The Orthodox Church believes God made man in His image and likeness as either male or female.     

The Orthodox Church believes that marriage is a sacred union between a man and a woman blessed by Almighty God for the salvation of souls and the continuation of the human family. Over the centuries and throughout most cultures and civilizations the family has been proven to be the unifying unit of society. Today we find the family under attack both from within and from without. Outside forces would have us believe that the family as we have come to know and cherish it is no longer necessary. From within, the erosion of spiritual values and emphasis upon materialism and gross sensuality have created for many families confusion and uncertainty where commitment and dedication once reigned. Marriage is holy. The home is sacred. Birth is a miracle. In these we find the very meaning of life itself.

The Orthodox Church does not believe in elective abortion or euthanasia. The Church accompanies its faithful from even before birth, through all the steps of life to death and beyond, with its prayers, rites, sacraments, preaching, teaching, and its love, faith and hope. All of life, and even death itself, are drawn into the realm of the life of the Church. Death is seen as evil in itself, and symbolic of all those forces which oppose God-given life and its fulfillment. Salvation and redemption are normally understood in Eastern Christianity in terms of sharing in Jesus Christ's victory over death, sin, and evil through His crucifixion and His resurrection. The Orthodox Church has a very strong pro-life stand which in part expresses itself in opposition to doctrinaire advocacy of euthanasia and abortion.     

For more information on these and other social moral issues, please see the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America's website page titled: The Stand of the Orthodox Church on Controversial Issues: https://www.goarch.org/-/the-stand-of-the-orthodox-church-on-controversial-issues