The stringent anti-abortion activism of many U.S. Catholic leaders, including the bishops' conference, has ignored the complex lived experience of women, the realities of racial and economic inequities, and the importance of personal discernment in moral decision-making.
This assessment — coupled with a call for "brave spaces" where women can share their stories about pregnancy and parenthood — was articulated by Catholic mothers, scholars and advocates during an unusually frank panel discussion April 18. The online event, titled "Catholic Women: Reclaiming Debates about Abortion and Reproductive Justice," was organized by Faith in Public Life, a progressive interfaith nonprofit based in Washington, D.C. The event came a week after the organization published a letter highlighting similar points.
Mollie Wilson O'Reilly, a mother of four and editor at large for Commonweal magazine, said during the discussion that a miscarriage and subsequent emergency medical procedure helped her realize that as a Catholic "I'd been told a story that wasn't true, that wasn't taking into account the actual real-life experiences of people like myself, and that the story was undervaluing the lives of women."
Jeanné Lewis (Courtesy of Faith in Public Life)
O'Reilly was also among the more than 30 Catholic women scholars, theologians and advocates who signed the recent open letter. It urges elected officials to support robust social policies for families, calls for more thoughtful conversations about abortion, and says it's critical for the church to hear women's voices on reproductive issues in an organization that is led by an all-male clergy.
Nearly 200 individuals have since added their name to the statement.
No comments:
Post a Comment