Abortion Decisions Should be Led by God-Given Free Will

Ten Catholic sisters wrote an op-ed in the Cincinnati Enquirer on the need to move past the culture wars over abortion and build a society where families can thrive.

In our diverse ministries as Catholic sisters across Ohio, we are inspired by the Gospels and Catholic teaching to honor the sacred image of God in all people. By caring for the sick, welcoming immigrants, protecting the environment — and also lobbying those in power to change systems that perpetuate injustice — we seek to build a culture that serves the common good and that creates safe and healthy communities where families can thrive. We see up close every day how people are forced into agonizing choices in a society where the lack of quality healthcare, sexual violence, poverty wages for workers and the high cost of childcare all impact how women make difficult decisions about their reproductive lives.

Download article from the Cincinnati Enquirer here, or keep reading below.

share on social media

Sign on with the Catholic Sisters!

We are deeply concerned that recent legal and legislative efforts to criminalize abortion and block access to reproductive care threaten the lives and dignity of women. Abortion bans in Ohio and other states have made high-risk pregnancies even more dangerous. Black and Hispanic women, who often struggle to access quality medical care and suffer from higher maternal mortality rates, are disproportionately impacted by these punitive laws. Sadly, many politicians and religious leaders often promote these policies as “pro-life.”

If Ohio lawmakers and elected officials across the country truly care about being pro-life, they should consider how these punitive laws hurt women and fail to address the complexity involved in how women use discernment to make reproductive decisions. We encourage legislators across the country to join us in building a culture of human flourishing and pass legislation that provides the care and resources people need to thrive. This includes ensuring that women have access to quality pre-and-postnatal health care, establishing paid parental leave laws and affordable childcare programs, implementing child-tax credits that have proven to reduce child poverty, and requiring living wages for workers. 

It’s time to finally move past the divisive culture wars over abortion and come together to do the hard work of supporting women and families.

Sister Carren Herring RSM
Sister of Mercy
Cincinnati 

Sister Jean Miller
Sister of Charity of Cincinnati
Cincinnati 

Sister Margie Efkeman, OSU
Ursuline Sister of Cincinnati
Cincinnati

Sister Caroljean Willie, SC
Sister of Charity of Cincinnati
Cincinnati

Sister Gemma Doll, OP Peace
Dominican Sister of Peace
Columbus

Sister Fran Repka, RSM
Sister of Mercy
Cincinnati

Sister Kathleen Hebbler, OP Hope
Dominican Sister of Hope
Cincinnati

Sister Patricia Gardner, OSF
Franciscan Sister
Sylvania

Sister Roberta Miller, OP Peace
Dominican Sister of Peace
Columbus 

Sister Nancy Bramlage, SC
Sister of Charity of Cincinnati
Cincinnati