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Suzanne Morse
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Email: smorse@uua.org

Boston, Mass. (January 20, 2023) – Below is a statement from Rev. Dr. Susan Frederick-Gray, president of the Unitarian Universalist Association, regarding the 50th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Roe v Wade decision that legalized access to abortion:

This weekend, we mark the 50th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s Roe v Wade decision, which protected abortion rights in the United States for nearly five decades.

The landscape has changed precipitously since the Supreme Court reversed 50 years of precedent last June with the Dobbs v. Jackson decision, which allows for onerous bans on reproductive care to be imposed at the state level. This decision will disproportionately harm already vulnerable communities, including people of color, young people, poor and working-class people, and those living in rural areas.

Throughout our history, Unitarian Universalists (UU) have affirmed access to abortion for women and pregnant people. In 1973, we supported the Roe v Wade decision through a General Resolution. Today, in keeping with our Principles and our core religious beliefs that affirm gender equity, an overwhelming majority of UUs are in favor of maintaining legal access to abortion in all or most cases.

In 2015, through a Statement of Conscience, UUs committed to Reproductive Justice, which affirms the human right to have children, not to have children, to parent the children one has in healthy environments, to safeguard bodily autonomy, and to express one's sexuality freely. This framework was created by women of color in the 1990s and, as UUs, we have a history of both collaborating with this movement and advocating for safe, legal, and accessible abortion care.

Unitarian Universalists remain committed to Reproductive Justice. Since the Dobbs decision in June 2022, we have helped to organize ballot initiatives to protect access to abortion and provided trainings on organizing for Reproductive Justice for congregations. Across the country, UUs are working within their communities to help promote Reproductive Justice and protect access to reproductive care. We know that this work will be ongoing for years to come and we are dedicated to doing it.

As UUs, we have an ongoing moral obligation to support comprehensive reproductive care, because reproductive care is healthcare. We know that such care is essential to the well-being and safety of individuals and families. On this 50th anniversary, we reaffirm our commitment – our faithful religious commitment – to supporting Reproductive Justice on behalf of women and pregnant people across this country.

About the UUA

The UUA is the central organization for the Unitarian Universalist (UU) religious movement in the United States. Our faith is diverse and inclusive and the UUA’s 1000+ member congregations are committed to Seven Principles that hold closely the worth and dignity of each person as sacred, the need for justice and compassion, the right of conscience, and respect for the interdependent nature of all existence.