Pro-Choice Catholic Testimony

I am an OB-GYN. I am also a Catholic, and I am Chicana. I’m a wife and a mother to three muchachitas. And I’m an abortion physician.

So many people think of these identities as conflicting — but I’ve never seen it that way. Being Catholic and being an abortion physician are not opposed. My Catholic faith guides me to care for my patients, to meet them where they are, and support them in their journey to determine for themselves whether they can handle a pregnancy.

It’s important that people can make this decision freely because we know in the medical field that denying someone access to abortion can lead people to adverse effects on their mental and physical health. If everyone knew what patients go through, abortion wouldn’t even be an issue that people argue about. From a medical perspective and from an ethical Catholic perspective, people need to have access to abortion.

In the United States, according to Guttmacher, 1 in 4 abortion patients identifies as Catholic. To me, that is not surprising. When Catholics come to me to discern whether to have an abortion, I offer support and counseling sessions to explore how their decision aligns with their faith — and most of the time, people feel that it’s very congruent. A lot of patients are already parents, and they’re thinking about which decision will allow them to be the best person that they can be for their families. And if people decide that ending the pregnancy isn’t the right choice for them, I 100% support that. I’m there to accompany them through the process — and that’s completely in line with what my faith means to me.

If our Church is serious about justice and centering marginalized communities, we must talk openly about abortion. The synod’s continued silence on abortion — which touches the lives of so many Catholics and their families — perpetuates stigma that fuels abortion bans that put people’s lives at risk.

There will never be a true listening session within the Church until Catholic leaders can open their ears to those who need abortions. We must listen to the experiences of the many faithful Catholics who’ve had abortions and honor the stories of people like the patients I support every day.