Clergy for Reproductive Freedom

Did you know that prior to abortion becoming legal throughout the U.S. in 1973, religious leaders played a crucial role in helping women find safe and professional abortion care? By the late 1960s, the Clergy Consultation Service on Abortion had become an international network of more than 2,000 clergy and was the largest abortion service in the country. We want to honor those who came before us to continue to support and expand access to abortion care.

Who we are?

• We are faith leaders who value all human life.
• We accept that religions differ about when life begins.
• We believe that human life is holy. That is why we believe in your right to choose to be a parent or not.
• We are here to help you make your own decision.

What do we do?

• Offer support to Planned Parenthood patients, staff, and volunteers.
• Protect reproductive rights through public education and advocacy.
• Add pro-choice religious voices to public debate.
• Empower community and youth leadership.
• Expand a growing network of supportive Clergy and Faith Leaders.

Why do we do it?

• We believe everyone has the right to choose whether or not to become a parent.
• Our faith teaches us to stand up for the rights of others.
• We are moved by the suffering of those without choices.

Join Us! Calling On Faith Leaders to Sign Our Support Letter’ 

Clergy for Reproductive Freedom Brochure

A Letter to Patients - Our Thoughts on Abortion

Recommended Resources:

Websites:

Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice (RCRC)
Catholics for Choice (CFC)
www.catholicsforchoice.org

Guttmacher Institute
https://www.guttmacher.org/

Reading:

Sacred Work, by Rev. Thomas Davis
Detailed, well documented history of Clergy involvement in the abortion movement before Planned Parenthood was formed and long before Roe v Wade was passed.

Sacred Choices:  The Right to Contraception and Abortion in Ten World Religions,
by Daniel C. Maguire, Roman Catholic theologian and Professor of Ethics in the Theology Department of Marquette University.

The History of Abortion in the Catholic Church:  The Untold Story, by Jane Hurst. 
Published by Catholics for a Free Choice, 1989.  It presents the fascinating history of Roman Catholic thinking on abortion, with extensive referenced documentation.

PRO:  Reclaiming Abortion Rights, by Katha Pollitt. 
The author reframes abortion as a common part of a woman’s reproductive life, one that should be accepted as a moral right with positive social implications.

Good Catholics:  The Battle over Abortion in the Catholic Church, by Patricia Miller. 
This book traces the emergence of a strong and effective pro-choice movement in American Catholicism from the 1970s to 2012.