Catholics for a Free Choice Launches Campaign to place Catholic Americans’ Views on Contraception and Abortion Center Stage
Prevention Not Prohibition calls on policymakers to fund policies that prevent unintended pregnancy and support pregnant women
WASHINGTON, DC— Prevention Not Prohibition, a provocative campaign launched today in the nation’s capital, highlights the fact that the majority of American Catholics support access to contraception and legal abortion, and support policies that prevent, rather than criminalize, abortion. To kick off the campaign, CFFC advertisements, “How to end the abortion wars” and “Nobody wants to need an abortion,” are appearing in Metro stations and on bus shelters around the capital, and will spread out across the country as state policy makers introduce policies that support pregnant women in the choices they make. Images of the advertisements are available here.
Jon O’Brien, president of Catholics for a Free Choice, stated, “The advertisements articulate the views of the majority of American Catholics who do not want to see abortion criminalized, but want to see it less necessary. The campaign seeks to galvanize their support for proactive legislation that reduces the need for abortion and provides good options for women coping with an unintended pregnancy.”
“Two pieces of legislation on Capitol Hill—Prevention First and the Reducing the Need for Abortion and Supporting Parents Act—are a step in the right direction,” O’Brien continued. “However, we believe that women and their families, especially those who are poor, need even more. They want policies that result in real action, not just talk. Prevention Not Prohibition aims to convert the talk in Washington, DC, into real life public policy.”
Despite years of campaigning by the bishops, 97% of Catholic women have used an artificial contraceptive method and Catholic women have abortions at the same rate as non-Catholics, there is clearly ample support for policies that reduce the need for abortion. The campaign identifies a number of opportunities for advocacy and improved policies. These include:
Ensuring the availability and promoting the use of safe, reliable and affordable contraception;
Securing health care for all, whether they are employed or not;
Promoting responsible sexuality education that provides accurate facts; and
Guaranteeing that parents have access to child care.
O’Brien noted, “Catholics and Catholic policymakers must speak for themselves and let it be known that they, like the majority of Americans, want policies that reduce the need for abortion. Providing the resources that enable women to prevent unwanted pregnancies, and the resources to help those who decide to continue their pregnancies, such as adequate prenatal care and childcare, is a matter of national priority.”
There are many elements to the Prevention Not Prohibition campaign. In addition to supporting those who choose abortion, it also supports policies that reduce the need for abortion through efforts to both prevent unintended pregnancy and help women with unintended pregnancies who choose not to have abortions. O’Brien continued, “Our first step will be to convince policymakers at all levels of government to introduce and fund initiatives that both promote access to and education about contraception and offer serious economic support to women who have unintended pregnancies. To that end, we are sponsoring a series of briefings on Capitol Hill this year that both outline the theological background that enables Catholics to support contraceptive policies and take the voices of Catholics in the pew into the corridors of political power.”
Catholics for a Free Choice has increased its activity at the state level, working with Catholics, policy makers and local groups in communities across the U.S. advocating for changes in the way we approach the real life reproductive health challenges in this country.
Notes to Editors:
Sexually active Catholic women above the age of 18 are just as likely (97%) to have used some form of contraception banned by the Catholic church as women in the general population (97%).
85% of sexually active Catholic women report that they have had their partners use condoms during intercourse.
78% sexually active Catholic women report having used birth control pills.
Even among married Catholic women who attend church every week, only 5% rely primarily on church-approved methods for preventing pregnancy.
[All above: National Survey of Family Growth, 2002]
Less than one-quarter (22%) of U.S. Catholics agree with the bishops’ position that abortion should be completely illegal.
[Belden Russonello & Stewart, 2004]
Visit www.CatholicsforChoice.org to see images of the advertisements: Nobody Wants to Need an Abortion and How to End the Abortion Wars.
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Catholics for Free Choice (CFFC) shapes and advances sexual and reproductive ethics that are based on justice, reflect a commitment to women’s well being, and respect and affirm the moral capacity of women and men to make sound decisions about their lives. Through discourse, education, and advocacy, CFFC works in the US and internationally to infuse these values into public policy, community life, feminist analysis, and Catholic social thinking and teaching.
5 comments:
Just a note on your title... just because a Catholic believes or doesn't believe one way or the other doesn't mean they aren't thinking for themselves. That's like saying that someone who is pro-choice is not thinking for themselves because they are only blindly following the general trend of society whereby certain morales and values that used to be stringently upheld are now more relaxed. Neither one works. There are always times when every person is going to go with the flow and "do what they're told" and there are times when they will challenge status quo. It's human nature.
Sidenote: No one actually thinks completely for themselves anyway. Everything we think and believe is shaped by our experiences and especially the values and beliefs of those closest to us.
Well, I agree with you to a point. But what I really meant was that Catholics have the ability to be rational about their faith than those that just follow because the church says this is right or wrong. Some may have thought it through, others are just taking the easier way and saying, ok.
I would REALLY REALLY like to hear the CFFC's theological basis for allowing contraception and abortion. I can't find it anywhere on their website.
You CANNOT be truly Catholic and Pro-Choice despite what the statistics tell you.
But again, no one is really rational about their faith...the whole point of faith is believing something even if there is no proof. But even non-catholics or atheist can be irrational about their "faith," the things that they believe in. I'm not always rational about my beliefs because I'm passionate about them, but that doesn't make me wrong. You're not even always rational about your beliefs because you're passionate about them, but that doesn't make youwrong. Any argument that exists can be backed up by some evidence as well as shown to be false by evidence. Scientists have been "proving" things for years. Chocolate is bad for you because it's sugary, etc, but chocolate is good for you because one piece a day can help prevent disease...etc. Sometimes I think science is no more scientific than religion. I find arguments for abortion or pro choice to be extremely irrational because I view it from a moral perspective. You find arguments against pro choice to be extremely irrational because you view it from a socio-political perspective. Both may be right, both may be wrong, who knows. It's all in perspective. There is very little reality in this world, but ideas and beliefs and theories and perspectives.
Yes, and again. I agree with you. My title was more along the lines of, this site is for Catholics who do more than just blindly follow the church's teaching. Not that others don't think for themselves in following what the church says, just that this is a manifestation of that. And yes Kristi, I know you think that..but luckily you aren't the one to decide who is a true catholic or not, god is.
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