These religious leaders are pro–abortion rights

The MoJo Daily newsletter, Monday through Friday. [View in browser]( [Mother Jones Daily Newsletter](     February 17, 2023 Hi, I’m Abby Vesoulis, a national politics reporter here at Mother Jones. When I covered the annual March for Life rally in Washington last month, I couldn’t help but notice that more than any other political rally, it seemed like a religious awakening for conservative Christians in attendance. There, as I smelled incense wafting through the air, I watched Catholic priests march down Independence Avenue reciting the Hail Mary prayer. There’s a long history of the ultra-religious fueling the anti-abortion movement. But what many people don’t know is that there's also a [long history of very religious people]( fighting for abortion rights. In fact, many religious Americans support abortion in all or most cases, according to Pew Research Center. This includes 83 percent of Jews, 82 percent of Buddhists, 68 percent of Hindus, 60 percent of mainline Protestants, and 55 percent of Muslims. (Catholics and protestant evangelicals—who are unique in believing that life begins at conception and thus abortion is murder—have historically been the exception, but even among Catholics, support for abortion is increasing.) Now, religious clergy and followers in Florida, Illinois, Kentucky, and Missouri are challenging their states’ rigid anti-abortion laws on the notion that they violate their freedom to exercise their own various religions, which, they say, support abortions and even require them in some cases. Ron DeSantis is “imposing a theocratic tyranny upon everyone else, in which he’s no longer the governor for all the people of Florida,” the rabbi suing over Florida’s abortion laws argues. “He’s now the representative for Christians—and only a certain brand of them.” I hope you’ll give my latest story a read to understand [why these lawsuits could alter the nation’s current abortion landscape](, and how religion motivated the plaintiffs to bring the suits in the first place. “We are multiple faiths, multiple belief systems, and we all support abortion because of our faith,” Rabbi Susan Talve, one of the plaintiffs in the Missouri lawsuit, told me. “Not in spite of our faith. Because of our faith.” —Abby Vesoulis Advertisement [New Society Publishers]( [Top Story] [Top Story]( [Meet the Religious Crusaders Fighting for Abortion Rights]( Christian conservatives worked to topple Roe. Can members of different faiths save abortion access? BY ABBY VESOULIS SPONSORED CONTENT SAN JOSE SPOTLIGHT   Accountability journalism in Silicon Valley Hey Mother Jones readers! Are you following [San José Spotlight]( yet? This fearless nonprofit newsroom in the heart of Silicon Valley holds power to account, filters out the noise and uplifts marginalized voices. A team of award-winning local reporters cover politics, policy and government in the Bay Area’s largest city. [Learn about their impactful work]( and [sign up for their free daily newsletter.]( [Trending] [The EPA can't do its job with so few people]( BY LYLLA YOUNES   [Union-busting car company’s cars unsafe]( BY ABIGAIL WEINBERG   [A Jim Crow–era murder. A family secret. Decades later, what does justice look like?]( BY SAMANTHA MICHAELS   [Recipes of resistance: Making sense of my identity through a Puerto Rican cookbook]( BY EMILY HOFSTAEDTER Advertisement [New Society Publishers]( [Special Feature] [Special Feature]( [The abortion pill’s secret money men]( The untold story of the private equity investors behind Mifeprex—and their escalating legal battle to cash in post-Dobbs. BY HANNAH LEVINTOVA [Fiercely Independent] Support from readers allows Mother Jones to do journalism that doesn't just follow the pack. [Donate]( Did you enjoy this newsletter? Help us out by [forwarding]( it to a friend or sharing it on [Facebook]( and [Twitter](. [Mother Jones]( [Donate]( [Donate Monthly]( [Subscribe]( This message was sent to {EMAIL}. To change the messages you receive from us, you can [edit your email preferences]( or [unsubscribe from all mailings.]( For advertising opportunities see our online [media kit.]( Were you forwarded this email? [Sign up for Mother Jones' newsletters today.]( [www.MotherJones.com]( PO Box 8539, Big Sandy, TX 75755