by the Holy Spirit.

And it is a major dividing line between liberal and conservative Protestant theologies today.

“As soon as someone starts saying they have an absolute answer to it, I think we’re losing compassion and we’re not leaving room for the Spirit,” said Peake. “So maybe that’s where I would say the difference is: absolutes versus understanding the nuance of an individual’s situation.”‘

“This world is getting increasingly unstable. God’s Word continues to be true,” said Bosic. “And it’s in that where we can say what’s God’s viewpoint on this, and we can go to God’s Word knowing with great confidence that He is always looking out for our best interest.”

For Peggy, her choice is a reality she lives with every day of her life, something she takes responsibility for. And she wants other women to have the choice she had.

“I don’t bemoan others who… a friend I’m taking care of her baby, she goes I could never have an abortion. But she goes, I don’t blame you,” said Peggy.

And it is there she finds peace.