Rather than contesting the legality of abortion, religious leaders sought to overturn restrictions on the procedure. The leaders are attempting to overturn Missouri's prohibition on abortion, alleging that lawmakers pushed their religious convictions on others by passing the legislation that led to the ban.
'Public Awareness Campaign'
According to USA Today, Rev. Cindy Bumb of St. Louis, one of the plaintiffs in the case, stated that the religious leaders want it to be both a lawsuit and a public awareness campaign to demonstrate that one may be spiritual and support abortion rights. The plaintiffs, in the case, are members of a more significant movement of religious leaders advocating for access to abortion. These religious leaders are attempting to alter a narrative that, in their view, erases the variety of perspectives on abortion that exist within religious communities and the history of spiritual activism to increase access to abortion services.
Rabbi Susan Talve of Central Reform Congregation said faith groups need to develop nonjudgmental places for dialogue about abortion in addition to filing lawsuits challenging abortion bans. She also stated that it is time for more religious leaders who favor reproductive rights to speak out about it from the pulpit. Many religious leaders continue to be at the forefront of the anti-abortion campaign. Christian and Catholic leaders argue that life begins at conception, and God is on their side in their fight to preserve unborn children from being killed through abortion. They have been praying, marching, and participating in drafting legislation and lawsuits for decades to restrict rights related to reproductive health, particularly access to abortion.
Bumb, who had retired from her position as a minister in the United Church of Christ, pleaded to God for guidance when the Roe v. Wade decision was overturned last year. According to Talve, Jewish religious leaders must safeguard the most disadvantaged and adversely affected individuals by abortion prohibitions. Those individuals include those with low incomes, those without health insurance, and communities of color.
Moreover, Aliza Kazmi, a Muslim, believes people must actively pursue justice, particularly reproductive justice, and view it as an issue of racial justice, gender justice, and economic justice.
Also Read: Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod Encourages Churches to Celebrate Clergy Appreciation Month
Religious Leaders Files Lawsuit for Abortion Ban
On Jan. 19, a group of religious leaders who support abortion rights filed a lawsuit challenging Missouri's abortion ban. The lawsuit claims that lawmakers openly invoked their religious beliefs while drafting the measure, and as a result, those beliefs were imposed on others who do not share them.
Following the overturning of Roe v. Wade by the Supreme Court in June, several lawsuits have been filed to challenge the constitutionality of stringent abortion regulations passed by conservative states. The most recent of these lawsuits were filed in St. Louis. The historic judgment put the decision of abortion rights in the hands of each state.
Since that time, proponents of religious abortion rights have been increasingly turning to lawsuits based on the freedom of religion to attempt to safeguard abortion access. According to the Brennan Center for Justice, nearly three dozen post-Roe litigation challenging abortion bans in 19 states have been filed since the decision in Roe v. Wade. Among these challenges are religious freedom issues.
The lawsuit was filed in Missouri on behalf of 13 religious leaders of different faiths, including Christians, Jews, and Unitarian Universalists, to seek a permanent injunction that will prevent the state from enforcing its abortion law, as well as a declaration that certain provisions of the state's law violate the Missouri Constitution.
Related Article: Missouri Pastor Bids To Break Guinness World Record for Most Consecutive Marathons Ran, Says He's Doing It To Create Awareness on Key Issues
