Underlying the debate is the rich heritage of the black church, at once a liberal center of civil rights activism and an institution that preaches religious conservatism.

In discussions with African-American congregants, the abortion debate can often feel like wading through a series of contradictions. Mr. Stancil, for instance, opposes abortions but is also against far-reaching restrictions that would eliminate all access to them. Most black voters support legal access to abortion but are also split on whether abortion is morally acceptable.

The racial intolerance that exists in the country is an intrinsic part of the discussion. “Black Lives Matter,” a motto born of the abuse black people suffer at the hands of police officers, can be heard on both sides of the abortion debate among black people, with one side emphasizing the life of the mother and the other the fetus.

“Those who are most vocal about abortion and abortion laws are my white brothers and sisters, and yet many of them don’t care about the plight of the poor, the plight of the immigrant, the plight of African-Americans,” said the Rev. Dr. Luke Bobo, a minister from Kansas City, Mo., who is vehemently opposed to abortion. “My argument here is, let’s think about the entire life span of the person.”

In Missouri, the Republican-controlled Legislature recently banned abortion at around eight weeks of pregnancy — though that law has yet to go into effect — and state officials have said they will not renew the license of the state’s only abortion provider. Without the renewal, Missouri would become the first state in the country without access to abortion services since 1974, the year after Roe v. Wade made abortion a constitutional right.

A state commission gave the clinic, Reproductive Health Services of Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region, a temporary reprieve last month, allowing the clinic to provide abortions.