On February 25, 2022, Interfaith Alliance joined over 130 faith-based and civil rights organizations in calling on the Senate to pass the Women’s Health Protection Act (WHPA) into law. The House passed WHPA on September 24, 2021, moving one step closer to instituting a nationwide safeguard against medically unnecessary abortion bans and restrictions.

For nearly three decades, Interfaith Alliance has led the fight for an inclusive vision of religious freedom that protects people of all faiths and none. Our commitment to this basic right demands that we speak out against threats to religious freedom, no matter the circumstance. Since the Roe v. Wade decision in 1973, states have enacted over 1,300 abortion restrictions, including more than 100 in 2021 alone. And this spring the Supreme Court will render a decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, directly challenging the constitutional right to decide whether and when to terminate a pregnancy as a matter of privacy.

Various religious traditions approach matters of healthcare differently and people of all faiths and none seek comprehensive reproductive services, including abortion, every year. Rather than face onerous barriers due to their economic status, employment status, or zip code, the Women’s Health Protection Act would ensure that each person can make decisions about abortion led by their own circumstances, faith, or beliefs. It would also protect the religious freedom of individual health care providers seeking to administer quality care to their patients and enable providers to deliver abortion services free from burdensome restrictions designed to impede access rather than improve patient health. 

Across tradition and practice “we believe in compassion, justice, and dignity for all,” write the signers, “compelling us to speak out for social justice and the right of every person to access comprehensive, affordable, and equitable reproductive health care.” Read the full letter. 

Reproductive freedom is a matter of religious freedom. Learn more about our commitment to ensuring that every person can make healthcare decisions consistent with their own beliefs and needs.