Praying for high court to take right stand on abortion

“Hey, Hey, Ho, Ho — that Texas law has got to go!” was our rallying cry as we gathered in front of the courthouse in Eureka in early October. Banning most abortions in Texas, this law also allows private citizens to persecute anyone having an abortion or assisting someone with this important reproductive right.

There were hundreds of us at the event, coinciding with the National Women’s March across the county. You could see all sorts of signs, from the humorous, “You cut off mine, I’ll cut off yours,” to the simple: “My body, my choice”.

As I held up the “Clergy 4 Choice” banner with members of my faith community, wearing my black clergy collar, one of the lead organizers came up to me and asked me to take the megaphone and say a few words. Although unprepared, I said “sure,” and proceeded to thank the crowd for turning out. I told them that — contrary to public perception — almost all the mainline denominations supported a women’s right to choose as a fundamental human right.

As an ordained Presbyterian minister, I let everyone know that I was a proud member of Clergy4Choice, an interfaith group of Protestant, Catholic and Jewish religious leaders in Humboldt County.

After speaking, I was surprised at how many people came up to me and thanked me for letting them know there was “another side” to the rightwing evangelical position that is against abortion no matter what the circumstance. They were pleased to know that there were religious leaders supporting reproductive rights for women.

In today’s climate, where there is a legitimate threat to overturning Roe v. Wade — we were there to affirm the current law of the land allowing a woman to decide for herself what happens to her body. The alternative would find ourselves back in a dark time of alley abortions and the deaths of thousands of women, not to mention the health care risks they would face by making this procedure illegal.

During our demonstration, I thought back to when I was the director of alternatives to prison for women with young children in the San Francisco Bay Area. These women were all nonviolent offenders who were convicted felons and had children under the age of 6.

These programs were designed to help women get an education, jobs, and substance abuse treatment all to enable them to retain custody of their children. Most of the women in these programs were successful in their reunification efforts for their children, but some should have had access to safe, legal abortion and did not.

Like Susan. Susan had just had her 13th child — the previous 12 had been taken away from her because they were either drug-addicted or she couldn’t afford to take care of them.

Physically and sexually abused as a child herself, Susan had no concept of motherhood, and told me she had no access to birth control or abortion services. Her poor daughter ended up being a ward of the state because Susan couldn’t stay clean and sober, and I had to send her back to prison. As there were no programs at the time to assist this child with her physical and mental health needs, she was institutionalized, perpetuating a vicious cycle.

Susan’s story is just one example of my 15 years of experience dealing with women coming out of prison who have little to no support when in comes to assisting them with the needs of their young children.

At the same time, many politicians and other so-called “Christians” were screaming anti-abortion rhetoric, programs to support children after they are born were almost nonexistent. Black women, Indigenous women, and working-class women of color are most negatively impacted by the draconian bans on abortion being introduced in states throughout the country.

“Hey, hey; ho, ho — these dreadful bans have got to go!” Please join me, along with others who support Planned Parenthood and reproductive freedom for women, in demanding that women have the right to determine when and if to become a parent.

I pray that the Supreme Court does the right thing when it hears arguments of whether to effectively uphold Roe v. Wade, the current law of the land. Life is complex, and while there are various opinions on when life begins, we all know that it is sacred.

As people of faith, we must be concerned with the quality of that life for the entire community and respect everyone’s right to choose.