Religious Leaders: GOP Ending Planned Parenthood Would Be 'Disastrous'
Planned Parenthood has found a new source of support in their fight against the misleading smear campaign orchestrated by fanatical right-wing anti-abortion groups. A coalition of over fifty faith/religion-based organizations have written a letter expressing their heartfelt support for Planned Parenthood, saying that “a world without Planned Parenthood would be disastrous for many women and their families.”
Religious leaders from many faiths across the country have come together to praise the non-profit organization, which provides healthcare and sexual education to five million people across the world every year. This group has shown just how fake the Republican Party’s appeals to moral superiority and Christian values really are, and how little care they show for those unfortunate souls our society has neglected.
The letter states that “our organizations share a faith-centered commitment to the most marginalized and the most vulnerable of our society, including those with limited financial means or those who live in areas with limited access to healthcare and related services…For many, Planned Parenthood is their only source of medical care. Many Planned Parenthood patients are struggling to make ends meet. In times of economic hardship, the need for Planned Parenthood is greater than ever.”
These religious leaders have seen through the Republican Party’s vicious and baseless accusations for what they really are- blatant attempts to undermine women’s healthcare, reproductive choices, and by extension their agency as an independent member of society. “The attacks on Planned Parenthood and other abortion care providers are part of a long-term pattern of attacks on women’s personal decision-making” says Rev. Harry Knox, one of the letter signatories.
This is what faith should be about. Religion should not play a role in gender politics or be used as a weapon to undermine the rights of others, to shame them for the choices they make, to put the lives and well-being of women at risk. It is similarly important to recognize that reproductive policies which made sense in Biblical Judea are not appropriate for a globalized world quickly reaching humanity’s carrying capacity. The benefits of responsible family planning cannot be denied, and we cannot let religious zealots keep us in the dark ages.
h/t to ThinkProgress
