Religious organization in support of choice...

[bliss_eternal]

...the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice. :thumbsup:

I learned of this organization because of literature they sent me.
I'm guessing my name was flagged as a pro-choicer based on the kinds of (on-line) petitions I sign. Not sure how a "faith based group" got my name. But I'm happy to see a group challenging the religious right.

I held onto their information and thought I'd pass it along here. I recall that some members of our group spoke of facing challenges from other on-line boards, friends and relatives regarding their stance on choice. Some here are slso active pariticipants in churches, spiritual practices and religious faiths.

If nothing else, it may be helpful for those of you that get into debates w/people of faith that feel pro-choice is immoral. (Maybe not, but it's good to have options, right? ;))It's a pretty cool website from what I've seen.

http://www.rcrc.org/


From their FAQ's:

What does being religious and pro-choice mean?

Religious Coalition supporters are pro-choice not in spite of our faith but because of it. We recognize and affirm that all life is sacred and that part of being human is the responsibility to hold all life and creation in sacred trust. Part and parcel of that trust is the call to be responsible moral decision-makers.

To be pro-choice is to respect all points of view and respect individual conscience. To be pro-choice is to trust women and families to make their own decisions. And it means speaking openly in our churches, synagogues, temples and mosques about sexuality, knowing we have the love and support of our faith communities, whatever our circumstances.

As you know, Americans have very strong feelings about abortion. Some believe, on the basis of religious tenets, that the fetus is a person and therefore they are unalterably opposed to abortion. Millions of others-for equally conscientious and religious reasons-believe that human life does not begin at the moment of conception and that abortion is a permissible option. We believe that the decision about terminating a pregnancy is a personal decision, to be determined by an individual in keeping with her convictions and religious beliefs. We believe that no one religious belief about when life begins should be made a law that all Americans must live by. To do so would violate our cherished principle of separation of church and state.
There is a great danger in the attempt of the Christian Coalition and others of the "Religious Right" to outlaw abortion and responsible sexuality education and even family planning. We can't be fooled into thinking this is just about abortion. Outlawing reproductive freedom is only one step to their ultimate goal-a theocracy. They want to enshrine their beliefs in law. They want to do away with rights of conscience. They want us all to believe and act as they do. This is what the Religious Coalition is fighting and why we are an essential voice in America.

taken from:

http://www.rcrc.org/about/faq.cfm

[smokey nj]

1. Thank you so much for the links to this truly righteous organization

I'm an atheist, but I have no problem whatsoever with people who have a healthy relationship with their faith. One think I noticed on their website was the action alert to call Congress and urge them to save the SCHIP program. Funny how we rarely here the Focus on the Fetus crackpots chime in on issues like health insurance for children.

"To be pro-choice is to respect all points of view and respect individual conscience. To be pro-choice is to trust women and families to make their own decisions." This has to be the best and most succint explanation of the pro-choice position I've ever read.

[ismnotwasm]

2. I joined "Faithful America"

One time because it was antiwar, even though I'm agnostic. In this fight for basic human rights, I welcome people of faith.