As religious leaders, we support universal access to contraception. We believe that all persons should be free to make personal decisions about their reproductive lives, their health and the health of their families that are informed by their culture, faith tradition, religious beliefs, conscience, and community. We affirm, in accordance with each of our faith traditions, that ensuring equal access to contraceptives through insurance coverage is a moral good. Including contraceptives as a covered service does not require anyone to use it; excluding contraceptive coverage for those who choose to plan and space their families with modern methods of birth control will effectively translate into coercive childbearing for many.
We support social justice. We recognize the dignity and worth of each and every member of our communities—including those uniquely vulnerable to the effects of unequal access to healthcare due to race, class, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability or geography.
We support religious freedom. Religious freedom means that each individual has the right to exercise their own beliefs and the right not to have others’ beliefs forced upon them. We believe no employer has the right to deny the women who work for them basic health care. Individuals must have the right to accept or reject the principles of their own faith without legal restrictions.
No single religious voice can speak for all faith traditions on contraception, nor should government take sides on religious differences. We call on our government to respect the beliefs and values of everyone’s faith by safeguarding equal access to contraception for those whose conscience leads them to use it.
Signed:
Rev. Geoffrey A. Black
General Minister and President
United Church of Christ
Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde
Episcopal Diocese of Washington
Rev. Dr. Nick Carter
President
Andover Newton Theological School
Rev. Richard Cizik
President
New Evangelical Partnership for the Common Good
Emily Eastwood
Executive Director
Reconciling Works: Lutherans for Full Participation
Rabbi Marla J. Feldman
Executive Director
Women of Reform Judaism
Jim FitzGerald
Executive Director
Call To Action
Rev. Dr. Yvette A Flunder
Presiding Bishop
The Fellowship of Affirming Ministries
Rev. Dr. C. Welton Gaddy
President
Interfaith Alliance
Sr. Jeannine Gramick
Co-Convenor
National Coalition of American Nuns
Rev. Wes Granberg-Michaelson
Reformed Church in America
Rev. Dr. Larry Greenfield
Chair
Religious Institute
Dr. Sharon Groves PhD
Director
Religion and Faith Program Human Rights Campaign
Rev. Debra W. Haffner
President
Religious Institute
Rabbi Debra Kolodny
Executive Director
Nehirim
The Very Rev. Katherine Hancock Ragsdale
President and Dean
Episcopal Divinity School
Rev. Cedric Harmon
Co-Director
Many Voices
The Rev. Anne S. Howard
Executive Director
The Beatitudes Society
Dr. Mary E. Hunt, Ph.D.
Director
Women’s Alliance for Theology, Ethics and Ritual (WATER)
Rev. Dr. Serene Jones
President
Union Theological Seminary
Pamela Kandt
Co-Convener
Episcopal Women’s Caucus
Nancy K. Kaufman
CEO
National Council of Jewish Women
Rev. Harry Knox
President
Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice
Rabbi Michael Lerner
Chair
Network of Spiritual Progressives
Rev. Barry W. Lynn
Executive Director
Americans United for Separation of Church and State
Alex Patchin McNeill
Executive Director
More Light Presbyterians
Rev. Peter Morales
President
Unitarian Universalist Association
Rev. Timothy Murphy, Ph.D.
Executive Director
Progressive Christians Uniting
The Rev. Jane Emma Newall
Former Chair
PP Clergy Advocacy Board
Jon O’Brien
President
Catholics for Choice
Rev. Terri Pilarski
Co-convener
Episcopal Women’s Caucus
Dr. Alton B. Pollard, III Ph.D.
Dean
Howard University School of Divinity
Chett Pritchett
Executive Director
Methodist Federation for Social Action
Sr. Donna Quinn
Coordinator
National Coalition of American Nuns
Rev. Amanda Adams Riley
Co- Moderator
Presbyterians Affirming Reproductive Options (PCUSA)
Rabbi Dennis S. Ross
Director
Concerned Clergy for Choice
Dr. Pernessa Seele
Founder & CEO
The Balm In Gilead, Inc.
Martha Shiverick
Chair
PPFA Clergy Action Board
Rev. Dr. Alethea Smith-Withers
Chair
Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice
Sally Steenland
Director
Faith and Progressive Policy Initiative Center for American Progress
Javen Swanson
Interim Faith Work Director
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
Rev. Dr. Emilie Townes
Dean
Vanderbilt Divinity School
Rabbi Arthur Waskow Ph.D.
Director
The Shalom Center
Rev. Nancy Wilson
Moderator
Metropolitan Community Churches
Nancy Hunt Wirth
Coordinator
Disciples for Choice
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
Katey Zeh, M.Div
Project Director
Healthy Families, Healthy Planet General Board of Church & Society
The United Methodist Church
Ani Zonneveld
Founder and President
Muslims for Progressive Values
*Organizations for Identification purposes only.