Planned Parenthood — the largest abortion provider in the U.S. — announced Wednesday it has added a group of faith leaders to its advisory board.
Alexis McGill Johnson, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, told the Religion News Service that access to abortion “is supported by people of all faiths” and the business’ new Clergy Advocacy Board “is a crucial part of our mission at Planned Parenthood to promote, protect, and expand access to health care for all.”
Among those added to the board is the Rev. Katey Zeh of North Carolina, who said she has a “call to ministry within Planned Parenthood” and felt it “was a no-brainer” to join the board.
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She was an “abortion doula” at a Planned Parenthood clinic while she was in seminary.
“There are so few of us who are people of faith who are willing to be bold and audacious about supporting reproductive freedom because of our faith,” Zeh told the outlet.
Her position on the Planned Parenthood board was celebrated by the Reproductive Rights Coalition, which said, “We need more proudly pro-choice pastors!”
Zeh said she’s “honored” to be part of the Clergy Advocacy Board.
Another member of the board, the Rev. Elise Saulsberry of Tennessee, said you “can’t put a price” on the importance of faith leaders supporting abortion vocally because much of the “pushback” against abortion “comes from the church.”
“As leaders of faith and as clearly, we are to stand and speak out — as loud as other clergy — in support of reproductive health, rights, and justice,” she said.
This isn’t the first time something like this has made headlines.
In 2018, for example, faith leaders came together to ask for God’s “blessing” on a Planned Parenthood abortion clinic in Columbus, Ohio.
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Zeh defended the practice in a 2019 op-ed for the RNS, in which she argued “blessing” ceremonies provide “solace and encouragement to the clinics’ clients and the health care professionals who serve them.”
She explained in the article that her “calling as a progressive faith leader” is “to bear witness to the pain caused in the name of faith and to respond with words and actions rooted in love, compassion, and understanding.”
The minister added she is committed to showing that “spiritual and religious people can respect and affirm the right to choose as a moral good.”
A Pew Research survey from 2019 found that a strong majority of white evangelical Christians — 77% — believe abortion should be illegal in either all or most circumstances. Other denominational and demographic categories were more supportive of abortion.
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