by Rev. Dr. Cari Jackson What kind of society do we want to be? This is a question I ask audiences of undergraduate students, law school students, faith communities — everywhere I can. The top two answers I hear every time: compassionate and just. In his Nobel lecture in 1964, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “A great nation is a compassionate nation.” According to the Dalai Lama XIV, “Love…
June 12, 2020 President Donald J. Trump The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., NW Washington, DC 20500 Secretary Alex M. Azar The U.S. Dept. of Health & Human Services 200 Independence Ave., S.W. Washington, D.C. 20201 Dr. Francis Collins National Institutes of Health 9000 Rockville Pike Bethesda, Maryland 20892 Dear President…
by Rev. Dr. Cari Jackson and Rev. Katey Zeh Inspired by: How shall we sing God’s song in a strange land? (Psalm 137:4) How do we honor Mothers in this pandemic When many Mothers are dying without their loved ones near And Others are grieving dying children they cannot touch? How do we sing…
By Rabbi Andi Fliegel For all of human history, women’s bodies have held the entirety of the burden, the sacrifice, and the blessing of nurturing, protecting, and carrying the next generation of life into this world. When I gave birth to my son, I was awestruck by the incredible power that my body and spirit…
By Rev. Dr. Cari Jackson The Senate recently passed a resolution saying it’s unconstitutional to disqualify a candidate for a federal appointment because he belongs to the Knights of Columbus, a Catholic fraternal organization. That’s the latest punch in a brawl in the Senate lasting several weeks about whether it’s appropriate to ask nominees…
Two major events coincided, making this a big week in the fight for religious freedom in reproductive health, rights and justice. Federal judges handed down decisions in two separate cases preventing some people’s religious beliefs from blocking other people’s access to insurance coverage of birth control. And the decisions arrived within days of Religious Freedom…
Do you ever wonder if the values you’ve gleaned from your faith can really carry over into elections? Based on her work as a Colorado state legislator and a leader in Colorado RCRC, Betty Boyd seems sure that they do. The experience that best prepared Boyd to run for office was an eight-year stint running…
By Mollie Katz After decades advancing issues like reproductive health and rights, Cathy Thompson has become a second-term elected official in Outagamie County, Wis. Her experience includes years as an RCRC state organizer and an active member of the League of Women Voters. She has registered new voters, met with state legislators, canvassed for candidates…
With the midterm elections a few weeks away, hard-driving candidates, red-hot issues and divisive public discourse compete for our attention. The onslaught comes all day, every day. But don’t let the drama of it distract you from the two firmest convictions that hold the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice together — shared interfaith values and…
By Rev. Cari Jackson At age 14, I was raped. When I told my Mom what had happened and she called the police, and I felt raped again. Still reeling from the fear of being killed, still traumatized by being overpowered and my body forcibly entered, I felt violated again by the disbelief of the…