On Nuclear Weapons

On March 8th, Trenton Meeting approved a Minute reaffirming a long standing leading among Quakers that Nuclear Weapons should be abolished. The minute reads:

Minute on Nuclear Weapons

Approved at Trenton Monthly Meeting for Business, 3-8-2026

Nuclear weapons are dangerous, unnecessary and expensive.  They must be eliminated from our precious planet.  

There have been instances in which nuclear weapons could have been launched by accident. For example, a flock of birds has been mistaken for an incoming missile. . 

Nuclear weapons are not foremost in the news currently, but in the world they sit silently in their silos and with a signal from a world leader could unleash unimaginable devastation.  The last remaining nuclear reduction treaty, the New START treaty, just expired February 5 of this year 2026.  President Trump had previously supported a proposal by President Putin to extend New START for a year but then changed his mind, saying  “If it expires, it expires.”

The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons prohibits nuclear weapons, including development, testing, possession and threatening their use.  This treaty took effect January 22, 2021 with over 120 nations signing it.  The United States of America did not sign it.  

Our country has an obligation to lead the way towards eliminating nuclear weapons.  We have the largest stockpile of these lethal weapons and have been the only country to use them.  Other countries are considering getting nuclear weapons, increasing the risk that regional conflicts could escalate into a nuclear war.  Countries that possess nuclear weapons are investing hundreds of billions of dollars in increasing the size of their arsenals.  This money could be better spent on pressing human needs.