A response to: Missouri abortion-rights group changes name

Faith Aloud, formerly MORCRC was mentioned in the St. Louis post dispatch political blog today. As a former employee of MORCRC I received info about the article and visited the site to read Jo Mannies had to say. While I'm not sure the title is entirely accurate (I think reproductive justice is more in line with the mission), the article itself is short & relatively informative. I was really upset,however, by some of the angry & judgemental comments left by readers. I decided to post a response in the comments after reading things like:

"I always find it sadly laughable that pro-baby killing groups use the words "human rights" in their creed. I also find it hard to believe that these "religous" [sic] organizations believe that God would support the killing of a baby, or that God does not believe that they are, indeed, human beings in the womb."


I wrote:
First of all, congrats to MORCRC for recognizing the changing needs of our community and advocating for women & families from a spiritual and religious perspective! I know that Faith Aloud is going to do amazing things! As a graduate student in public health, I can't emphasize enough the need for a COMPREHENSIVE approach to sexuality and healthy living. It is not just about abortion; it is about stewardship of the planet, good family dynamics, healthy people (mentally healthy too!) and healthy children.

From a personal standpoint I am also really put off by a lot of the comments left by people claiming that America is a Christian nation. As someone of another religious persuasion, I do not feel any less American or faithful/spiritual because I am Jewish. Our country was founded with ideals of religious freedom, and advocating for policy based upon any particular faith is disenfranchising and disrespectful.