In a move that’s sure to piss off the religious evangelical right, some ordained ministers are showing support for abortion providers. Clergy from Methodist and Episcopal churches gathered in Cleveland, Ohio to bless an abortion clinic.
“I’m here today standing alongside my fellow clergymen and clergywomen to say thank God for abortion providers,” said Rev. Harry Knox, president and CEO of Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice (RCRC).
God is the ultimate clinic escort. God is with us when we walk into a clinic & remains with us the entire time. #GodBlessTheClinics
— RCRC (@RCRChoice) October 8, 2015
Knox was the founding director of the Human Rights Campaign’s Religion and Faith Program. He was the first program director at Freedom to Marry, and the executive director of Georgia Equality.
The Very Rev. Tracey Lind, dean of Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, blessed the abortion clinic, saying, “Bless this building. May its walls stand strong against the onslaught of shame thrown at it. May it be a beacon of hope for those who need its services.”
The Columbus Dispatch reports that the event outside the Preterm abortion clinic was organized by Rev. Laura Young, a United Methodist minister who is executive director of RCRC’s Ohio chapter. Young identifies as a “progressive theological thinker and a feminist” and said her goals include urging more clergy members to advocate for organizations that provide abortions and contraception.
Young says she believes pro-life protesters in front of Planned Parenthood and other abortion facilities have “misguided faith,” and thinks these clinics should be blessed; she said religious groups are fueling the war on women. “Women are being attacked at a moral level by the radical Religious Right. They’ve hijacked the political discussion. This event is an opportunity for progressive religious leaders to stop the silence. We need to be in the conversation.”
Clergy members held signs that read, “Pro-Faith, Pro-Family, Pro-Choice.”
Chrisse France, executive director of Preterm said, “At a time when abortion care providers are under attack, we are so thankful to be surrounded by the faith community as they share their powerful voices in saying no to the shame and stigma.”
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