I grew up looking at a framed image of Dorothy Day which said, “We cannot love God unless we love each other, and to love we must know each other. We know Him in the breaking of bread, and we know each other in the breaking of bread, and we are not alone anymore.” The quote hung in my kitchen because my dad was the director at the Dorothy Day House of Hospitality, which was a homeless shelter in Minnesota. Growing up, my parents taught my sisters and I to be guided by Matthew 25:35, which was also my Confirmation verse. I grew up hearing stories at church from the Bible, which centered on love for the marginalized and transformation through belief in Jesus Christ. My experiences with my faith often intertwined with volunteer work through my church, whether that being helping with Families Moving Forward or serving meals at homeless shelters.
In high school, I decided to volunteer as a clinic escort for Pro-Choice Minnesota. I was very passionate about reproductive justice, but also felt called to serve in the wake of attacks against abortion access during the Trump presidency. My role as a clinic escort was to be a friendly face to patients and to act as a barrier between patients and protestors who were seeking to harass, intimidate and shame women for seeking abortion care. Many of the people who stood outside the clinic and harassed patients were from Christian pro-life groups. While I was waiting for patients to arrive, I frequently heard the protestors say things like “You’re going to hell!”, “You’re a murderer killing babies!” and other obscenities that I’d prefer not to write. Often, they would even pray for me and read scripture from over the fence as I was volunteering. I struggled with being able to call myself a proud Christian after this, as I could not fathom that the same God I looked to for guidance was also calling upon protestors to harass women who were in an impossible position. I was also angry because I felt that the best way to approach the ethical question of abortion was not through harassment. Instead, I feel that we should be unconditionally supportive of the pregnant person. That way, they feel empowered to make the most compassionate choice regarding their personal situation.
It was not until I started taking religious studies courses at UW-Madison when I finally understood the pro-life Christian worldview and was thus able to let go of my anger. Also, as I became more involved in my Christian community at Pres House, I was able to see how my progressive views did not make me any less of a Christian. For a long time, I felt that being supportive of the LGBTQ community and pro-choice made me less of a Christian. Pres House helped me reaffirm my confidence in the Biblical call to social justice and be able to better respond to God’s call to work for a society that seeks justice. For me, this issue hits very close to home, as I supported a close friend of mine who had to make the difficult decision to end an unplanned pregnancy. I recognize that some may view this perspective as controversial, but political institutions are unable to grasp the full depth and nuance of these decisions, often failing to honor their deeply personal and sacred nature. Only God truly knows their circumstances, thus leaving the ultimate judgment and guidance in His hands, rather than in the hands of imperfect institutions that cannot fully grasp the depth of their reality.