Roe v. Wade New Conference
Hartford, CT
Legislative Office Building
January 23, 21012
Maria LaSala, RCRC of CT
I am honored to be here today … with this courageous group of pro-choice advocates on this the 39th Anniversary of the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision, granting women the right to safe and legal abortion. My name is Maria LaSala and I represent the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice of Connecticut, a group of clergy and lay leaders of all religious traditions who value life and who value and trust women.
At the heart of reproductive justice is the deeply held belief that we should trust women unconditionally with the sacred power of creating, deciding, and nurturing human life. Our freedom of choice is under threat by many forces these days, and it is good to be reminded that all of us who care for women need to understand that abortion is a part of women’s lives. To pretend ignorance or to deny information is to diminish the very people we have been asked to care for and about. As you also know, despite the dedicated work of organizations that connect sexual and reproductive rights and justice with morality, conscience, and faith, we are outspent, and sometimes it feels like we are out-organized, but we are winning.
The religious voices that are prominent in the news today reflect the views of only some of the religious people in this country and by no means all. From defeating the personhood bill in Mississippi, to President Obama’s announcement of support for contraception access, we are seeing how we are the main stream and we are the truly moral majority.
I want to thank all of you who stand here today for your courage, your care, and your commitment to continue on in the face of ongoing attacks.
During 25 years as a pastor I’ve listened to women’s stories … of love and joy, of hope and disappointment, of mistakes and regrets, and of good decisions made in the face of hard times.
The women I have sat with and cried with upon learning of an unplanned pregnancy are not irresponsible. They are bright, loving women … who recognize that the decision they face is never an easy one to make.
The continuing political campaign against women – too often in the name of religion - is unacceptable and shows none of the signs of the compassion taught by most major religious traditions today. It is time for this trend to be reversed and women’s rights to be respected. I believe strongly that a pro-choice theology is a pro-life theology. It’s troubling to hear that states support abstinence only education, knowing full well that such education is not working. And then they work doubly hard to restrict access to birth control, especially emergency contraception, and limit access to abortion. What must legislators be thinking when they sign on to these short sighted decisions? Reproductive justice will produce far more favorable health outcomes for women and their children. This is how we create a real and legitimate culture of life.
Political and religious leaders who seek to create a world in which all can flourish must be workers for reproductive justice.
When women are denied the power to determine their own reproductive futures, they are denied the chance to live fully into the women God has created them to be. A society is strong only when its women are able to have choices and make decisions about their reproductive health. We know this to be true. So let us carry on, strengthened by the knowledge that we do not work alone.
The work of reproductive justice and of advocating for choice is moral work, is holy work, and is blessed by the God who created us. Thank you for being here today!
Roe v. Wade New Conference
Hartford, CT
Legislative Office Building
January 23, 21012
Maria LaSala, RCRC of CT
