Access to Abortion Care is Essential for Religious Freedom, Says National Interfaith Organization

Access to Abortion Care Is Essential for Religious Freedom, says National Interfaith Organization

WASHINGTON, DC - Ahead of this week’s Supreme Court hearing on Mifepristone and abortion care access, people of diverse faith and beliefs nationwide are speaking out in support of reproductive rights for all. Interfaith Alliance, a national organization that advocates for inclusive democracy and healthy boundaries between religion and government, made clear that protecting Americans’ access to safe and effective reproductive care is essential for upholding religious freedom and civil rights.

In a statement, the Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush, President & CEO of Interfaith Alliance, said:

“As we witnessed in the fallout with the overturning of Roe v. Wade, the outcome of this case will have major implications for religious freedom and civil rights in our country. Attempting to deny access to Mifepristone is one major component of the Christian nationalist effort to impose a nationwide abortion ban. Denying reproductive care is an affront to the constitutional guarantee that people of all faiths and beliefs should be free to make personal decisions about their own lives, led by their own values.

“While extremists continue to interject their extreme agenda into personal, medical situations, women across the country are facing dire consequences and criminal charges simply for making life decisions based on their own moral and religious values. Safeguarding access to safe and legal abortion methods is not only important for justice in health care but also for ensuring that no one religious group is allowed to impose their viewpoint on all Americans.

“Interfaith Alliance was proud to sign onto two amicus briefs in the Alliance for the Hippocratic Medicine et al. v. U.S. Food and Drug Administration case, demonstrating the resounding support from a vast coalition of people of diverse faith and beliefs for the safeguarding of reproductive rights. We refuse to let an extreme minority control the fate of the majority, and we will not stay silent with so much in the balance.”

Interfaith Alliance works nationwide to uphold reproductive health access and justice for all through advocacy in federal and state legislatures, and the courts. The organization has championed multiple federal bills, including the Women’s Health Protection Act (WHPA), which would create a federal right to abortion.