In fact, the abortion debate is a religious debate-on both sides. Ignoring the religious pro-choice view discredits the sincere beliefs of people of many faiths and diminishes the complex moral and ethical dimensions of abortion. Most religious traditions have deep respect for the value of potential human life and an equally deep respect for individual men and women as responsible decision-makers. In this spirit, the members of the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice and the Illinois Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice compassionately support women's moral right to choose abortion and trust women and their families to make such decisions on the basis of conscience and religious beliefs. Our experience confirms that women often choose abortion out of deeply held faith commitments.
Women care about the children they bring into the world.
Before giving birth, women want to be sure their own families and communities are able to welcome, feed, house, educate, and love the child. In the tragic case of a fetus who will not survive once born, a woman may call upon her faith for the strength to do what is right for her and her family in this most difficult circumstance. As a nation, we have been caught in the bitter abortion debate so long that we often lose sight of the bigger picture. We have one of the highest rates of unintended pregnancies, infant mortality, and abortion in the developed world. As a moral community, we take our responsibilities prayerfully and faithfully.