CLERGY FOR CHOICE
We, clergy and religious leaders from across New Mexico, in accordance with our moral convictions and our personal faith, support a woman’s ability to access a full range of reproductive health services, including abortion.
Read more about faith, religion, and abortion from the faithful voice for choice in our Clergy Notes.
As leaders of various faith communities, we have lived and ministered closely with thousands of women and their families. Many of these women find themselves faced with the decision to have an abortion, and one in three will decide to end a pregnancy at some point in their lives.
These women are our neighbors, our co-workers, our friends, and our peers. As people of faith and as New Mexicans, we believe in loving our neighbors and treating one another as we would like to be treated—with dignity and respect. This means recognizing that the decision to have an abortion is deeply personal and should be left to a woman, her family, and her doctor, in consultation with her faith.
We live in an era where abortion is discussed at length both in the media and in our communities. Regardless of how we feel about abortion personally, we know that this is a complex and deeply personal decision. The decision to have an abortion is not something that should be restricted by elected officials. Every family and every pregnancy is different, and a woman should feel confident that if she decides to seek an abortion she is able to turn to a member of the clergy or a religious leader who will provide compassionate and nonjudgmental support.
We recognize there are a diversity of views in the faith community. Indeed, not everyone in our own congregations or denominations agrees on this complex issue. But as leaders, we feel called to declare our support for a woman’s ability to access abortion and other reproductive healthcare services as a basic issue of health and safety for women and their families.
Our religious principles are grounded in the love and acceptance of all people, and we believe deeply that means ending the shame and stigma associated with abortion and increasing access for all women to a full range of reproductive healthcare options.
New Mexico has a long history of valuing and protecting the dignity of all women. It is time to end all attempts to interfere in a woman’s deeply private medical decisions about abortion and leave them in the capable hands of a woman, her family, and her doctor, in consultation with her faith.
SIGNERS
Rev. Antonio (Tony) Aja, D.Min., Retired, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) The Rev. Dr. M. Lee Albertson, United Church of Christ, Retired, Albuquerque Rabbi Neil Amswych, Temple Beth Shalom, Santa Fe Rev. Nancy J. Anderson, Minister Emerita, Unitarian Universalist Church, Las Cruces Pastor Tiago Arrais, Santa Fe Rev. Dale Arnink, Minister Emeritus, Unitarian Universalist Church, Los Alamos Rev. Talitha Arnold, Sr. Minister, The United Church of Santa Fe (United Church of Christ) Rev. Robert Aubrey, Monte Vista Disciples of Christ, Albuquerque Rev. Kathryn Barlow Westmoreland, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Rio Rancho Rev. Virginia Bairby, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Taos Rev. Dr. Holly Beaumont, Disciples of Christ, Santa Fe Rev. Carl Boaz, Parish Associate, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Albuquerque Rabbi Deborah Brin, Rabbi Emerita, Congregation Nahalat Shalom, Albuquerque Rev. Dr. Kelly Jackson Brooks, Central United Methodist Church, Albuquerque Rev. Carolyn Brown, Unitarian Universalist, Retired, Albuquerque Rev. Joshin Brian Byrnes, Vice Abbot, Upaya Zen Center, Santa Fe Rev. Jared Carson, Peace Lutheran Church (ELCA), Las Cruces Rev. Vangie Chavez, Rising Sun Christian Community, Albuquerque Rev. Dr. Don Childers, Disciples of Christ, Santa Fe Rabbi Paul Citrin, Albuquerque Rev. James M Collie, HR, Presbytery of Santa Fe, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Rev. Tyler Connoley, United Church of Christ, Silver City Rev. Theodore Cooley, Disciples of Christ, Retired, Albuquerque Rev. Patrick Crocker, Disciples of Christ, Las Cruces The Rev. Pedro G. Cuevas, Associate Rector, St. Bede’s Episcopal Church, Santa Fe Rev. John Cullinan, Pastor, Unitarian Church of Los Alamos Rev. Tiffany Curtis, Pastor, First Christian Church of Santa Fe Rev. Larry Davis, Trinity Lutheran Church (ELCA), Farmington Rev. Patricia Davison, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A), Albuquerque The Rev. Michael Peter Drinkwater, Episcopal Church, Alamogordo Rev. Harry Eberts, First Presbyterian Church, Santa Fe Cantor Barbara Finn, Albuquerque Rabbi Arthur Flicker, Retired, Albuquerque Minister Kimi Floyd Reisch, Unitarian Universalist of Santa Fe Rev. Susan Gaffney, United Church of Christ, Albuquerque Rabbi Shefa Gold, Center for Devotional, Energy and Ecstatic Practice, Jemez Springs Rev. Andrew Groves, Center for Spiritual Living, Albuquerque Rev. Joan Jiko Halifax, Abbot, Upaya Zen Center, Santa Fe Rev. Trey Hammond, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Albuquerque Rev. Madeline Hart-Andersen, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Santa Fe Pastor Joene Herr, Christ Lutheran Church, (ELCA), Santa Fe Rev. Angela Herrera, Senior Minister, First Unitarian Church, Albuquerque Rev. William E. Hershey (ELCA-Ret.) Rev. Harvey Daiho Hilbert Roshi, Abbot Emeritus of the Order of the Clear Zen Mind, retired, Las Cruces Rev. Deborah Hill, United Church of Christ, Albuquerque Rev. Diane Hill, Episcopal Church, Gallup, NM Rev. Karen Hill, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Rev. Dr. Nancy Hitt, Unitarian Universalist Westside Congregation, Rio Rancho Rabbi Vicki Hollander, Albuquerque Rev. Carolyn E. Hughes, American Baptist Churches, USA, retired, Albuquerque Rev. Doug Inhofe, Unitarian Universalist, Taos Rev. LaVonne Johnson, Lutheran Church (ELCA), Corona, NM Rev. Sue Joiner, United Church of Christ, Albuquerque The Rev. B. Gail Joralemon, United Church of Christ, Albuquerque Rev. Xolani Kacela PhD, Minister, UU Church of Las Cruces Rabbi Larry Karol, Union for Reform Judaism, Las Cruces Rev. Lorelei Kay, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Gallup Sara Koplik, Director, Hillel, University of New Mexico Rev. Kristi Koppel, St. Paul Lutheran Church (ELCA), Albuquerque Very Rev. Kristen Kopren, Rector Church of the Holy Cross, Edgewood, NM Rev. Gary Kowalski, Co-Minister, Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Taos Rev. Dr. Mary J Kuhns, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A), Santa Fe Rev. Erica Lea-Simka, Albuquerque Sylvia Ledesma, Ceremonial Leader, Traditional Healer, Kalpulli Izkalli Fr. James Lehman, Holy Family American National Catholic Church, Las Cruces Rabbi Martin Levy, Congregation Beit Tikva, Santa Fe Rev. Dean Lewis, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Retired, Medanales, NM Rev. Sharon Littrell-Marsh, Retired, United Church of Christ, Rio Rancho Rev’d Canon Thomas Lowe, Episcopal Church, Alamogordo Rev. Terry Lund, Unity, Las Cruces Rev. Cheri Lyon, El Pueblito United Methodist Church, Taos Rev. Gail Lindsey Marriner, Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Santa Fe Rev. Judith Maynard, Metropolitan Community Church, Albuquerque Rev. Dr. John Paul McGarey, First Presbyterian Church, Raton Rev. Liz McMaster, Unitarian Universalist, Retired, Albuquerque Rev. Linda Mervine, Retired, Disciples of Christ and United Church of Christ, Las Cruces Rev. Dr. Stephen J. Miller, Retired, Disciples of Christ Pastor, Albuquerque Rev. Silvia Miller-Mutia, Episcopal Church, Albuquerque Rev. Rebecca Morgan, United Church of Christ and Namaste House, Farmington Carol Morrison, Board Chair, Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Silver City Rev. Janet Norden, United Methodist Church, Albuquerque Fr. Mike Olsen, Retired, Episcopal Church, Taos Rev. Richard Parker, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A) The Rev. Scott D Penrod, Retired, New Mexico United Methodist Clergy, Albuquerque Marlene Perrotte, Religious Sister of Mercy, Albuquerque Rev. Amy Pospichal, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Tucumcari Rev. Roger Scott Powers, Pastor, St. Andrew Presbyterian Church, Albuquerque Rick Proctor, Board President and the members of the UU Fellowship of Otero County Rev. Milton Propp, United Methodist Church, Retired, Albuquerque Rev. Susan Joan Quass, Member at Large, Presbytery of Santa Fe, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Albuquerque Fr. Francis Quintana, Blessed Oscar Romero Catholic Community, Albuquerque Rev. William C. Renfro, retired, United Methodist Church, Albuquerque Rev. Kylie Renner, One Center for Spiritual Living, Albuquerque Rev. Maxim Rice, United Methodist Church, Retired, Albuquerque Rev. Breonna T. Roberts, Campus Pastor, Lutheran Campus Ministry at UNM and CNM, Albuquerque Rev. Catherine Robinson, Member at Large, Presbytery of Santa Fe, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Albuquerque Rev. Christine Robinson, Retired, First Unitarian Church of Albuquerque Rev. Warren Robinson, AME Church, Alamogordo Rev. David Wilson Rogers, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Carlsbad Rabbi Harry Rosenfeld, Congregation Albert, Albuquerque Rev. Richard Safford, Retired, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Angel Fire Rev. Pamela Shepherd, Taos United Community Church Rabbi Dr. Jack Shlachter, Congregation HaMakom, Santa Fe Rev. Willard Lee Steinsiek, United Methodist Church, Bernalillo Rev. Virginia Stephenson, Spiritual Community of St. Mary Magdalene, Albuquerque Rev. Richard Stoops, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Retired, Albuquerque Rev. Dr. Leona Stucky-Abbott, D.Min., AAPC Diplomate, LPCC, Santa Fe Rev. Carol Tuck, Retired, United Methodist Church, Las Cruces Rev. Stephanie Urban, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Albuquerque Rev. M. Catherine Volland, Rector, St. Bede’s Episcopal Church, Santa Fe Pastor Steve Wiard, Retired, United Methodist Church, Taos Rev. Robert Williams, Presbyterian (U.S.A.), Retired, Roswell Rev. H. Blaine Wimberly, Zia United Methodist Church, Santa Fe Todd Wynward, Mennonite Minister, Taos, NM