Overreach Weekly: The Bishops Are Trying to Come for Medication Abortion

In this edition:

• Pro-Choice Catholic Governor Protects Abortion in Massachusetts

• The Bishops Are Trying to Come for Medication Abortion

• Gen Z Doesn’t Want Right-Wing Politics in Their Catholic Worship

This week, Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey passed a bill repealing the state’s restrictive 24-week abortion ban. The ban forced abortion seekers to leave the state for later care and left abortion funders scrambling to raise more money.

At the bill-signing ceremony, Governor Healey made one thing clear: “Decisions should be made between women and families and their doctors, not politicians.” And certainly not by religious leaders, despite the audacity of the state’s Catholic bishops to condemn the new legislation and paint abortion as a “tragedy.”

Abortion bans are the real tragedy. Countless people are denied healthcare in their home state and saddled with the financial burden and stress that comes with seeking out-of-state care. Those who can’t leave their state suffer life-threatening pregnancy complications, and many times, death.

Do the bishops want to babysit while a single parent drives hours across state lines to access care? Do they want to fund the burial of a woman who bled out because she was denied treatment for pregnancy loss?

In all likelihood, the bishops will continue to masquerade as pastoral leaders while pursuing their true passion: providing weak political commentary.

As we celebrate the protection of abortion in Massachusetts, we can’t forget the threat of the anti-abortion lobby. Abortion is legal, yes. But Black and Brown pregnant people, and those of lower income, do not enjoy the same equal access to care as wealthy white people. And the religious right wants to erase abortion access entirely.

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The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is set to launch a “nationwide call to prayer and action” against medication abortion on August 18, falling in step with right-wing attempts to criminalize the extremely safe, effective abortion option.

The USCCB developed so-called “educational resources” and an online form prompting Catholics to message pharmaceutical companies that may be supplying abortion medication.

This campaign takes advantage of the USCCB’s network of parishes, infusing anti-abortion-pill rhetoric into Catholic communities. The campaign will also likely supply anti-abortion Crisis Pregnancy Centers with more materials dissuading medication abortion.

Meanwhile, Todd Blanche moves forward as Attorney General, and with him, his intention for the overturning of Roe v. Wade “to become permanent in every single state.” A North Carolina teen was arrested last week for “assault with a deadly weapon” after taking abortion pills. The religious right targets abortion not only in court, but also through disinformation campaigns, like the USCCB’s, to disparage abortion and abortion seekers.

USCCB President Archbishop Coakley claimed medication abortion “leaves women vulnerable to suffering… at home”— despite fewer than 0.5% of patients experiencing complications from abortion pills. This latest initiative from the U.S. bishops is anti-abortion indoctrination repackaged as pastoral care. They’re ignoring the fact that nearly 60% of Catholics believe abortion should be legal and misleading the Catholic communities of the United States.

A survey out of Wheaton College found that nearly half of Gen Z say that Christian support for Trump keeps them from going to church. Of those who identified Trump as a barrier to church attendance, 42% were Catholic.

The survey considered how associations between Christianity and Trump shape perceptions of the faith. It points to what we’ve been saying: The Trump administration is synonymous with white Christian nationalism.

And shocker! A lot of people don’t want any part of that. Gen Z came of age as the majority-Catholic Supreme Court stripped away abortion protections. We were thrust into adulthood, witnessing Black and Brown people killed or kidnapped in the street. We watched as Confederate flags and white supremacists stormed the Capitol building. The right wing explained away many of these violent moments as serving “Christian” or “American family” values.

So, it’s no surprise that Gen Z would avoid practicing their faith when the Catholic hierarchy isn’t staunchly opposing white Christian nationalism. Time and again, those who wear the miter ignore the pro-choice, immigrant, pluralist values of the people who make the church what it is. If they’re not careful, they won’t have anyone to preach to.

• Suffering in Silence Is Not a Requirement for Strength: Uterine Fibroids and The Toll on Black Women: CFC’s Nicole McCurdy recounts her experience with uterine fibroids and the medical racism behind Black women’s suffering.

• A Democrat Sounds the Alarm on Christian Nationalism in Congress: Representative Jared Huffman discusses his new book, in which anecdotes from Congress reveal the closing gap between church and state.

• Built to Withstand Trump-Era Attacks on Mifepristone: New Telehealth Provider Serves All 50 States for Sliding-Scale Fee: At Home Abortion isn’t letting the religious right’s attacks on medication abortion stop them.