Community updates (6/29/22)
Supreme Court Dobbs ruling overturning Roe v Wade:
Dear Ones,
Although I am on sabbatical, I wanted to be in touch with you on last week’s Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe v Wade. First of all, I want to acknowledge that the choice to have - or not have - an abortion is a complex moral, ethical and emotional issue. It is a deeply personal issue with far reaching, permanent effects on a woman and her family and loved ones - regardless of which choice is made. There are risks and significant costs to both having an abortion and also to gestating and delivering a child, whether that child remains with the birth mother or not. This is also an issue about which there is great division, in our country and in churches.
The Episcopal Church upholds access to equitable healthcare, including reproductive procedures, as part of a woman’s "right to assert her worth and dignity as a human being." The Episcopal Church also unequivocally opposes any legislation or judicial action that would "abridge the right of a woman to reach an informed decision [about the termination of pregnancy]…or that would limit the access of a woman to safe means of acting on her decision.” Our Presiding Bishop has written a statement about this, explaining The Episcopal Church’s official position, which you can read here.
The Dobbs decision has now thrown this issue to the state legislatures. Although, for now, abortion remains legal in almost half the states, there are millions of women who now will need to travel sometimes great distances to access the procedure. There is also no guarantee about whether additional states will impose legal bans. The banning of abortions will not stop abortions; we know this from the dark days before Roe v Wade when women secretly went to unhealthy places to receive unsafe abortions, often at great personal sacrifice - including death.
Additionally, these bans will place - as so often happens - the greatest financial, psychological, and physical burden on poor women. In the US, women of color are many times more likely to be poor than white women. Poor women’s lack of access to health insurance, prenatal care, and good labor, delivery, and neonatal services already places a greater burden upon them. The maternal mortality rate in the US ranks worst among industrialized countries and is higher for poor women here. This is the context within which the Dobbs decision needs to be considered, and this inequality is a moral issue and an issue of justice.
Personally, I am deeply saddened by and worried about the effects of the Dobbs decision. My heart is broken to see that after 50 years of precedent, the high court can remove previously decided constitutional rights from us, especially when a majority of US Americans believe this is a right. I am also worried about Justice Clarence Thomas’ official statement that landmark Supreme Court rulings that established gay rights and contraception rights should be reconsidered. The specific cases to which he referred include: married couples have the right to obtain contraceptives (1965), adults have the right to engage in private sexual acts (2003), and the right to same-sex marriage (2015). New cases challenging these rights can be brought before this Supreme Court, who may well overturn them, returning women and LGBTQIA+ people to second class status. In God’s eyes, there are no second class people.
Regardless of our individual stance on this issue, I hope that we at ECA and The Episcopal Church at large can continue to be places of love and compassion where women and their families can turn in times of deep, heart-wrenching decisions to be made. I hope that we, as people of God, will be in deep prayer over this issue, seeking the Spirit’s guidance for the ways we are called to work for justice, dignity, and equality for all people.
Blessings,
Shelley+
Shelley will be finishing her sabbatical and taking some vacation from June 13 through July 23. The Rev. Canon John Saville and his wife, Kathleen, will once again be here to cover her time away. They will be living in the rectory and Fr. John will be presiding and preaching at the 10:45am service each Sunday (there will be no 7:30am service during this time, due to lack of attendees. The 7:30am service will begin again when Shelley returns). Fr. John will also attend meetings and take care of any pastoral needs. You may call him directly or call Senior Warden Nancy Romer if you have need of pastoral care.
Wednesday Night Discussion Group is on vacation until the Fall. It will return in mid-September as a book study group.
Thursday Morning Bible Study is also on vacation until Thursday, July 28th from 10-11:30am on Zoom.
Backyard Fellowship Hike and Lunch- Saturday, July 16 from 10 AM to 2 PM.
This time the “Backyard” is our church. Hikers meet at the church at 10 AM and we will walk the Los Alamitos Trail to Almaden Lake and back to church for lunch. This is an easy level walk which you can go as far as you are comfortable and turn around anytime you like. Want to just join in the fun for lunch? Meet us on the church patio at 12 noon. Everyone brings their own lunch and beverage. Hikers can put their bag lunches in the church refrig while we are hiking. And for an extra special treat, how about ice cream sundaes for dessert. There’s plenty of ice cream on hand for a crowd. Check the ECA bulletin board to sign up and for more details.
Confirmation Class begins Sun, July 24 and runs through Sun, August 21 from 9-10:15am in the Learning Center, downstairs. This 5-week class is open to everyone, but if you want to be Confirmed or Received into The Episcopal Church by the Bishop during her annual visitation, you will need to take this preparation class. It is a good foundation for who we are as Episcopalians, what we believe, where we came from, etc.
-Shelley