Choice helps families be healthy, happy

COMPASS Other points of view

By REV. CONNIE JONES

Published: January 21st, 2012 06:45 PM
Last Modified: January 21st, 2012 06:46 PM

Jan. 22 marks the 39th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the historic Supreme Court decision that made abortion care safe and legal in the United States. Since 1973, we have seen an onslaught of tactics to try to overturn this decision -- laws have been passed, protests have been waged (both peaceful and not) and prayers have been said. Since Roe v. Wade made abortion legal, we have also seen a huge and active movement come together to protect reproductive health access. People from all walks of life have joined together in support of women -- of every faith, background and color. In fact, according to the Guttmacher Institute, 72 percent of women who have had an abortion report a religious affiliation; 28 percent of those are Catholic. An unintended pregnancy can happen to anybody, regardless of that person's religious belief, and Americans recognize that keeping reproductive health choices available to women is a matter of justice, of safety, and of the right to determine one's own life.

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Much of the testimony before the Supreme Court in 1972 focused on keeping women safe and alive. The reality before Roe was not one in which women did not have abortions -- the reality was that without safe and legal abortion, a woman was forced to risk her health, safety and the quality of life of her children in order to continue an unwanted pregnancy. This is a difficult decision that is still best left to a woman, her family and her faith.

The loudest anti-abortion groups make it seem as if people of faith are all against access to abortion. In fact, it is because of my faith and religious beliefs that I support women's health advocates like Planned Parenthood that make sure women have access to abortion care. I believe in helping the poor, the abandoned and women who have nowhere else to turn. Unintended and unplanned pregnancies lead to poverty, homelessness and worse. It is a serious moral decision whether or not to have an abortion, and I believe in helping to create a world where no woman must carry an unwanted pregnancy. I believe in helping create a world in which every child is wanted, loved and cared for.

Some things have changed since 1972. There used to be fewer options for family planning methods. Contraceptives weren't as affordable or accessible. Information about sexual health was not readily available and many people didn't know where to find accurate information. And today, despite the continuing struggles for affordable and accessible reproductive health care, it is heartening to realize that we've gained significant ground.

Notably, choice has come to mean something bigger. Generations of young people, thanks to sex education from health centers like Planned Parenthood, know they have the choice whether and when to have a child. Thanks to science, medicine and education, young women and men have more options to keep themselves and their loved ones healthy and safe.

All people should have access to affordable and accessible reproductive health care, without judgment. As people of faith, we must not remain silent when supporting those choices. Just as we have fought for the rights of all people -- from the days of the civil rights movement to today -- we must also support healthy, happy families. That includes supporting a woman's right to choose.

The Rev. Connie Jones is an Episcopal priest in the Diocese of Alaska. She has served on the Municipality of Anchorage's Family Planning Clinic Advisory Committee and on the Anchorage Planned Parenthood Board. At Virginia Theological Seminary, she studied Christian Ethics, which grappled with the ethical and moral decisions facing persons contemplating abortion. Currently she is a volunteer consultant to Planned Parenthood.