Commitment to Reproductive Justice, UUFM-Style

At the October Board of Directors meeting, members voted unanimously to include contraception in all the UUFM restrooms. This vote comes out of a generations-long commitment made by the Unitarian Universalist Association and UU congregations across the country and the world.

From the UUA website:  “Decisions about children, families, and sexuality are some of life’s most profound. Our Unitarian Universalist faith holds central the inherent worth and dignity of all people, which includes a belief in the sacredness of all bodies, and the importance of self-determination and human agency. As part of a liberatory Reproductive Justice movement, we affirm our commitment to building a world in which all people are able to make choices about their bodies, their health, and their families within safe, thriving communities.

“In practice, this commitment looks like working to ensure that: people of all identities and experiences have access to affirming, affordable health care, including reproductive care and abortion; people of every age can access comprehensive, sex-positive, fact-based sexuality education; people are empowered and supported to choose when, how, and if they will have children; our institutions and communities actively work to eradicate sexual violence, abuse, and coercion, and to heal the wounds of such harm; and that people are supported to make informed, values-aligned decisions about their sexual and reproductive health throughout their lives.” https://www.uua.org/reproductive

UUFM funds the training of Our Whole Lives (OWL) facilitators, qualified and prepared when families with children are ready for the curriculum. We affirm trans and queer lives through are relationship with the Transforming Hearts Collective, as well as signage, flags, and pronoun buttons. And we will now begin to assist contraception and safer sexl practices with a discreetly displayed container of condoms and emergency contraception pills, as well as information about local Planned Parenthood services.

As always, Rev. Rita is available to speak with congregants about this aspect of UU faith, as well as questions about the Board’s decision to make a commitment in this manner. The displays will be up and stocked by the end of October.