Catholics for Choice Joins ACLU, Partners at the Supreme Court to Defend Medication Abortion Drug Mifepristone
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Tuesday, March 26, 2024
Contact: Ashley Wilson, Strategic Communications Advisor
Phone: 202-294-4081
Email: awilson@catholicsforchoice.org
Catholics for Choice Joins ACLU, Partners at the Supreme Court to Defend Medication Abortion Drug Mifepristone
President Jamie Manson, M.Div.: “The question before the Supreme Court today is not grounded in medicine or science; it is based on a theological question of when life begins… we want doctors, not religious doctrine, to shape our health care.”
WASHINGTON —Catholics for Choice will join reproductive rights and justice partners in front of the Supreme Court during oral arguments for Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v. FDA. The following are remarks from Catholics for Choice President Jamie L. Manson, M.Div., as prepared for delivery:
“My name is Jamie Manson, and I am a proud, queer Catholic woman who supports abortion access. As President of Catholics for Choice, I represent the 92% of Catholics who disagree with the Catholic church on abortion rights.
“That’s right — most Catholics think abortion should be legal — and only 8% of Catholics think abortion should be totally banned. The religious arguments our opposition will make today do not reflect the values of Catholics like me.
“If you are here today, you know how safe mifepristone is. This medication has been proven, over time and decades of research, to be safe and effective. But the question before the Supreme Court today is not grounded in medicine or science; it is based on a theological question of when life begins.
“Different religions have different answers to that question. But the religious beliefs of one particular group should not determine our medical care. The pope should not dictate what medications we are allowed to take in the United States of America.
“It is not an accident that all the Justices who overturned Roe v. Wade were raised Catholic. And it is not a coincidence that they are inside today hearing this case; it is all part of a coordinated, long game to undermine democracy and establish a theocracy.
“It is no secret that The Alliance Defending Freedom — a radically conservative Christian group — and Fifth Circuit Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk are in pursuit of a radically conservative Christian theocracy.
“The Alliance Defending Freedom and their Christian nationalist accomplices will not stop at abortion. They are attacking IVF, LGBTQ rights, gender equality, and racial justice. They are systematically eroding all of our freedoms.
“But there is good news: The majority of people of faith in this nation support abortion rights and IVF. We reject Christian nationalism. We demand the separation of church and state. And we want doctors, not religious doctrine, to shape our health care.
“We are out here, and we are getting loud and proud and saying, ‘Not in the name of our faith will white Christian nationalist forces take away basic human rights!’ Thank you!”
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Catholics for Choice shapes and advances sexual and reproductive ethics that are based on justice, reflect a commitment to a person’s well-being and respect, and affirm the capacity of all people to make moral decisions about their lives.
