AN OPEN LETTER FROM NM FAITH LEADERS
We, clergy and religious leaders from across New Mexico, and NM Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice in accordance with our moral convictions and our personal faith, support a woman’s ability to access a full range of reproductive health services, including abortion.
As leaders of various faith communities, we have lived and ministered closely with thousands of women and their families. Many of these women find themselves faced with the decision to have an abortion, and one in three will decide to end a pregnancy at some point in their lives.
Our religious principles are grounded in a love and acceptance of all people, and we believe deeply that means ending the shame and stigma associated with abortion and increasing access for all women to a full range of reproductive healthcare options.
New Mexico has a long history of valuing and protecting the dignity of all women. It is time to end all attempts to interfere in a woman’s deeply private medical decisions about abortion and leave them in the capable hands of a woman, her family, and her doctor, in consultation with her faith.
Signed,
-Jamie L. Manson, M. Div., President of Catholics for Choice -Rev. Gail Lindsey Marriner, Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Santa Fe -Rev. Judith Maynard, Metropolitan Community Church, Albuquerque -Rev. Dr. John Paul McGarey, First Presbyterian Church, Raton -Rev. Liz McMaster, Unitarian Universalist, Retired, Albuquerque -Rev. Linda Mervine, Retired, Disciples of Christ and United Church of Christ, Las Cruces -Rev. Dr. Stephen J. Miller, Retired, Disciples of Christ Pastor, Albuquerque -Rev. Silvia Miller-Mutia, Episcopal Church, Albuquerque -Rev. Rebecca Morgan, United Church of Christ and Namaste House, Farmington -Carol Morrison, Board Chair, Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Silver City -Rev. Janet Norden, United Methodist Church, Albuquerque -Fr. Mike Olsen, Retired, Episcopal Church, Taos -Rev. Richard Parker, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A) -The Rev. Scott D Penrod, Retired, New Mexico United Methodist Clergy, Albuquerque -Marlene Perrotte, Religious Sister of Mercy, Albuquerque -Rev. Amy Pospichal, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Tucumcari -Rev. Roger Scott Powers, Pastor, St. Andrew Presbyterian Church, Albuquerque -Rick Proctor, Board President and the members of the UU Fellowship of Otero County -Rev. Milton Propp, United Methodist Church, Retired, Albuquerque -Rev. Susan Joan Quass, Member at Large, Presbytery of Santa Fe, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Albuquerque -Fr. Francis Quintana, Blessed Oscar Romero Catholic Community, Albuquerque -Rev. William C. Renfro, retired, United Methodist Church, Albuquerque -Rev. Kylie Renner, One Center for Spiritual Living, Albuquerque -Rev. Maxim Rice, United Methodist Church, Retired, Albuquerque -Rev. Breonna T. Roberts, Campus Pastor, Lutheran Campus Ministry at UNM and CNM, Albuquerque -Rev. Catherine Robinson, Member at Large, Presbytery of Santa Fe, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Albuquerque -Rev. Christine Robinson, Retired, First Unitarian Church of Albuquerque -Rev. Warren Robinson, AME Church, Alamogordo -Rev. Pamela Shepherd, Taos United Community Church -Rabbi Dr. Jack Shlachter, Congregation HaMakom, Santa Fe -Rev. Willard Lee Steinsiek, United Methodist Church, Bernalillo -Rev. Virginia Stephenson, Spiritual Community of St. Mary Magdalene, Albuquerque -Rev. Richard Stoops, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Retired, Albuquerque -Rev. Carol Tuck, Retired, United Methodist Church, Las Cruces -Rev. Robert Williams, Presbyterian (U.S.A.), Retired, Roswell -Rev. M. Catherine Volland, Rector, St. Bede’s Episcopal Church, Santa Fe -Rev. Stephanie Urban, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Albuquerque -Rev. Andrew Groves, Center for Spiritual Living, Albuquerque -Rev. Joan Jiko Halifax, Abbot, Upaya Zen Center, Santa Fe -Rev. Trey Hammond, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Albuquerque -Rev. Madeline Hart-Andersen, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Santa Fe -Pastor Joene Herr, Christ Lutheran Church, (ELCA), Santa Fe -Rev. Angela Herrera, Senior Minister, First Unitarian Church, Albuquerque -Rev. William E. Hershey (ELCA-Ret.) -Rev. Harvey Daiho Hilbert Roshi, Abbot Emeritus of the Order of the Clear Zen Mind, retired, Las Cruces -Rev. Deborah Hill, United Church of Christ, Albuquerque -Rev. Diane Hill, Episcopal Church, Gallup, NM -Rev. Karen Hill, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), -Rev. Dr. Nancy Hitt, Unitarian Universalist Westside Congregation, Rio Rancho -Rev. Carolyn E. Hughes, American Baptist Churches, USA, retired, Albuquerque -Rev. Doug Inhofe, Unitarian Universalist, Taos -Rev. LaVonne Johnson, Lutheran Church (ELCA), Corona, NM -Rev. Sue Joiner, United Church of Christ, Albuquerque -The Rev. B. Gail Joralemon, United Church of Christ, Albuquerque -Rev. Xolani Kacela PhD, Minister, UU Church of Las Cruces -Rabbi Larry Karol, Union for Reform Judaism, Las Cruces -Rev. Lorelei Kay, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Gallup -Sara Koplik, Director, Hillel, University of New Mexico -Rev. Kristi Koppel, St. Paul Lutheran Church (ELCA), Albuquerque -Rev. Kristen Kopren, Rector Church of the Holy Cross, Edgewood, NM -Rev. Gary Kowalski, Co-Minister, Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Taos -Rev. Dr. Mary J Kuhns, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A), Santa Fe -Rev. Erica Lea-Simka, Albuquerque -Sylvia Ledesma, Ceremonial Leader, Traditional Healer, Kalpulli Izkalli -Fr. James Lehman, Holy Family American National Catholic Church, Las Cruces -Rabbi Martin Levy, Congregation Beit Tikva, Santa Fe -Rev. Dean Lewis, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Retired, Medanales, NM -Rev. Sharon Littrell-Marsh, Retired, United Church of Christ, Rio Rancho -Rev’d Canon Thomas Lowe, Episcopal Church, Alamogordo -Rev. Terry Lund, Unity, Las Cruces -Rev. Cheri Lyon, El Pueblito United Methodist Church, Taos -Pastor Steve Wiard, Retired, United Methodist Church, Taos -Rev. Dr. Leona Stucky-Abbott, D.Min., AAPC Diplomate, LPCC, Santa Fe -Rev. David Wilson Rogers, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Carlsbad -Rabbi Harry Rosenfeld, Congregation Albert, Albuquerque -Rev. Richard Safford, Retired, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Angel Fire -Rev. Antonio (Tony) Aja, D.Min., Retired, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) -The Rev. Dr. M. Lee Albertson, United Church of Christ, Retired, Albuquerque -Rabbi Neil Amswych, Temple Beth Shalom, Santa Fe -Rev. Nancy J. Anderson, Minister Emerita, Unitarian Universalist Church, Las Cruces -Rev. Dale Arnink, Minister Emeritus, Unitarian Universalist Church, Los Alamos -Rev. Talitha Arnold, Sr. Minister, The United Church of Santa Fe (United Church of Christ) -Rev. Robert Aubrey, Monte Vista Disciples of Christ, Albuquerque -Rev. Kathryn Barlow Westmoreland, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Rio Rancho -Rev. Virginia Bairby, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Taos -Rev. Dr. Holly Beaumont, Disciples of Christ, Santa Fe -Rev. Carl Boaz, Parish Associate, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Albuquerque -Rabbi Deborah Brin, Rabbi Emerita, Congregation Nahalat Shalom, Albuquerque -Rev. Dr. Kelly Jackson Brooks, Central United Methodist Church, Albuquerque -Rev. Carolyn Brown, Unitarian Universalist, Retired, Albuquerque -Rev. Joshin Brian Byrnes, Vice Abbot, Upaya Zen Center, Santa Fe -Rev. Jared Carson, Peace Lutheran Church (ELCA), Las Cruces -Rev. Vangie Chavez, Rising Sun Christian Community, Albuquerque -Rev. Dr. Don Childers, Disciples of Christ, Santa Fe -Rabbi Paul Citrin, Albuquerque -Rev. James M Collie, HR, Presbytery of Santa Fe, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) -Rev. Tyler Connoley, United Church of Christ, Silver City -Rev. Theodore Cooley, Disciples of Christ, Retired, Albuquerque -Rev. Patrick Crocker, Disciples of Christ, Las Cruces -The Rev. Pedro G. Cuevas, Associate Rector, St. Bede’s Episcopal Church, Santa Fe -Rev. John Cullinan, Pastor, Unitarian Church of Los Alamos -Rev. Tiffany Curtis, Pastor, First Christian Church of Santa Fe -Rev. Larry Davis, Trinity Lutheran Church (ELCA), Farmington -Rev. Patricia Davison, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A), Albuquerque -The Rev. Michael Peter Drinkwater, Episcopal Church, Alamogordo -Rev. Harry Eberts, First Presbyterian Church, Santa Fe -Cantor Barbara Finn, Albuquerque -Rabbi Arthur Flicker, Retired, Albuquerque -Minister Kimi Floyd Reisch, Unitarian Universalist of Santa Fe -Rev. Susan Gaffney, United Church of Christ, Albuquerque -Rabbi Shefa Gold, Center for Devotional, Energy and Ecstatic Practice, Jemez -Rev. H. Blaine Wimberly, Zia United Methodist Church, Santa Fe -Todd Wynward, Mennonite Minister, Taos, NM -Rev. Bethany Meier-Evans, United Church of Christ, Las Cruces
Jamie L. Manson, M.Div., President of Catholics for Choice:
“As President of Catholics for Choice, it is my honor to work alongside advocates like New Mexico Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice to ensure that all people, everywhere, can freely determine their sexual and reproductive destinies with dignity, respect, and affirmation. In the aftermath of the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, Catholics for Choice is committed to supporting states like New Mexico, where pro-choice Catholic elected officials like Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham and Senator Ben Ray Luján are working to safeguard abortion access at all levels of government.
We know this: one in four abortion patients in this country identify as Catholic, and 68% of Catholics did not want to see Roe v. Wade overturned. Guided by our faithfully-formed consciences, Catholics for Choice will continue to advocate to restore and expand abortion access for all who need it.”
Please note: The congregations and/or organizations listed are for identification purposes only and were current at the time they signed the letter. These signatures represent the position of the individual clergy and religious leaders who have signed on in support.