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LARA - I've read some answers about the topic of abortion...it is not clear to me, a woman who had an elective abortion after been baptized in the church, and repented from it, may find forgiveness but may not receive exaltation? such as in David's case?
JOEL - You would have to show me the references of those statements for me to comment on them. Here is what I know about the matter.
The Church opposes abortion and counsels its members not to submit to or perform an abortion except in the rare cases where, in the opinion of competent medical counsel, the life or good health of the mother is seriously endangered or where the pregnancy was caused by rape and produces serious emotional trauma in the mother. Even then it should be done only after counseling with the local presiding priesthood authority and after receiving divine confirmation through prayer.
According to the Church Handbook: "As far as has been revealed, a person may repent and be forgiven for the sin of abortion."
Ezra Taft Benson declared the seriousness of this sin:
"Let me warn the sisters in all seriousness that you who submit yourselves to an abortion or to an operation that precludes you from safely having additional healthy children are jeopardizing your exaltation and your future membership in the kingdom of God." (Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson)
"Jeopardizing your exaltation" is a serious thing but is not the same as completely losing your exaltation. Here is a statement made by President David O. McKay and his counselors, Stephen L. Richards and J. Reuben Clark Jr., which continues to represent the attitude and position of the Church:
"As the matter stands today, no definite statement has been made by the Lord one way or another regarding the crime of abortion, so far as is known, he has not listed it alongside the crime of the unpardonable sin and shedding of innocent human blood. That he has not done so would suggest that it is not in that class of crime and therefore that it will be amenable to the laws of repentance and forgiveness."
If something is amenable to the laws of repentance and forgiveness and if God has not listed it among the unpardonable sin and shedding of innocent blood then it can not be the same as in David's case who did cause the shedding of innocent blood and sacrificed his exaltation. We must therefore assume that it would still be possible for someone who has an elective abortion to gain exaltation if they satisfy the full requirements of repentance. But of course God must be the final judge in such matters.
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