The Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice (RCRC) teamed up with Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan Washington (PPMW) to see that it’s newest clinic properly blessed.
Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Jewish, and secular leaders gathered earlier this month to bring their unique blessings, prayers, and testimonies on the importance of bodily autonomy.
“Having a group of interfaith clergy perform a ceremony focused on unity and wholeness therefore takes on special meaning to empower and celebrate rather than to stigmatize, control and dehumanize. Having such a ceremony take place at this moment in history is especially powerful for us as we seek to mobilize our communities of different faiths to come together to affirm and support the reproductive freedoms we cherish and have fought so hard to achieve.”
-Dr Laura Meyers, President & CEO, PPMW
With an emboldened conservative power, it was of utmost importance that this event was kept a secret until the day way over. On November 27, 2015, a mass shooting occurred in a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado Springs, Colorado, resulting in the deaths of three people and injuries to nine. Policy wise, President Trump has already reinstated Reagan’s global gag rule, which prohibits US birth control funding in other parts of the world. Simultaneously, steps have been taken to include women in the military draft. This blessing set to affirm autonomy in freedom at a time when women seem to be getting stripped of it by the day.
What is perhaps most important, and often overlooked, is the attention that was drawn to the unique struggles faced by women of color, Muslims, and LGBTQ women in this country. The Reverend Doctors Dennis and Christine Wiley led the ceremony. Pastors at the inclusive Covenant Baptist United Church in Southeast DC, both emphasized the importance of all feminists owning their role in the civil rights movement.
“As a progressive Womanist Christian who is concerned about wholeness in the community, especially for those who are marginalized and disenfranchised, my task is to do what Jesus did, to meet people where they are with love and understanding, and bring healing and freedom to them.”
-Rev. Dr. Christine Wiley, Pastor, Covenant UCC
The blessing was as joyous as it was upholding. The all-female Afro-Brazilian drumline Batala Washington created a vibrant echo of percussion through the halls as people arrived. An anonymous Texas native gave her testimony of the trials she faced when she needed an abortion. The Hindu pujari (priest) blessed literally every corner of the facility. Covenant’s dance leader brought many to tears with her performance. In short, RCRC’s Clinic Blessing was a soul lifting experience for all who attended…myself included.