Midwest-Southern Regional Strategy

Throughout RCRC’s history, we have mobilized people of faith to address critical reproductive freedom issues and communities often overlooked.

The goal of our Midwest-Southern Regional Strategy is to heighten the awareness and activism of people of faith in states most heavily impacted by reproductive oppression. We do this by working in collaboration with a cross-section of local religious and community partners who bring their voices and votes, their compassion and commitment, to address the challenges, barriers, and injustices that impede reproductive freedom and dignity.

• The Midwest and Southern regions are key incubators for conservative political strategies which then spread across the nation through organized political initiatives, such as Project Blitz.

• Under the umbrella of a push for small government and tax breaks for the wealthiest, many Midwest and Southern politicians set the stage for insufficient funding for public health, public education and other critical public programs needed for full reproductive justice and freedom.

• Because public services are regarded as an afterthought or necessary evil in states throughout these regions, women’s healthcare ranks poorly relative to other U.S. regions.

• Overly burdensome and medically unnecessary Targeted Regulation of Abortion Providers (TRAP) laws designed to shut down reproductive health care clinics reduce the overall number of available abortion providers.

• Access to reproductive health services is extremely limited and maternal and infant mortality rank highest in these regions.

• The Bible Belt culture prevalent in the Midwest and South sets the stage for conservative Christianity to be used as a smokescreen for social oppression, especially racism, classism, sexism, homophobia, ableism, xenophobia, and reproductive injustice.

• Issues of faith and racial justice have deep impact on people’s lives and politics in this region, which is home to the majority of Black people in the U.S.

• Partner with RCRC Affiliates in this region to engage in targeted action with local faith-based and community organizations.

• Build coordination and collaboration between multifaith religious leaders and local reproductive justice advocates.

• Establish multi-issue, multi-cultural, multi-generational networks to uplift the intersectional social issues of race, income, gender, healthcare, education and more that impact what women and families need to experience the highest quality for their own lives.

• Equip cadres of faith and community leaders of courage to speak to and with wider cross-sections of communities about the realities of reproductive oppression.

• Increase the capacity of faith leaders to engage with compassion and mobilize with awareness about the urgent reproductive issues in their states.

• Bring multiple progressive religious voices to impact community organizing and policy-making across the Midwest and South, especially through involving more congregations.

RCRC’s relationship-building, advocacy and communications activities in the South and Midwest include:

• Acting as liaison between faith leaders and advocacy groups in Southern states working on social, racial, and reproductive justice issues such as sex education, religious freedom, and maternal mortality.

• Collaborating with other organizations in support of decisive U.S. Supreme Court cases for reproductive freedom, such as Whole Woman’s Health vs. Hellerstedt, and more.

• Advocating and communicating at the Georgia State Capitol during Georgia’s legislative session. With other progressive organizations, RCRC opposed the state’s Religious Freedom Restoration Act and state funding for crisis pregnancy centers which in practice coerce people against the option of abortion. We also joined in calling for a ban on assault weapons.

• Developing a program to engage Black pastors in the South in advocating for reproductive freedom and compassionate care.

• Presenting discussions and trainings on the intersection of faith and reproductive health, rights, and justice at conferences and organizations in the region.

• Co-hosting screenings and expert panel discussions on documentary films (e.g. Trapped, Birthright) about highly restrictive state abortion laws and pregnancy-related arrests, especially in the South and Midwest.