PRIMARIES STATEMENT

During Presidential Primary Contests, RCRC Underscores the Importance of Reproductive and Sexual Health Concerns

With presidential primaries in full swing, the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice issues a clarion call to candidates, reminding them of the vital importance of access to reproductive health services for millions of Americans. As people of faith, we believe that reproductive and sexual health and justice must be central priorities of the next president. 

Recent issues in the news underscore the critical needs for women‚s health and rights. Members of Congress have tried to strip funding for family planning and introduced legislation to jail doctors if a patient‚s motive in seeking an abortion is based on race or sex. Voters in Mississippi were asked to pass, but rejected, a personhood amendment that would ban abortions and many forms of contraception, and nearly 70 anti-abortion measures were passed in state legislatures in 2011. In December, the Department of Health and Human Services overturned a scientific recommendation to expand open shelf access to Emergency Contraception at pharmacies.

The next president will have an extensive role in preserving women’s health and safety and their decisions about pregnancy and maternity care. The president will have oversight of the FDA and the Department of Health and Human Services, guide the federal healthcare program, assure quality sex education, shape the nation’s budget, be able to sign or veto legislation, and help to secure the safety of clinics through the Justice Department’s enforcement of anti-violence laws. In addition, the president will be responsible for nominating the justices to the U.S. Supreme Court, should vacancies emerge.

Pro-faith Americans need to feel confident that reproductive health and access will not be compromised in any way.  As the candidates continue to campaign during the presidential primary season, the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice calls upon them to recognize and address the critical legal and moral importance of reproductive and sexual health to the lives of women and men in this country.