Unitarian Universalists Commemorate 34th Anniversary of Roe v. Wade Decision
Unitarian Universalist Congregations Stand for Choice and Reproductive Health
UU congregations were part of efforts in three states to defeat ballot initiatives in the November 2006 elections that would have limited women's reproductive choice. In California, Proposition 85 was a proposed amendment that would have required parental notification for teenagers seeking abortion, and 54 percent voted to protect the health and safety of their teens. In Oregon, voters rejected a parental notification measure, Measure 43, with 55 percent of voters weighing in against the initiative. South Dakota also stood up for choice when it rejected a statewide abortion ban by a margin of 56 percent.
UUs engaged with choice issues on the ballot in a variety of ways: preaching sermons, hosting educational events, distributing literature, working in coalitions, and community organizing. In addition to standing for freedom of choice, they challenged the pro-choice/pro-life frame and looked at the issue in terms of preventing pregnancy, advocating for youth, getting educated, and examining our own consciences. Several are planning Roe v. Wade commemorative events on Jan. 21st.
To share your congregation's stories, please contact the Unitarian Universalist Women's Federation Clara Barton Intern for Women's Issues  .
UU Fellowship of Stanislaus County, Modesto, California
We at UU Fellowship of Stanislaus County  opposed the parental notification proposition in several ways. I spoke out for the right to choice in my sermon on the elections—To Build the Common Good —along with other issues. We had flyers and buttons available and some members were active in distributing materials. We held an issues-coffee session and talked about the various propositions on the ballot. Everyone who attended was opposed to Proposition 85 and many had been active in defeating a similar measure in November 2005 (Proposition 73) which included a parental involvement mandate and other anti-choice provisions.
—Rev.Grace Simons, Minister
UU Church of Berkeley, Kensington, California
I graduated from Starr King School for the Ministry in May and am on my way to being ordained. I currently work as the Chaplain for Planned Parenthood Golden Gate . As part of my position, I did a lot of work with clergy and communities of faith in opposition to Proposition 85. I organized a "No on 85" Clergy Statement , which gathered almost one hundred clergy signatures from throughout the state.
I met with small groups of clergy throughout the Bay Area and talked with them about Prop 85 and its dangers. I met with about thirty clergy from a variety of faith traditions, including several UU ministers. I provided them with sample sermons and newsletter articles on the issue, as well as information (flyers, handouts, talking points) to distribute to their congregations about preventing teen pregnancy and talking with young people about sex.
I also did get out the vote work on Election Day, all in the context of my position as Chaplain for Planned Parenthood Golden Gate. Two prevention documents that I recommend and distribute often: Ten Tips For Parents To Help Their Children Avoid Teen Pregnancy and The Role of Religious Americans in Fostering Adolescent Sexual Health .
—Lisa Sargent , UU Church of Berkeley
Atkinson Memorial Church, Oregon City, Oregon
This past November, Oregon voters defeated a ballot initiative that would have required parental notification for abortion for young women aged fifteen to seventeen. In the days before the election, our minister, Rev. Dana Worsnop, preached on the issue of abortion, saying,
"It is fully possible to be pro-choice and pro-life, especially when being pro-life is concerned with supporting women and families and children by ensuring their health, safety and well being. It is a life-embracing stance to support women's reproductive rights.
"The debate has been framed too narrowly, and those who support reproductive rights are part of the problem. In response to threats to abortion rights, in our desire to keep abortions safe and legal, we have left out a key element of the debate. We want abortion to remain safe and legal, but too often we forget to add that we hope that abortion will also be rare. No one eagerly anticipates a high abortion rate. No one is for women having to make that heart-wrenching decision. Yet when we define the issue as simply a matter of choice, we leave out the context of women's lives in which the decision to have a baby or not is made.
"The polarized pro-life, pro-choice debate pulls us away from the reality that every pregnancy arises in an individual and social context. The polarized debate takes us into the realm of abstractions—on both sides.
"It is a religious task to protect the most vulnerable among us. My opposition to this measure arises from many places, but one is my religious convictions."
Atkinson Memorial Church is located in Oregon City, south of Portland. Our county is considered somewhat conservative and our church is regaining its position as a center for progressive thought and action. We have long provided space for a local chapter of Planned Parenthood to meet.
Last fall, Rev. Worsnop spoke at a rally in Portland commemorating the Roe decision. She shared the podium at First Unitarian Church of Portland with two Oregon state representatives and a former Oregon Supreme Court Justice. On January 21, 2007, Atkinson Memorial Church will host its own event to once again commemorate the Roe decision.
—William Gifford , Chair, Communication Committee
Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Central Oregon, Bend, Oregon
In my work as a parish minister for the UU Fellowship of Central Oregon , our focus was on making sure people were educated about the issues surrounding Measure 43 and knew that their vote was crucial. I preached a sermon on "The Myth of the One Solitary Voice " and talked about how each person's voice does not exist alone, but combines and gains strength from other voices, building collective commitment for or against an issue or cause.
Following our services every Sunday we have a congregational response time. Concern about Measure 43 and opposition to it were expressed by our members. At the same time, as a congregation in the midst of a conservative rural area, we have tried to be a sanctuary for people with a wide spectrum of beliefs and political opinions. And so we took the approach of encouraging people to be engaged and involved and to express their voice without telling them how to vote.
Our Church Administrator Kathy Day writes:
"As a former volunteer for Planned Parenthood, I knew exactly how I felt about this ballot measure. And yet, as the Administrator of our Fellowship, I wanted to make sure that no one felt harassed for holding views different from mine. I gathered input from our church Board and fielded calls from a Planned Parenthood staffer who wanted to come and speak at a service. In collaboration with the Board and the Minister I tried to figure out how to educate our congregation about the issues and make sure that material on both sides of the issue was available to them. To that end one of our board members brought the League of Women Voters' "Voter's Guide." We announced during the service that copies of this Voter's Guide were available and urged congregants to look it over carefully and, most importantly, to vote."
I am also working as a community minister, involved in organizing with our statewide advocacy group for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Oregonians, Basic Rights Oregon (BRO). BRO advocated very strongly against Measure 43, and canvassed door-to-door, urging people to make sure to get their ballots in. BRO is working hard to build coalitions with other organizations and pro-choice groups were very supportive of our efforts in 2005 to pass a state-wide anti-discrimination and civil unions bill (Senate Bill 1000). This 2006 election was our opportunity to show support for the pro-choice campaign against Measure 43.
—Rev. Heather Starr , Minister
First Unitarian Church, Portland, Oregon
The Freedom for Choice Action Network (FFCAN) at First Unitarian Church in Portland was formed in early 2006 by women church members who had been long-time supporters of choice as volunteers with Planned Parenthood and the National Abortion Rights Action League's (NARAL) Pro-Choice Oregon. Recent assaults on reproductive health choices both at home and abroad made it imperative that we stand up to express support for family planning and contraception, including the right to abortion.
In the Fall of 2006 we worked for the defeat of an anti-choice measure on the Oregon ballot, raised awareness about emergency contraception and the vaccine for preventing uterine cancer, joined an email campaign against appointment of a doctor who opposes birth control to head the Department of Health and Human Services' family-planning program, and participated in an international and interfaith initiative to collect signatures calling on the Pope to lift the ban on condoms to stem the spread of HIV/AIDS.
Our Senior Minister Marilyn Sewell has provided us with support and inspiration. She gave a very moving sermon on February 19, 2006 titled, "When a Few Make a Difference ," which lifted up Margaret Sanger as one who had made a difference.
In January 2007 we will be co-sponsoring an event at the church with Pro-Choice Oregon to commemorate the anniversary of Roe v. Wade and celebrate the November election victories The downtown location of the church is ideal for drawing wide community participation, as well as being a cost-effective rental option for the pro-choice organizations in the area.
FFCAN staffs an information table at Sunday morning coffee hours to inform and recruit new members. We currently have sixty people on our email roster who are ready to receive action alerts on reproductive health and choice issues. Frequent announcements in our "Sunday Bulletin" and "The Front Steps," our monthly newsletter, inform our congregation when specific threats to freedom of choice occur, and let everyone know how they can take action in response to those threats. Our members will be attending Legislative Committee hearings and meetings with individual legislators to promote reproductive rights and maintain freedom for choice in Oregon.
—Betsy Riddell , Co-founder, Freedom for Choice Action Network
Additional UUA.org stories on congregations and leaders working for reproductive freedom:
Unitarian Universalists Commemorate 34th Anniversary of Roe v. Wade Decision
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