PRAYERS, MEDITATIONS, AND BLESSINGS

Abortion as a Blessing

by Rev. Julia Hamilton

Abortion is not just a deeply personal choice and a fundamental right, but it can also be a blessing: It is a life-saving medical procedure; it is a choice that can help heal from violence; it is a doorway to a different life; it is a blessing to so many people who, for whatever reason, are not in a position to have a child.

So I say thank you and bless you to all those doctors and nurses and clinicians who have provided abortion care, often at great personal risk;

I say thank you and bless you to all those who have stood at the doors of clinics and escorted patients with love and compassion in the face of hate and shame;

I say thank you and bless you to all the friends, partners, and family members who have supported loved ones through the process;

I say thank you and bless you to all the elected officials, activists, and organizers who fight year after year to keep abortion legal, safe, and available to all who need it.

And I say thank you and bless you to all of you here today who have had an abortion. You are loved and supported in your choice, and in the life that you live today because of that choice.

As we go forth from this moment and out into this beautiful and heartbreaking world, we are renewed by the strength we have found in one another. We will fight shame with love, we will fight violence with compassion, and we will fight language of domination with songs of liberation and grace. And we know that we are not singing alone.