This commentary is by Rev. Joan Javier-Duval of Montpelier, a Unitarian Universalist minister.
I am an ordained Unitarian Universalist minister, and I support the Reproductive Liberty Amendment (Prop 5), a proposed amendment to the Vermont Constitution that would protect every Vermonter’s right to make their own reproductive decisions.
Within the past month, I have heard from friends and loved ones living in Vermont and elsewhere who have experienced the broad array of joys and sorrows that go along with reproductive choices and realities.
For one same-sex couple, it’s the good news of a long-awaited baby born with the support of fertility treatments.
For a friend, it’s the sadness of miscarrying early in her pregnancy and navigating her health care options in the aftermath of that loss.
For another couple, it’s the difficult decision to abort a fetus after prenatal testing revealed an adverse health prognosis.
Each day, people in all corners of our state face questions and decisions like these about their reproductive health. My faith affirms that bodily autonomy is foundational to human dignity and self-determination. I believe that every person has a right to have or not have children, to raise one’s children in safe and healthy environments, and to be free from oppression or shame in living out one’s sexuality.
Every person ought to be able to make decisions about their bodies and access health care according to their beliefs and values.
When my son was 5 years old, my spouse and I got pregnant a second time. After eight weeks, the embryo stopped growing and I did not carry that pregnancy through its full development. Instead, I was able to use my own sacred conscience, the consultation of my doctor and spouse, and the stirrings of my own heart to make the painful decision to have that miscarried pregnancy removed from my body.
How grateful I am that I had that choice, as heartbreaking as it was to make.
No matter your age, gender, religion, race, sexuality, or how much money you have in your bank account, we all have the right to make important decisions about our lives, our futures, and our bodies. With these very rights under attack in every corner of the country, the Reproductive Liberty Amendment is critically important to upholding our freedom and dignity.