National Religious Group Votes to Make Reproductive Justice A Priority for Action

[cbayer]

http://www.rhrealitycheck.org/article/2012/06/26/national-religious-group-votes-to-make-reproductive-justice-action-issue

by TrustingWomen
June 26, 2012 - 8:57pm




Here is some religious liberty news that we reproductive justicers can celebrate: on Saturday, hundreds and hundreds of Unitarian Universalist congregational delegates held up their yellow voting cards to support Reproductive Justice as their next congregational action and study issue. Over the next four years, Unitarian Universalist congregations across the country will study, reflect, and act upon issues of reproductive justice.

Reproductive justice is central in my faith-life and was a pivotal reason I decided to become a minister. However, liberal religion has not prioritized reproductive justice, rights, or health for a long time. Though often forgotten, liberal religious congregations (particularly the church ladies organizing within them) were instrumental in the 2nd wave feminist movement’s fight for accessible birth control and abortion. However, the religious left has not been much of a force for reproductive justice in many years — we have put the bulk of our energy into marriage equality for gays and lesbians.

The vote this weekend at the Unitarian Universalist general assembly may signal the beginning of a change for which so many of us have been working. Though Unitarian Universalists represent a small fraction of religious people in this country, we often serve as the harbinger of change for the broader, liberal religious community.

If the vote this weekend was indeed a harbinger of change, what do we want that change to look like? I hold a vision of a reproductive justice movement that is morally and spiritually grounded — indeed, all successful social change movements have been deeply connected to moral and spiritual traditions. What kind of collaborations and relationships could be forged between organizations that are “secular” and those that are “religious?” Heck, could we escape that tired binary of secular vs. religious, could we free ourselves from the “conceits of secularism” that limit our understanding of social change? How can we expand our social imaginary to envision richer and more holistic community relationships?

more at link

[LiberalEsto]

1. K&R from a UU

Unitarian Universalists are still on the cutting edge of change