Top Ten: Catholics for Choice in 2024
Between uplifting Catholic abortion stories at the Vatican to securing abortion-rights wins in seven states across the U.S., there is no shortage of efforts we as a community should be proud of! Although it was hard to narrow down, here are our top 10 moments from 2024:
At the final session of the Synod on Synodality, Catholics for Choice unrolled our quilt that wove together dozens of abortion stories in front of the Vatican with a simple message: Pope Francis, listen. Listen to Catholics with abortion stories. Listen to those who have used contraception or IVF. Listen to the faithful pro-choice majority crying out to be welcomed in the church.
Read our book of abortion stories
When the so-called March for “Life” arrived in D.C., we countered their misinformation with posters along the marching route proclaiming the truth: Faithful Catholics support abortion access (including 70% of young people!) and are having abortions; it’s okay to be conflicted about abortion; and most people who claim to be “pro-life” are really just pro-birth.
While many of our posters were torn down by this group, it doesn’t change the truth: Faithful Catholics have abortions. Our stories are powerful and will not be silenced.
Speaker Emerita Pelosi, one of the most impactful pro-choice Catholic voices of our time, was presented with the first-ever Frances Kissling Award for Living the Values of Catholic Social Justice & Reproductive Justice. This award celebrates former CFC President Frances Kissling, and embodies her dedication to reproductive freedom, unapologetic outspokenness, and firmness in faith.
“For fifty years, Catholics for Choice has been stalwart champions of the right to choose – and the right of every woman everywhere to decide the size and timing of her family,” Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi
Speaker Emerita also joined us for an exclusive interview in Conscience magazine, where she detailed her upbringing an a Catholic family, reacting in real-time to the Pope Paul VI’s ruling on the birth control pill, and the importance of her faith throughout her life and career.
Read a preview of the interview here
“Nearly 50 years ago, Pope John Paul II called on us to ‘Be not afraid.’ Catholics for Choice took him at his word. To be a pro-choice Catholic is in the best tradition of freedom of conscience and promotion of the preferential option for the poor. Women have counted on CFC to stand with them for the past 50 years, and I am proud to be part of its history, integrity, and future” – Frances Kissling, former President of Catholics for Choice
We launched a one-of-a-kind voter toolkit for faithful, pro-choice advocates to embolden them in voting their conscience. Providing information about state ballot initiatives, faith-based reflection questions, and federal opportunities to support reproductive freedom, this toolkit supported pro-choice Catholics across the country. The toolkit was downloaded by 856 pro-choice Catholics!
With your support, we mobilized pro-choice Catholics to turn out as a part of the 57% of Floridians who support abortion rights. Tens of thousands of Catholics heard our radio message, received calls and texts to get out the vote, and connected face-to-face with Nicole, our Florida Organizer, at organizing events. We also placed digital advertisements in front of 145,000 voters across the U.S. on social media and news outlets — uplifting our pro-choice voter toolkit and calling out anti-choice bishop spending in a petition signed by 1,456 of you!
Catholics for Choice was featured in the powerful documentary Preconceived, a raw and insightful look into the rise of enigmatic crisis pregnancy centers, also known as fake clinics, in America. This documentary sheds light on how these centers are part of a movement striving to make abortion unthinkable and illegal, exploring the complex roles of deception, finances, faith, and privacy.
We launched the abortion storytelling center to embolden Catholics with abortion stories to share their experiences with us. Your stories painted a beautiful picture that faithful Catholics have abortions and helped many Catholics feel comfort knowing they are not alone.
In 2024, we put together 36 packages for abortion clinics in 20 states. These packages carried more than 10,000 of our prayer cards and the publication ‘You Are Not Alone’ in English and Spanish. With 1 in 4 abortion patients being Catholic, we know these reading materials helped the people who needed to know there is a loving community of pro-choice Catholics supporting them in this decision.
CFC invited our supporters to partake in our Lent campaign, 40 Days of Accompaniment. All who joined us in this endeavor helped take a huge step forward in reducing the stigma around being a pro-choice Catholic while also reminding those around us that we are not alone in our beliefs.
We could not have done this work without your support, and I hope as we go into 2025 that we can continue to count on your powerful efforts.
