Virtual Vigil

Thoughts and Prayers for the Women and Girls of South Dakota

View the ads placed in South Dakota newspapers:
"Many Christian ministers will vote to keep abortion safe and legal."
"As Christian clergy, we are strongly opposed to the Abortion Ban."
"Many Christian denominations support keeping abortion legal."

A Prayer for our Sisters and Brothers in South Dakota
By the Rev. Suzanne Meyer

Dear Holy and Infinite Source of love, mercy, justice and forgiveness
Be present to us now,
be present to those of us who are afraid,
be present to those of us who are worried,
be present to those of us who are angry,
be present to those of us who are anxious.

Today (night) we come before you on behalf of our sisters and brothers in South Dakota.
Today (night) a young woman is worried because she fears that the medical help she needs is unavailable.
Hear her prayers.

Today (night) a young man is anxious because he is not ready to become a father.
Hear his prayers.

Today (night) parents are angry because they can’t get help for their
daughter who is a victim of sexual violence.
Hear their prayers.

Today (night) a mother is heartsick because her health or her economic situation will not let her give birth to another child.
Hear her prayers.

Today (night) those of us who are sisters, and brothers, mothers and fathers, friends and lovers are afraid because we too worry not only for our friends in South Dakota, but for ourselves as well, and for our nation.
Hear our prayers.

Father, Mother, Lover, Creator:

Only you know the deep anguish of those who must choose to give birth or not to give birth.
You alone know the questions that must be asked and answered.
You alone hear the silent prayers, you see the tears, you know the pain of difficult choices and life changing decisions.
You hear, you know, you see and you understand. Your compassion is infinite, your mercy is unlimited.

We pray for those who must make difficult choices. Guide them by your grace and your infinite love.

We pray for those who have made the choice to bear a child, and for those who have made the choice not to bear a child. Hold them in your heart and your infinite love.

We pray for those who would deny them the right to make those choices. Challenge them with your wisdom and your infinite love.

Hear our prayers, lead us, guide us, strengthen us, bend us to your holy will, forgive our failings, support us when we grow weary, inspire all of the important choices that we are called to make.  In your name most holy.  Amen

Prayer for Times of Decision
New York Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice ©
Adapted by Rabbi Bonnie Margulis

Blessed are you, creator of the universe, who sustains us in times of decision. You have made it possible for us to consider with wisdom our lives and the lives of our loved ones, and you have granted us courage and intelligence to make decisions about our childbearing.

As you have been with us in times of decision, so may you be with the women and families of South Dakota as their day of decision approaches. Help us to remember that because we are created in your image, we are required to attend with care to the health and well‑being of all our citizens.  Help us to remember that, as you are compassionate, so we must be compassionate; as you endow us with free will to make decisions regarding our lives, so we must respect each other’s rights to make decisions for ourselves and our families.

May the support and strength of those close to us continue to sustain us, even as we are sustained by your gifts of wisdom and strength. Blessed are you, who are with us in times of decision.

God of our Exodus from slavery and oppression,
may it please you in this time to soften the hard hearts of those who claim a power that is not theirs, and who with it lord dominion over others.
Eternal Ray of Hope to all who endure the dark shadows of suffering, death, and oppression,
may it please you to be hope to those whose own suffering is enlarged by the removal of choices that help them face an uncertain future.
Source of Infinite Wisdom, whose ways are above our ways and whose thoughts we cannot fathom,
may it please you to grant us an insight and a word sufficient to persuade this world’s power that the bodies of women are not the property of the government, but temples of a beauty and a grace that reflect your image and over which no human law supercedes.

Amen.

Meditation
By Faith Adams Johnson

May our eyes remain open even in the face of adversity.
May we not become disheartened.
May we discover the gift of the fire burning in the inner chamber of our being – burning great and bright enough to transform any poison.
May we offer the power of our sorrow to the service of something greater than ourselves.
May the suffering purify and not paralyze us.
May clarity be our ally and wisdom our support.
May our righteous anger be cleansing, cutting through the confusion of denial and greed.
May we not be afraid to see or speak our truth.
May the soul’s journey be revealed and the true hunger fed.
May we be forgiven for what we have forgotten and blessed with the remembrance of who we really are.

Your Prayers
Please be with the women and girls of South Dakota through your thoughts and prayers. If you have something you'd like to share, please e-mail us, and we will post it on our site, along with your first name and hometown. Share your thoughts and prayers

Holy One, you give us the gifts of life and of insight and of grace.  We seek goodness for all of your children and we recognize those times when hard decisions must be made.  In these days, we pray for the good people of South Dakota to keep close in their hearts their sisters whose lives are affected by the choices they will make.  We pray that women's lives will be honored by others.  That women and girls will be respected.  May your love fill all of our hearts.  In these days.  Amen
- Rev. Loey Powell, Cleveland, OH

I sincerely pray that the people of South Dakota will NOT decide that a woman or girl can be forced to become pregnant, and bear a child, by an act of sexual violence.
- Jeff, Emery, South Dakota

I want to thank RCRC for standing up for the silent majority of women in South Dakota and trying to prevent this draconian law from taking effect. You have our support. We hope your efforts are successful in overturning this law which would outlaw abortions, even in very unfortunate circumstances.         
- Daniel, Leawood, Kansas              

South Dakota my heart goes out to you. All the women, teens, and girls not yet living, I wish you only the best. That your right to choose what is morally correct in your own heart will not be governed by a higher power.
- Michele

True morality can only come from within. It cannot be mandated or legislated by any government, church or body, no matter how
well-meaning. Whether you are for or against abortion is irrelevant in this debate. The only true choice is to leave the complex, heart-rending
and personal choice of whether or not to end a pregnancy to the only people who are qualified to make that decision: the woman and man
affected. Only they can know if they can live with the consequences of that decision.

We cannot relinquish our God-given ability to choose the course of our own soul to the whims of the body politic. Self determination is the
only thing in this world we can truly call our own.
- Clem, Berwick, PA  

My prayers are with you that there be no ban on abortions.  It is the woman's right to choose!
- Kathy,  Stanwood              

My thoughts and full support are with Rev.Veazey, RCRC, & the women of South Dakota as they courageously fight the attack upon them. We will not stand for this blatant battle against women's health, the indigent, and the Constitutional right to privacy. May justice prevail.
- Emily, Chicago, IL