Perhaps we can find ways to work together, so that through our combined efforts women receive the support they need.
Scrolling social media after the Dobbs decision was an eye-opening experience. I saw reactions that ranged from sheer jubilation to unbridled fury. People are as divided on this issue as they could possibly be.
Christians are called to carry Christ’s peace into our world, to be instruments of unity. Drawing both sides into peace and unity on this issue feels like an impossible undertaking. But perhaps we can find a little common ground.
Deep down, what unites both sides is an intense concern for women. So perhaps that is where we can start. Large-scale policy changes are not something any of us can achieve overnight. What can we do right now, today, to support women and children in crisis?
Here are a few suggestions:
One important resource is the Into Life video series. The Sisters of Life and the McGrath Institute for Church Life teamed up with CampCampo Films to create the original 12-part series illustrating what it means to walk with a woman who is pregnant and vulnerable.
Besides offering these ideas, I sat down with Leah Libresco Sargeant for her insights. Libresco Sargeant is a Catholic writer and speaker who runs Other Feminisms, a substack community that "advocates for women as women, in the face of a world that treats women as defective men.” She is pushing back on the expectation of autonomy. “We all begin our lives dependent on others, and all the rest of our life is marked by the give and take of mutual dependence,” she said. Here is more of our conversation:
What changes will we need to see in society with Roe overturned?
How can we better support women in crisis pregnancies?
What is the role of the pro-life movement in a post-Roe world?
