CFC's Jamie Manson at Abortion Is Essential Rally: "One in four abortion patients in this country is Catholic, and for them, abortion is a blessing."

WASHINGTON, Dec. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Today, Catholics for Choice President Jamie Manson joined the Abortion Is Essential Rally for Our Rights at the Supreme Court. Below are her remarks, as delivered:

"My name is Jamie Manson, and I am a proud queer CATHOLIC woman who supports abortion access – queer rights are repro rights, repro rights are queer rights! As President of Catholics for Choice, I represent the 68% of U.S. Catholics who do not want to see Roe overturned.

"Catholics for Choice is as old as the Roe decision and we have been fighting nearly 50 years for all people to have access to the full range of reproductive healthcare. But it is not enough – and has never been enough – to just defend Roe. We must guarantee that abortion care is safe, equitable, affordable, and available to all.

"Now, you see what's going on here. There is no secular antichoice movement. It is led by fringe zealots who want to make abortion impossible to access. As a Catholic, I am well aware that we are fighting a right-wing religious ideology born of white men desperate to control the bodies of women, trans, nonbinary, and queer people because they are desperate to limit our freedom, equality and power.

"I support abortion access because of my Catholic faith – not in spite of it. My faith teaches that healthcare is a human right — and that includes abortion. My faith teaches the importance of conscience, that every individual has the freedom to make their own moral decisions about their bodies and lives without interference by white supremacist, anti-feminist, Christian nationalist religious forces.

"Protecting the right to an abortion is essential to protecting true religious freedom. No government that believes in the separation of church and state should enshrine one group's religious doctrine into law.

"I support abortion access because as a Catholic I was taught a theology of social justice. The Mississippi law we are fighting today is the antithesis of those social justice values. Abortion bans disproportionately affect people who are already broken and crucified by the sinful structures of systemic racism, gender inequality, economic insecurity, and immigration restrictions.

"In the gospel, Jesus tells us the truth shall set us free. Here is the truth: one in four abortion patients in this country is Catholic, and for them, abortion is a blessing. The majority of people of faith support abortion access. We have the moral high ground here. I call on people of faith not only to pray in silence, but with their actions to courageously speak out about their support for abortion.

"Today, sitting in this court are six – yes, six – Catholic Supreme Court Justices. Yes, six of nine Justices are Catholic. I call on them to honor what is best about the Catholic tradition: protect justice, especially for the most marginalized, uphold human dignity and liberate all people by liberating abortion."

CONTACT: John Becker; [email protected]; 202-203-0931

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Catholics for Choice shapes and advances sexual and reproductive ethics that are based on justice, reflect a commitment to a person's well-being and respect, and affirm the capacity of all people to make moral decisions about their lives.

Media Contact

John Becker, Catholics for Choice, 202-203-0931, [email protected]

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