Ted Wilson Discusses Abortion in Jamaica Press Conference
4 February 2019 | On February 1, Ted Wilson, president of the General Conference of the Adventist Church, took part in a press conference at Sangster International Airport in St. James, Jamaica, shortly after arriving in the country. Wilson, who typically refuses to speak to representatives from media organisations outside the denomination, discussed abortion among other topics.
“Seventh-day Adventists believe in the sanctity of life. We believe that God created human beings on the sixth day of a literal seven-day week and rested on the seventh day. When God created man, and then woman, he created the opportunity of procreation,” said Wilson according to St. Lucia News Online. “The Bible says that He indicated that they are to be fruitful and multiply, so we believe that life itself is a beautiful, sanctified gift from God.”
Wilson said that it is left up to the mother to decide whether to have an abortion if her life is in danger or if rape or incest is involved. He said, “that is left to the individual to decide, at least in some countries.”
Wilson challenged Jamaican lawmakers to “give strong adherence and cognisance to the sanctity of life,” before adding that it is not Adventist custom to interfere in domestic politics.
The General Conference leader is in Jamaica as part of a large Adventist delegation attending the 12th Global Leadership Summit which, this year, is focused on healthy living.
According to the Adventist denomination’s Office of Archives Statistics and Research, there were 304,021 members and 683 churches in Jamaica as of June 30, 2017.
