Religious leaders sue to overturn Missouri abortion ban

January 19 (UPI) — A coalition of 13 religious leaders filed a lawsuit Thursday to overturn Missouri’s abortion ban, saying the ban unconstitutionally imposes one narrow religious doctrine on all Missourians and violates the separation of church and state.

The lawsuit is filed over the 50th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade ruling, which guaranteed the right to abortion until it was overturned last year.

The plaintiffs are thirteen clergy from six different denominations, represented by Americans United for Separation of Church and State, the National Women’s Law Center (NWLC) and the law firm Arnold & Porter.

“Missourians have the absolute right to live free from the religious dictates of others.” the trial begins. “The Missouri Constitution protects this right by guaranteeing a strict separation of church and state. But this fundamental guarantee of religious freedom for all is under threat: in a decades-long crusade against access to abortion, government officials have used their religious beliefs to control organs and deny the autonomy of women and anyone who can conceive, endangering their health, life and future. “.

The clergy plaintiffs alleged in the lawsuit that Missouri’s abortion ban violates the separation of church and state, and the lawsuit asked the court to rule that the abortion ban provisions “are unconstitutional religious ordinances that cannot be enforced.”

“My God is a God of choice. At the United Church of Christ, we believe that God has ordained people autonomy over their lives and bodies, and the right to make difficult decisions, including whether or not to have an abortion.” said the Reverend Tracy Blackmonassociation of ministers of justice and local church ministries of the United Church of Christ.

“The people of this state have stated loud and clear in their Constitution that each of us has the right to decide for ourselves what to believe and practice when it comes to matters of faith,” the lawsuit says. “By adopting and enforcing the disputed provisions, legislators have imposed their preferred religious doctrine on all, compelling the citizens and taxpayers of this state to finance the establishment of that doctrine and to obey it, regardless of their own faith and belief, and regardless of the resulting serious harm to those who seek help. in connection with the abortion.

Missouri bans abortions except for medical emergencies. Medical professionals who perform abortions can be put in jail for 5-15 years and lose their medical licenses.

Thirteen religious leaders suing Missouri:

  • Rev. Tracy Blackmon of the United Church of Christ
  • Rev. Barbara Phifer, United Methodist Minister
  • Maharat Rory Picker Neiss, Executive Director of the St. Louis Jewish Community Relations Council
  • Rev. Molly Housh Gordon of the Unitarian Universalist Church
  • The Most Reverend Bishop Deon K. Johnson, Eleventh Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Missouri
  • Rabbi James Bennet of St. Louis
  • Rev. Holly McKissick of Peace Church United Church of Christ
  • Rev. Christa Toews. Minister for Congregational Life at Eliot’s Unitarian Chapel
  • Rev. Cynthia S. Bamb of the United Church of Christ.
  • Rabbi Susan Talve of the Central Reformed Congregation in St. Louis
  • Rabbi Andrea Goldstein of Congregation Shaare Emet
  • Reverend Janice Barnes
  • Rabbi Douglas Alpert of Kol Ami Congregation

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