Frances Kissling is a 2007/8 Fellow at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University where she is working on a book on ethics and abortion as well as publishing essays on current controversies in reproductive health and rights and feminism. She is currently a member of the board of Catolicas por el derecho a decider, Mexico, Ibis Reproductive Health, Change and the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, the editorial advisory board of Reproductive Health Matters, the technical review boards of IPPF's Safe Abortion Fund and the Eurongos Small Grants Fund and the advisory board of the Women's Bioethics Project. She has served on the boards of the International Women's Health Coalition, Guttmacher Institute, and SIECUS and is one of three founders of the Global Fund for Women. Over her 38 years of work in the field of reproductive rights, Frances has been the director of several abortion clinics in the US and helped develop abortion services in Italy, Austria and Mexico. She was a founder and the first executive director of the National Abortion Federation. For 25 years she served as the president of Catholics for a Free Choice.
Kissling is a prolific writer, having co authored with Ellen Frankfurt, Rosie The Investigation of a Wrongful Death, contributed chapters in 8 books on reproduction and/or religion and produced over 120 articles, book reviews and op-eds for periodicals as diverse as the Journal of Feminist Studies in Religion, The New York Times, LA Times, SF Chronicle, Salon.com, The Nation, O Globo (Brazil), Debate Feminista (Mexico), Gazeta Wyborcza (Poland). Kissling has worked extensively in Latin America on reproductive health issues and lectured and conducted workshops in 35 countries.
The President seems unaware of the fact that Catholics who matter have disagreed with the Vatican’s current prohibition on contraception. Catholics, including institutions within the Catholic community, are free to follow their conscience on contraception. It is not up to the Obama administration to decide what action is more “Catholic” on the matter of contraception.
Is the pro-choice movement doing enough to ensure access for poor women? Ask yourself what more you can do, and act on at least some of the recommendations included here.
Some of us think that a civil public dialogue on abortion based on values, facts and outcomes would result in better public policy and less tea party rage.
The Pope’s remarks on condoms have created an opening for a debate that up to now the church has wanted to avoid. Let’s take up the Pope’s remarks about sexuality as well as the basis of the opposition to contraception and kickstart that long overdue debate.
An upcoming conference on abortion was inspired by President Obama’s call for those on different sides of the issue not only to work together where we agree, but also to engage in “vigorous debate” with “open hearts, open minds, and fair minded words.”
Choice is a central component of the rational human being. It is especially important that we assert it for women whose choices are constrained by circumstances along with efforts to increase the circumstances that give women more choices.
Our biggest defeat since 1973 was enactment of the Hyde Amendment and the lack of an uncompromising commitment to overturning it. If nothing else, we must now make overturning Hyde the single objective of our movement.
Two hundred million women worldwide want to avoid pregnancy but lack access to contraception. Recent research suggests that filling this gap is a humane and cost-effective human rights and environmental strategy.
Faith groups now want to expand the Hyde Amendment so that everyone is denied coverage for abortion care even with private insurance, while the same groups are ignoring the exclusion of undocumented workers.
Before the congressional recess, moderate pro-life and
pro-choice leaders agreed both sides would not
seek provisions in healthcare reform to change the status quo on abortion. But the good will of the pro-choicers has not been met by pro-lifers.
