Yes, you read correctly; I am now a pro-choice Catholic. I was against abortion for many years, identified as pro-life, and served very briefly outside of work in progressive pro-life circles until I discovered what the traditional, yet too-powerful pro-life movement was and is still doing. I’m sure many will agree with me when I say that the traditional “pro-life” movement in very recent years has turned into a cruel, racist, misogynistic, oppressive movement of political power, not a movement of unconditional love and support of both baby and mother. At this point, I want nothing to do with it, and I doubt I will want nothing to do with it ever again. My professional field is and has been serving people with disabilities in Educational Therapy/Vocational Rehabilitation, and I plan to stick with it long-term. I will now be very careful what I devote my volunteer time to outside of my work. I apologize and repent of the fact that I didn’t see what the traditional pro-life movement was doing long ago.I have now joined the 60% of the Catholic Church who is pro-choice for two reasons. The GOP/parts of the Church have grossly abused their power, and they are criminalizing abortion, something pro-life organizations promised they would never do. There are too many complexities and potential life-threatening issues to expectant mothers which cover a wide range of life and health risks, something parts of the Church and government seem to not give a single care about.
Therefore, I don’t believe the government and/or the Church should ever get between a patient and the doctor for any reason ever again because in my opinion, they lost their right to be involved. Yes, that’s the bottom line. “THE CHURCH AND STATE LOST THEIR RIGHT TO BE INVOLVED.” This overreach involves any doctors in all situations. Neither the Church nor the state can be trusted on matter of reproductive healthcare or any other healthcare ever again. They lost their right to have any involvement the day they overturned Roe v Wade which I never supported because of the endangerment this might impose on expectant mothers and their doctors. Well, it certainly has and at catastrophic levels. Someone else’s pregnancy, medical care, sex life, and personal interior life are none of anyone else’s business. I believe this goes for reproductive healthcare, transgender healthcare, and all healthcare. For the spiritual life, this goes for someone’ prayer life, how someone else sees God, attends Church, etc..For the personal interior life, this goes for who people date, marry, love, etc….I now firmly believe and will advocate for doctors over doctrine because the church and/or the government can never be trusted again with these matters. I am speaking at an interfaith breakout summit in May, and I will gladly speak of these gross overreaches and abuses of power from parts (not all) of the Catholic hierarchy and my own experiences with their overreach.
I know certain (not all) conservatives will question and even try to stop me, but I will not be stopped because this Catholic (me) is sick and tired of parts (not all) of the Church and government abusing its power and using it for political gain. I have personally experienced clergy on a handful of my own occasions try to invade between my family’s medical care and their version of doctrinal application at dangerous levels. I think it is the laity’s job to hold the hierarchy to account when they don’t listen to the laity and when they overreach on every day Catholic and non-Catholic families. I’ve seen Catholic laity hold parts of the hierarchy to account through activism on a number of matters, so I am there to do the same when volunteer time outside of worktime permits.
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