Progressive Christianity | Dobbs Decision

The Clergy Who Fought for Abortion Rights Before Roe

How progressive ministers, rabbis, and priests risked everything to ensure safe abortion access in the pre-Roe era

Rev. Charles Landreth’s church in Tallahassee, Florida. Public Domain.

Before Roe v. Wade, a group of Christian and Jewish leaders publicly supported a woman’s right to choose — a fact that may surprise those who now cheer the Dobbs decision on religious grounds.

Abortion has long been framed as a battle between religious conservatives and secular progressives, but history tells a different story. In the 1960s and early 1970s, Protestant ministers, Jewish rabbis, and some Catholic clergy were among the strongest advocates for abortion rights. They viewed their work not as a contradiction of faith, but as a moral obligation, ensuring that women had access to safe medical care instead of life-threatening procedures.

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One of the most significant efforts came from the (CCS), a network of religious leaders who took personal and legal risks to help women obtain safe abortions at a time when the procedure was largely illegal. Founded in 1967 by…