Catholics have abortions at the same rate as others in the U.S. 58% of Catholics believe abortion should be legal in all or most cases, while 68% of Catholics in the U.S. do not want to see Roe v. Wade overturned. Jamie Manson, President of Catholics for Choice, talks to us about all of the ways that Catholicism deeply impacts the human rights of many in the United States.

“Theology of the body,” a theological idea developed by Pope John Paul II, teaches that God made men and women in a specific way with specific anatomy to signal what God’s purpose for humanity, nature, and gender roles are for us. This deeply entrenched theological idea is taught widely at Catholic schools and universities around the U.S. It is this fundamental idea that underlines why the church opposes abortion, contraception, same-sex relationships and marriage, and women serving as faith leaders. 

While it often largely seems as if the Catholic church is mostly focused on curtailing access to abortion, that isn’t the only sexual and reproductive health issue that is impacted by the political power of the church; the Catholic church has been a leading actor in opposing birth control access, LGB issues, trans issues, refusing basic healthcare in clinical settings, and more. It is often the Catholic church that is behind cases in the Supreme Court. Still, the teachings and beliefs of the Catholic church hierarchy do not necessarily inherently reflect that living reality of Catholic practitioners. 

There has been a large broadening of how religious liberty is interpreted—Our Lady of Guadalupe School v. Morrisey-Berru and Fulton v. Philadelphia are examples of court cases in which the Catholic church have expanded definitions of religious liberty in order to discriminate and refuse protections. These religious liberty extensions will be troubling not only for reproductive health and rights, but for a range of human rights issues.  

President Joe Biden is America’s very first pro-choice, practicing Catholic president. This is an opportunity for a person of faith to promote and protect reproductive health and rights. President Biden’s Catholic faith informs much of the administration’s policy, and Catholics for Choice calls on President Biden to state that abortion access is also a value grounded in Catholic social justice. 

For more information check outThe Nocturnists: https://thenocturnists.org/

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