Faith Organizer Terry Williams interviews Faith Choice Ohio Executive Director Elaina Ramsey about her recent sabbatical and the spiritual foundation behind the systemic centering of people’s wellness over productivity.
Grounding the discussion in the spiritual roots of sabbatical in Jewish and Christian theology, Elaina and Terry draw direct connections between time spent resting and core pro-choice values in the fight for reproductive health, rights, and justice — including ways that good rest helps us all sustain the ongoing fight to put abortion rights on the ballot in Ohio in 2023.
From the Clergy Consultation Service on Abortion to the modern day struggle for intersectional reproductive freedom, religious voices have been at the forefront of fights that matter for generations. We’re here to amplify essential voices, tell stories that often go unheard, and lift up the holy and healing work of faithfully pro-choice activists like you.
Episodes
Friday Aug 04, 2023
Friday Aug 04, 2023
Faith Organizer Rev. Terry Williams welcomes special guest Jen Miller — executive director of the League of Women Voters of Ohio — for an in-depth discussion of the fiercely nonpartisan fight for democracy in Ohio’s August 8th Special Election. Jen and Terry explore why so many organizations throughout the state have endorsed a NO vote on Issue 1 in August, outlining what’s at stake if majority rule is eliminated in Ohio, and laying out the history of the more than 100-year-old right that Ohioans have to amend our constitution by majority vote at the ballot box — including how this right affects the faithfully pro-choice abortion justice work we love so much at Faith Choice Ohio!
Links to discussed content:
- League of Women Voters of Ohio: www.lwvohio.org
- Political, Not Partisan: Religious Organizations, Elections, and Abortion Justice: www.faithchoiceohio.org/blog/political-not-partisan-religious-organizations-elections-and-abortion-justice
- Proceedings of the 1912 Constitutional Convention in Ohio: www.supremecourt.ohio.gov/courts/judicial-system/supreme-court-of-ohio/mjc/interest/law-libr...
- 200+ organizations endorse a NO vote on August Issue 1 in Ohio: https://votenoinaugust.org/endorsements/
- Polling on August Issue 1 shows broad bipartisan opposition to the issue: www.cincinnati.com/story/news/politics/2023/07/19/ohio-issue-1-poll-finds-most-ohio-voters-o...
- Richard Uihlein (billionaire from Illinois) is footing the bill for more than 80% of the Issue 1 campaign: www.cleveland.com/news/2023/07/whos-paying-for-the-campaigns-for-and-against-state-issue-1-n...
- Ex-GOP Ohio speaker, lobbyist guilty in $60M bribery scheme: https://apnews.com/article/larry-householder-corruption-verdict-bribery-trial-ohio-30763b21fc02e62464c20a77609a63ac
Music by Korbin Jones
Thursday Jul 20, 2023
A Democracy If You Can Keep It: Why Ohioans Should Vote NO in August
Thursday Jul 20, 2023
Thursday Jul 20, 2023
Faith Organizers Kelley Fox and Rev. Terry Williams let it fly in this episode about Ohio’s special election in August, addressing everything from the intentional voter suppression tactics of Ohio’s legislature to the pandemic of Christian anti-intellectualism that is currently plaguing our body politic.
Clearly outlining why the August 8th special election is primarily about abortion access, Kelley and Terry make it plain by drawing the links between the rise of White Christian Nationalism and assaults on reproductive freedom — like Issue 1 in August.
Listen in for an earful about the “Vote NO in August” campaign and what you can do to keep defending reproductive health, rights, and justice in the Buckeye state.
Links to discussed content:
- Vote NO in August Campaign: https://votenoinaugust.org/
- Ohio banned August elections. Then the GOP planned one that could help preserve an abortion ban: www.nbcnews.com/politics/elections/ohio-banned-august-elections-gop-planned-one-help-preserve-abortion-ba-rcna85635
- Tiny Minority of Ohio Chamber of Commerce Board vote for Issue 1 Endorsement: www.cleveland.com/opinion/2023/07/disgusting-issue-1-surrender-by-tiny-board-minority-at-ohi...
- Cost of the August 8th Special Election: https://ohiocapitaljournal.com/2023/06/09/local-boards-of-election-stressed-by-lack-of-funding-in-st...
- Ohio voter ID requirements from ACLU Ohio: www.acluohio.org/en/how-vote-ohio
- An introduction to Christian Anti-Intellectualism: www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/the-wasting-of-the-evangelical-mind
- Faith Choice Ohio's Religion & Repro Training: www.faithchoiceohio.org/religion-and-repro-training
Music by Korbin Jones
Thursday Jun 29, 2023
One Year Since Dobbs: The Worst Part Is, Not Much Has Changed
Thursday Jun 29, 2023
Thursday Jun 29, 2023
Faith Organizers Kelley Fox and Rev. Terry Williams reflect on a year of wildness since the catastrophic Dobbs decision that destroyed the federal law protections of Roe v. Wade. Focusing on the continuing legal limbo experienced by anyone seeking abortion care in Ohio, Kelley and Terry draw attention to the large number of states that now outright ban abortion and address what life has been like in a destination state over the last year since Dobbs. They also share plenty of spicy takes on Ohio’s internal political hellscape, as well as a healthy dose of spirit-lifting pragmatism and unwavering faith in abortion seekers in the Buckeye state.
Links to discussed content:
- This Far by Faith: One Year After Roe: www.faithchoiceohio.org/blog/this-far-by-faith-one-year-after-roe
- A Faith-Rooted Response to the Dobbs Anti-Versary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CcAGyJlb9Hg
- Grounding Practices for the Journey (July 5th via Zoom): https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAvduCsrT0iH9TnLEYNnVu3blwvWZUFf7DO#/registration
- August 8th Special Election: What You Need to Know: https://votenoinaugust.org/vote/
- Restorative & Transformative Justice Book Club: https://www.faithchoiceohio.org/blog/building-safe-and-sustainable-communities-one-book-and-practice-at-a-time
- Reproductive Justice Book Club: https://www.faithchoiceohio.org/blog/reproductive-justice-book-club-preparing-for-the-struggles-ahead
Music by Korbin Jones
Friday Jun 02, 2023
Necessary Medical Care: Why We Need Abortion Access on the Ballot
Friday Jun 02, 2023
Friday Jun 02, 2023
Faith Organizer Terry Williams talks with Dr. Lauren Beene — executive director of Ohio Physicians for Reproductive Rights — about her whirlwind journey to joining the repro movement, encountering economic disparities in her pediatric practice, and why every day Ohioans like her are showing up for democracy building & reproductive freedom like never before.
Links to discussed content:
- Protect Choice Ohio: https://protectchoiceohio.com/join-us-ohio?utm_source=search&utm_medium=ohio&gclid=CjwKCAjwg-GjBhBnE...
- Ballot Initiative Text: https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/23686428/abortion-amendment-summary-and-text.pdf
- August 8th Special Election: www.npr.org/2023/05/25/1177921697/ohio-august-special-election-constitution-abortion-amendment
- Vote No In August (nonpartisan campaign): https://votenoinaugust.org/
- 'It Destroys Democracy': www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/may/23/ohio-abortion-rights-republican-ballot-super-majority
Music by Korbin Jones
Thursday May 18, 2023
Building the Movement: Stepping Into Our Values in Faith and the Legal Field
Thursday May 18, 2023
Thursday May 18, 2023
Faith Organizer Kelley Fox is joined by If/When/How's Senior Movement Building Director Jeryl Hayes to discuss the important work of moving hearts and minds to a better future for reproductive justice. Together, they discuss the work of finding common ground, even in the midst of institutions that have historically harmed the most marginalized.
Links to discussed content:
- If/When/How: Lawyering for Reproductive Justice: www.ifwhenhow.org/
- Self Managed Abortion in Good Faith: www.faithchoiceohio.org/self-managed-abortion-in-good-faith-training
- Restorative & Transformative Justice Training: www.faithchoiceohio.org/restorative-and-transformative-justice-training
- This is the Fight of Our Lives: www.faithchoiceohio.org/blog/this-is-the-fight-of-our-lives
- The First Birth Control Pill Used Puerto Rican Women as Guinea Pigs: https://www.history.com/news/birth-control-pill-history-puerto-rico-enovid
Music by Korbin Jones.
Friday May 05, 2023
To Tell the Truth: Legislative Lies & Grassroots Hope in the Buckeye State
Friday May 05, 2023
Friday May 05, 2023
Faith Organizers Kelley Fox and Terry Williams pull back the curtain on a proposed August special election, outlining how some Ohio legislators are plotting to enshrine permanent minority rule into the Ohio Constitution. Exploring the theological and social causes behind such anti-democratic behavior, Kelley and Terry share what hope in Ohio looks like for each of them in the midst of the struggle for peace, justice, and full liberation.
Links to discussed content:
- Text of Protect Choice Ohio's Abortion Ballot Initiative: https://protectchoiceohio.com/petition_language
- Info about HJR1/SJR2 (the effort to make it harder to amend Ohio’s Constitution): www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/04/22/abortion-ohio-constitution-amendment/
- Anti-HJR1 protest from May 3, 2023: www.dispatch.com/picture-gallery/news/2023/05/04/hjr-1-sjr-2-protest/11792819002/
- “The Mask You Live In” from the Representation Project: https://therepproject.org/films/the-mask-you-live-in/
- Episode 1 from Kelley’s independent podcast series about masculinity: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4VWZuXFXWRu7c8TQ7NQ3wB
- Restorative & Transformative Justice Training sign up: www.faithchoiceohio.org/restorative-and-transformative-justice-training
Image credit: Noreen Willhelm
Music by Korbin Jones
Friday Apr 21, 2023
Friday Apr 21, 2023
Faith Organizers Kelley Fox and Terry Williams explore the real future that reproductive justice values call us to create. Guided by Kelley’s latest work in teaching restorative and transformative justice at a local congregation, Kelley and Terry lay out a hopeful vision in which abortion justice, police abolition, the death of the carceral system, and thriving LGBTQ+ freedoms coexist to form the future we all deserve.
Links to discussed content:
- Afrofuturism and #blackspring by adrienne maree brown: https://adriennemareebrown.net/2015/05/02/afrofuturism-and-blackspring-new-school-afroturismtns/
- Watch Kelley's message at UU Cleveland from April 16th: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8ib2DqDklg
- Restorative & Transformative Justice Training: www.faithchoiceohio.org/restorative-and-transformative-justice-training
- Ralph Yarl: www.nytimes.com/2023/04/17/us/ralph-yarl-kansas-city-shooting.html
(Photo from Black Freedom Beyond Borders: Memories of Abolition Day)
Music by Korbin Jones
Friday Apr 07, 2023
Sustained by Sabbatical: How Time Away from Work Enriches the World
Friday Apr 07, 2023
Friday Apr 07, 2023
- 2023 Abortion Ballot Initiative language: https://protectchoiceohio.com/petition_language
- Collect signatures with Protect Choice Ohio: https://protectchoiceohio.com/signatures
- Sabbatical in everyday life: www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/designed-happiness/202112/the-work-rest-investing-in-yourself-sabbatical?amp
- Clergy sabbatical story from the Endowment Clergy Renewal Program: https://lillyendowment.org/stories/lilly-endowment-clergy-renewal-programs-what-will-make-your-heart-sing/
- Elaina's Pastoral Study Project from The Louisville Institute: https://louisville-institute.org/our-impact/awards/pastoral-study-project/16259/
Music by Korbin Jones
Friday Mar 10, 2023
Friday Mar 10, 2023
Faith Organizers Kelley Fox and Terry Williams address recent developments in mifepristone availability due to corporate posturing, connecting the unstable nature of capitalist healthcare with the popularity of self-managed abortion.
Using daylight savings time as a study on how unpopular policies stay put when corporate interests hold sway, Kelley and Terry talk about how self-managing abortions can help patients take back some control over their own lives in ways the modern healthcare system simply doesn’t offer to many groups of people.
Links to discussed content:
-
Walgreens won't sell abortion pills in red states that threatened legal action: www.npr.org/2023/03/04/1161143595/walgreens-abortion-pill-mifepristone-republican-threat-legal-action
-
The History of Daylight Savings Time: www.colorado.edu/coloradan/2022/11/07/history-daylight-saving-time#:~:text=It%20was%20first%...was%20repealed%20a%20year%20later.
-
AidAccess: https://aidaccess.org/
-
Plan C Pills: https://plancpills.org/
-
Walgreens & Theranos: https://qz.com/2074304/how-safeway-and-walgreens-fell-for-the-theranos-pipe-dream
-
Labor Wars & the Railroad Industry: www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/theminewars-labor-wars-us/
-
Another Norfolk Southern Train Derails in Ohio: www.nytimes.com/2023/03/05/us/ohio-train-derailment.html
-
Federal safety board to investigate Norfolk Southern after train derailments: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/norfolk-southern-train-conductor-fatally-struck-dump-truck-ohio-steel-rcna73811
Music by Korbin Jones
Friday Feb 24, 2023
Repro on the Ballot: How Ohioans Plan to Write Reproductive Freedom Into Law
Friday Feb 24, 2023
Friday Feb 24, 2023
Faith Organizers Kelley Fox and Terry Williams explain what’s up with the abortion ballot initiative in Ohio, connecting the dots between reproductive freedom and a world of restorative and transformative justice possibilities.
Examining the ballot initiative through a faith-rooted lens, Kelley and Terry talk about why the broad, inclusive nature of the very simple amendment to Ohio’s constitution — one that recognizes rights to contraception, fertility treatment, continuing pregnancy, miscarriage care, and abortion — could bring much needed relief to a whole lot of Ohioans.
Links to discussed content:
- Ohio abortion-rights campaign unveils ballot proposal in first official step for possible statewide November vote: www.cleveland.com/news/2023/02/ohio-abortion-rights-campaign-unveils-ballot-proposal-in-first-official-step-for-statewide-vote.html?outputType=amp
- The Right to Reproductive Freedom with Protections for Health and Safety Ballot Initiative text: https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/23686428/abortion-amendment-summary-and-text.pdf
- Volunteer to Collect Signatures: https://protectchoiceohio.com/volunteer
- Restorative & Transformative Justice Trainings: www.faithchoiceohio.org/restorative-and-transformative-justice-training
Music by Korbin Jones