Founded 1987 Focus Pro-life movement Area served Worldwide | Members 4000+ | |
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The Lifewatch, Taskforce of United Methodists on Abortion and Sexuality (TUMAS) is a pro-life organization within the United Methodist Church, founded in 1987. The organization publishes a quarterly newsletter titled Lifewatch and is a part of the National Pro-Life Religious Council. The organization also frequently holds seminars to address issues regarding the pro-life movement within Methodist Christianity. It is committed to reversing the Roe v. Wade decision "by first providing theological leadership within the church, which will set an example that political, legal and cultural forces will follow."
There was an attempt to withdraw the United Methodist Church membership in the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice at their General Conference, held in May 2012, with a petition that passed through the legislative subcommittee and committee votes, but was not given a floor vote. Rev. Paul T. Stallsworth, president of the Taskforce of United Methodists on Abortion and Sexuality said he "had every reason to believe" that pro-life delegates would have won a floor vote.
The General Conference of the United Methodist Church voted on 19 May 2016 that his two entities who were members of the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice should withdraw immediately, after a motion had been approved with a 425-268 votes difference. At the same General Conference, delegates voted to delete a four-decade-old statement from the Book of Resolutions which affirmed the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision on the legality of abortion. A new resolution was overwhelmingly re-adopted 56-2 (97,3 percent), decrying gender-selective abortion, describing abortion as "violent" and opposing it for "trivial reasons". This was seen as a major win for the pro-life wing of the United Methodist Church.