Fall 2002

Because It Is Does Not Mean It Is Meant To Be

In a sermon commemorating the 29^th anniversary of Roe v. Wade in January 2002, Carolyn Bohler, professor of pastoral theology and counseling, United Theological Seminary in Dayton, OH, challenges the idea that whatever happens is meant to be. At the event co-sponsored by Planned Parenthood of the Greater Miami Valley (Dayton, OH), Professor Bohler said, "Very often, when we believe that everything that is, should be, we are believing in a God that makes things happen — sort of like a potter, with us the clay, or a puppeteer, with us as the puppets. We drop ourselves out of the loop of responsibility and assume that . . . humans simply adjust to what God makes happen. Or, without a belief in God, some think that 'fate' makes things happen, and again, we're out of the loop of responsibility."

Following interesting discourses on Queen Esther and Vashti in the Purim story, Jesus' parable about the sower's seed, and the parable of Jesus in the Gospel of Thomas, Rev. Bohler suggested that there can be a "No" as well as a "Yes" response to the question of whether any particular outcome is "meant to be." The following excerpts from her sermon show how she expounded on this theme with respect to decisions about our reproductive lives.

"Let us consider a fertilized ovum. Is any particular one meant to be a fetus, then a child? Or is any particular one not meant to be, or . . . better off, all things considered, not to develop into a child? Can we assume either one of these alternatives without knowing much more about the whole context?

• What is its health?
• What is the health of the woman? The man?
• What other life projects do the woman and man have, and how are these important to the world? Are there other children?
• What are the ages of the woman and man?
• What security and resources can they and their community offer a child?
• What is the circumstance of the families, extended families, community, and world? . . . .

"There is nothing abstract about making choices with regard to birthing, adopting, or aborting. These are life's choices. The more we realize our responsibility from the very beginning for any potential pregnancy, the better.

"We can educate ourselves and others not to get into a situation in which one says to the other (even when married), 'Let's just have sex and see what is meant to be.' No. What is meant to be may be deciding 'yes,' but it may be deciding 'no.'

"We can educate ourselves and others not to assume that the failure of responsibly used birth control that results in a pregnancy proves that a 'child' was meant to be.

"We can educate ourselves and others to grasp that pregnancy resulting from rape and incest is very likely not meant to be.

"We cannot know with certainty that anything is definitely meant to be or meant not to be. We can pray; we can try very hard to grasp guidance; we can use community discernment. But, finally, we face the ambiguity that either choice may possibly be the wise one, even the one most desired by God, given all the circumstances. This is a much more complex philosophy than assuming that whatever is, is meant to be. But it is a philosophy that recognizes the complexity of life. ...

"Life is beautifully and dangerously ambiguous — it's for people with a grown-up sense of responsibility, for people who can consider consequences — even consequences for the earth and its potential inhabitants.

"Fortunately, we humans can be wise and responsible (though, we can also be irresponsible and foolish). Also, fortunately, we are not alone. We have each other to help us discern what to do. And, many of us believe we have Divine Wisdom that helps us in the confusing times — both personal and political."

Planned Parenthood Affiliates of Washington State Appoint a Chaplain

The appointment of the Reverend Monica Corsaro, a Methodist minister, as chaplain to Planned Parenthood Affiliates of Washington State in January, the first statewide chaplain in Planned Parenthood history, did not go unnoticed. The local press ran the story, which prompted a flurry of requests for interviews and appearances on talk shows, not all of which were friendly. And the June issue of Lifewatch, published by a group of anti-choice United Methodists, cited Rev. Corsaro's appointment as another justification for their campaign to overturn official Methodist doctrine, which supports a legal right to choose an abortion.

Reverend Corsaro has borne all of this with grace and charm.

As state chaplain, Rev. Corsaro is responsible for organizing groups of supportive clergy across Washington to become advocates for Planned Parenthood. These clergy provide a spiritual and religious perspective on the consequences of public policies that affect reproductive rights and sexual health. In addition, Rev. Corsaro provides training for clergy who wish to provide counseling to patients.

Rev. Corsaro is new to the staff, but she is not new to Planned Parenthood or to the cause of reproductive rights — a passion since college. After receiving her degree from the Iliff Divinity School in Colorado in 1994, she arrived in Spokane to take up her first position. Before long, she joined the board of the local Planned Parenthood affiliate and chaired its clergy advisory board. In 1997, she was off to Seattle, and three years later, in addition to her pastoral duties, she became the director for the Washington State Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice. Today, she is also an activist in the city of Seattle for the homeless and disenfranchised.

In an interview with the Seattle Times, Rev. Corsaro stated, "It's important for Planned Parenthood to have someone on staff who can speak as a person of faith, speaking from her faith, and for people of faith." Rev. Corsaro demonstrates once again that, contrary to what the opposition would have the public believe, the Planned Parenthood mission and programs do, in fact, reflect the faith traditions millions of Americans.

Minister Makes The Case For Comprehensive Sexuality Education

The Reverend Jack McKinney, pastor of the Pullen Memorial Baptist Church in Raleigh, NC, recently expressed his concern about the state of sexuality education in his local county. (In North Carolina the local school district determines the content of sexuality education.)

In an op-ed for the local newspaper,The News and Observer, Rev. McKinney said the decision by both the Roman Catholic Church and the Boy Scouts of America to purge gay men from their ranks as a way to "protect" the young in their care has implications for the failure of the Wake county school system to provide a comprehensive sexuality education curriculum. Rev. McKinney observed, "[O]ur children are being told one thing: don't have sex until you get married .... And if that is what passes for education these days, I can understand why people are mixed up about homosexuality and pedophilia."

Rev. McKinney noted, "The most trusted medical and scientific institutions in our nation recommend sexuality education that includes age-appropriate and medically accurate information about abstinence and contraception. But we don't have that in Wake County. We have a strict abstinence-based curriculum that is driven by conservative religious values, has no track record of success and ignores the complicated and frightening realities in which our children live.

"As they try to navigate a tidal wave of difficult choices and confusing messages, we are throwing our kids a surfboard and telling them to ride it out until they get married."

He went on to describe the basic elements of a responsible sexuality education curriculum and insisted that it must be "real public health education and not religious doctrine masquerading as such."

Adding a personal note, he stated, "I am a parent of two children . . . . I care deeply about the moral development of my kids. Our schools have a role to play in encouraging that moral development, but it must not come at the expense of their education. The stakes are too high and the penalties too great for us to confine our message to 'just say no.' "

Ed. Note: Rev. McKinney has endorsed the PPFA Clergy Advisory Board statement on sexuality education.

Clergy Shine At The Planned Parenthood Federation Of America 2002 Annual Conference

The Interfaith Prayer Breakfast Draws a Crowd

PPFA President Gloria Feldt remarked that she could not think of a better way to celebrate the PPFA Vision for 2025 and its promise of hope for humanity than by devoting the annual conference interfaith prayer breakfast to an affirmation of the inextricable link between our spirituality and our sexuality. After hearing his discourse on "Sex and the Sacred," it is difficult to think of any person better equipped than Dr. Daniel C. Maguire to demonstrate that link. And no one else could have brought his combination of Irish humor and incisive intellect to the task.

Dr. Maguire is the founder of the Religious Consultation on Population, Reproductive Health and Ethics, a professor of ethics in the Department of Theology at Marquette University in Milwaukee, WI, and a member of the PPFA Clergy Advisory Board. His latest book, Sacred Choices: The Right to Contraception and Abortion in Ten World Religions, explodes the poisonous myth that the world's religions oppose a woman's right to reproductive freedom.

In his talk, Dr. Maguire reviewed the history of the faith traditions that have played a role in the discomfort that far too many of us have with sexuality and sex. His description of sex as a natural liturgy, a sacred ritual, was pure poetry. It provided the essential components of a sexual ethic for the 21st century by demonstrating that good sex and healthy spirituality share the same attributes of respect, justice, hope, and joy.

The prayer breakfast also featured the inaugural presentation of The Reverends Davis Distinguished Service Award to a member of the clergy who best represents the dedication of the Reverend Tom Davis and his late wife, the Reverend Betsy Morgan Davis, to the advancement of reproductive rights and to the Planned Parenthood mission and programs. Conferring the award also provided an opportunity to honor Rev. Davis with a richly deserved and obviously heartfelt standing ovation.

The Reverend Dr. George T. Gardner, formerly senior minister, College Hill United Methodist Church, Wichita, KS, was named the first recipient of the Davis Award. For more than 30 years, Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid-Missouri (PPKM) has benefited from his wisdom and counsel. As an affiliate board member with 14 years of service, he spearheaded the opening of a clinic site serving a community that, at the time, had the highest teen pregnancy rate in the state. As an educator, he works with a coalition of clergy, PPKM, and local school officials to institute medically accurate sexuality education in Wichita schools. As an advocate, he has testified before the Kansas state legislature on many occasions, written countless letters, and met with the governor and other state officials.

Following the siege of Wichita by Operation Rescue in 1991 and despite harassment and intimidation, Rev. Gardner organized Kansas Religious Leaders for Choice. When Rev. "Flip Benham" returned 10 years later, Kansas pro-choice clergy were ready to counter the voices of religious intolerance and hatred.

The large crowd of energetic Planned Parenthood folk, who had gotten up early following a day of lobbying and an evening of merry making at the honors banquet, gave the breakfast an enthusiastic thumbs up. Sam Felder, who, as a youth representative, serves as secretary of the board of Planned Parenthood Heart of Illinois, said how refreshing it was to hear religion and sex discussed in such a critical and honest way. Planned Parenthood of Nassau County (NY) board member Betsy Blattmachr had found the idea of a Planned Parenthood prayer breakfast incongruous until she heard Dan Maguire. "The way he linked spirituality and sexuality," she said, "affirms my strong belief in the work we do." Amen!

Clergy Visit The Hill

Prior to the opening of the annual conference, a number of the clergy attended the PPFA Public Policy Summit where they learned about the challenges that lie ahead on reproductive health issues and sexuality education.The next day 25 clergy, each of whom occupies a leadership position in his or her affiliate, joined their affiliate delegations to visit representatives in Congress, as part of the PPFA Congressional Day of Action. Rev. David McFarlane, board member of Planned Parenthood of Western Pennsylvania and brand new member of the PPFA Clergy Advisory Board, reported how surprised his member of Congress was to learn that clergy are active supporters of Planned Parenthood.

A number of clergy also participated in a press conference announcing the introduction of the Compassionate Care for Sexual Assault Survivors Act, a bill requiring emergency rooms to provided emergency contraception to survivors of sexual assault. The Reverend Joanne Sizoo, Planned Parenthood Cincinnati Region board member and member of the PPFA Pro-Choice Religious Network, commented afterward that she intended to find out about the practices in emergency rooms in Cincinnati just as soon as she returned home.

PPFA Clergy Advisory Board Makes Plans

More than 30 members of the clergy gathered for the Clergy Advisory Board meeting, which is held at each annual conference. Most of the meeting was devoted to a discussion of this year's major project — a statement on sexual ethics, which is intended to contribute to the realization of Goal One of the Planned Parenthood Vision for 2025. That's the one that states, "Planned Parenthood will ensure that sexuality is understood as an essential, lifelong aspect of being human and that it is celebrated with respect, openness, and mutuality." The Reverend William Levering, pastor of the Summit Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia and member of the PPFA Clergy Advisory Board and of the clergy group of Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania, agreed to chair the committee that will develop the paper.

PPFA was pleased to be able to offer partial scholarships to enable a number of clergy to attend the annual conference as a way of recognizing their support of reproductive rights and their dedicated service to their affiliates and to the entire Planned Parenthood family.

More Than Prayer

Oregon Clergy Learn The 3 Rs

Not the 3 Rs they learned in school, these RRR^® refer to the Advocates for Youth (AFY) Rights, Respect, Respectability^® initiative. This national, long-term campaign seeks a new vision of adolescent sexual health in a society where adolescents are valued; scientific research, not religious doctrine, drives public health policy; and sexuality is viewed as a normal and healthy part of being human, of being a teen, of being alive. Planned Parenthood Health Services of Southwestern Oregon (PPHSSO) is taking the lead in bringing this message to community leaders throughout the state. (For more on RRR, visit this Web site: http://www.advocatesforyouth.org/rrr/, and also visit the PPHSSO RRR Web site: http://www.wecandobetter.org/. It is this kind of an effort that will help to advance Goal One of the Planned Parenthood Vision 2025.

After the launch of the RRR initiative in Oregon last year, PPHSSO collaborated with its two Clergy for Responsible Sexual Choices groups to take the RRR's message to the religious community by organizing a series of Faith Community Leadership Forums. The purpose of the forums is to educate clergy and lay religious leaders about the needs and challenges that Oregon youth face with regard to sexuality, discuss what the state of Oregon is and is not doing about these issues, share the RRR's vision, and invite and support the development of teams to work within their congregations to nurture healthy sexuality.

Thanks to the personal efforts of the members of the two PPHSSO clergy groups, 144 representatives from 40 diverse congregations have attended the two forums that have been held thus far. A highlight was a report on a study tour of France, Germany, and the Netherlands sponsored by AFY. A group of community leaders, including the Reverend Paul B. Robinson, PPHSSO board member and chair of one of the affiliate clergy groups, participated and had an opportunity to learn, firsthand, about the strategies that have worked in these three countries to prevent teen pregnancy and the spread of sexually transmitted infections.

Forum participants received an implementation manual with materials to help them educate and mobilize their congregations to gather support for the RRR initiative. In the four months following the initial leadership forums, three churches have taken the first steps to implement various parts of the initiative. To learn more about the Oregon RRR program, call Joanne Alba or Mary Gossart at PPHSSO.

New Board Chair Raises Public Awareness about Clergy Support for Planned Parenthood and Money for His Affiliate

Rabbi Barry Block, senior rabbi of Temple Beth-El in San Antonio, became chair of Planned Parenthood of San Antonio and South Central Texas (PPSASCT) at the beginning of this year. Subsequently, a local newspaper took that occasion to run a feature-length article about the history of clergy support for the affiliate since its founding more than 60 years. The article pointed out that Rabbi Block and the other clergy who serve on the affiliate board, the Reverends Elizabeth McGregor Simmons and Karen Vannoy, all believe that it's worth the risk of taunts, and even physical harm, to support Planned Parenthood's efforts to provide health care to those who often have no other place to go and to ensure that every child can be wanted and loved.

The newspaper reported that, despite a long history of religious support for Planned Parenthood, Rabbi Block noted, "There's this idea . . . that Planned Parenthood is anti-religion or that God doesn't like Planned Parenthood." To demonstrate that "we're not doing the devil's work here," Rabbi Block and other board members, along with affiliate staff, conducted tours for state and local officials who serve the affiliate's 28-county service delivery area. One official said how surprised he was to learn that Planned Parenthood provides such a wide array of services, and he hailed the affiliate as an important source of health care for women in the greater San Antonio area.

One definite "do not" when educating and mobilizing members of the religious community is to ask clergy for money for anything. But that does not rule out building a fundraiser around clergy. And that is exactly what PPSASCT did. More than 150 donors, legislators, and friends celebrated Rabbi Block's new position as PPSASCT chair with a special reception that netted $18,000. It was a fitting tribute to the affiliate and to a man who has devoted so much time and energy to Planned Parenthood because, as Rabbi Block says, "[PPSASCT] saves lives every day." As always, the entire Planned Parenthood family is grateful to clergy like Rabbi Block who stand up and proclaim, as he does, ". . . I am passionately pro-choice because as an American I do not think my faith or any other religion should dictate the law of the land in this matter."

PPFA Clergy Advisory Board Members Hit the Road

Thanks to the Planned Parenthood family, Dr. Daniel C. Maguire has not been spending much time at home in Milwaukee. To help promote the Sacred Choices Initiative, his effort to change the international discourse on abortion and contraception, Dr. Maguire will have visited more than 25 Planned Parenthood affiliates to appear at a variety of events and spoken at two PPFA events by the end of next March. In addition, he has addressed the International Federation of Obstetricians and Gynecologists in Brazil, participated in the Society of Christian Ethicists conference in Vancouver, and appeared before the staff of Congressional Pro-Choice Caucus at the invitation of the chair.

Sacred Choices has already encouraged affiliates to spread its message. A letter from the Planned Parenthood: Shasta-Diablo's clergy group urged a local official, as someone with the power to make policy decisions affecting our communities, to be aware that Sacred Choices demonstrates that, contrary to the popular perception, the world's religions are not hostile to sex education, equal rights for women, and birth control.

In addition, the Reverend Joanne Sizoo was so excited when she read the book that she did a presentation about it to her fellow board members at Planned Parenthood Cincinnati Region.

The Reverend Mark Pawlowski, executive director and CEO of Planned Parenthood of South Central Michigan in Kalamazoo, took a trip to Lansing. He testified against a bill to impose a statewide version of the global gag rule that would deprive Planned Parenthood affiliates in the state of any government funds for family planning. Rev. Pawlowski reports the local Right to Life Committee (RTL) was the guiding force behind the bill and that they were really rattled by all the clergy who showed up to protest. Regrettably, the RTL was successful, and the bill takes effect next spring.

PPFA Clergy Advisory Board Chair The Reverend Tom Davis took a trip down the Hudson River this spring to help Planned Parenthood of Mid-Hudson Valley (PPMHV) get its brand new clergy group off the ground. Daria R. Zepko, volunteer coordinator at PPMHV, reported that 10 clergy attended and that there was a lively discussion following Rev. Davis' remarks about the history of clergy support for Planned Parenthood and the vital role that clergy can play in getting the message out that most faith traditions support reproductive freedom. Daria said that another meeting is planned for the fall. She noted that with the help of a very energetic board member, the Reverend Todd Hensley-Weir, pastor of the Poughkeepsie Congregational Church — United Church of Christ, the affiliate is committed to spending the time necessary to build a group of supportive clergy.

Statement On Sexuality Education Draws Wide Support

Last fall, the PPFA Clergy Advisory Board completed a statement on comprehensive, as opposed to abstinence-only, sexuality education (see Clergy Voices, October 2001). Note that the federal guidelines on abstinence-only education require, among other things, that if young people are instructed about contraception, they can be told only that it fails. The PPFA Clergy Advisory Board believes that young people should be encouraged to be abstinent, not ignorant.

The board has issued statements on other issues, but the sexuality education statement marks the first attempt to gather individual endorsements from members of the faith community. To date close to 1,400 clergy and lay religious leaders from all over the country have signed the statement, along with four religious groups: the Central Conference of American Rabbis; the Justice & Witness Ministries, United Church of Christ; the United Church of Christ Coalition for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Concerns; and the Unitarian Universalist Ministers Association.

Already the statement has been put to good use. In April, it was placed in the record of a House committee hearing on the reauthorization of the abstinence-only education provisions of the 1996 welfare reform act. In June, it was distributed to staff members of the Senate Democratic Policy Committee. The ACLU also requested it, in connection with a successful suit against state officials in Louisiana. These officials had distributed federal funds to faith-based institutions to provide abstinence-only education, but some recipients included religious messages in their instruction. One went so far as to fund prayer vigils at abortion clinics.

The sexuality education statement is generic. It is not designed to support a specific piece of legislation. Therefore, with slight modifications, it should be useful at the state and local as well as the federal levels. Accordingly, the effort to enlist support from religious leaders for the statement is continuing. If you have already endorsed the statement, many thanks. If not, please visit this Web address:Clergy Voices October 2001 where you can read the statement and sign it, if you wish. Your support is critical and will be greatly appreciated.