R-Soul: Reclaiming the Soul of Reproductive Health, Rights, and Justice

Faith Organizer Rev. Terry Williams and guest Dr. Jamie Marich talk about Dr. Marich’s forthcoming book and how her own understanding of reproductive freedom shaped a journey out of religious fundamentalism and into a life of transformed healing. “You Lied To Me About God: A Memoir” details Dr. Marich’s personal history with restrictive religious systems, anti-choice social teachings, and finding...

Faith Organizers Kelley Fox and Rev. Terry Williams explore what motivates people to stay engaged in the struggle for reproductive health, rights, and justice — especially when the constant rage we have all consistently felt starts to wear us all out. Talking sustainability, activism fatigue, and sacred self-care, Kelley and Terry give voice to how the work of repro organizing shifts when movement...

Faith Organizers Kelley Fox and Rev. Terry Williams are on location at the 2024 SACReD Gathering in New Orleans. A multireligious organization of faith-rooted reproductive freedom advocates, SACReD (Spiritual Alliance of Communities for Reproductive Dignity) builds connections across geographies and theologies to support abortion justice and reproductive justice. Listen is as Kelley and Terry talk...

Faith Organizer Kelley Fox sits down with Kate, our Volunteer & Intake Coordinator with The Jubilee Fund, to explore Kate's story and get real about the ongoing struggle to keep Ohio moving forward after the passage of Issue 1. Kelley and Kate discuss the barriers to entry for social justice work, how often the burden of justice is placed on people of color, and how they keep going while balan...

Faith Organizers Kelley Fox and Rev. Terry Williams look back at nearly 4 years of hosting the R-Soul podcast! Listen in as they reflect on the joys of producing this faithfully pro-choice podcast, celebrate how it all began, marvel at all the guests they've interviewed, and share the lessons they've learned along the way. Links to discussed content:  Kelley's College Podcast (de/masc/ed): https:/...

Faith Organizer Rev. Terry Williams welcomes special guest Siobhan Boyd-Nelson — Interim Executive Director with Equality Ohio — to talk about progress, persistence, and perspective in Ohio’s intersectional fight for collective liberation. Focusing on the connections between LGBTQ+ advocacy and reproductive freedom, Siobhan and Terry offer a hope-filled vision for the future of Ohio, including pra...

Faith Organizers Kelley Fox and Rev. Terry Williams welcome special guest Rev. Lyndsey Poglitsch-Godwin (she/they), Program Operations Coordinator with the Spiritual Alliance of Communities for Reproductive Dignity (SACReD) for a great discussion of how her organization is leading faith-rooted responses to modern repro freedom challenges. Raised in Ohio, Rev. Lyndsey details their journey toward r...

Faith Organizers Kelley Fox and Rev. Terry Williams unpack the news of the day by drawing a clear line between the Alabama Supreme Court’s sweeping ruling on in vitro fertilization (IVF) and the growing religious fanaticism that is guiding U.S. political agendas on reproductive health, rights, and justice. Digging in to the extremist religious rhetoric used by some members of the Alabama Supreme C...

Faith Organizers Kelley Fox and Rev. Terry Williams dive deep into the generational gap, discussing ways in which age-based differences in social, political, and religious expression give rise to diverse responses to today’s reproductive rights challenges.
Exploring their own generational diversity, Kelley and Terry take listeners on a journey through the different ways they have each dealt with c...

Faith Organizers Kelley Fox and Rev. Terry Williams take time to bask in the joy of last year's monumental win for abortion access and reproductive freedom in Ohio, detailing the current status of the newest amendment to the constitution and discussing the way forward to making the legal fully accessible in our state. While being real about the challenges that face abortion patients and abortion f...

Faith Organizer Kelley Fox is joined by Executive Director Elaina Ramsey as they reflect on the year ahead and the struggle to keep momentum after such a great win for abortion access & reproductive rights in November, while also navigating all the obstacles 2024 will bring. Discussing the need to stay the course and the challenges of doing this work sustainably, Elaina & Kelley shine a li...

Faith Organizers Kelley Fox and Rev. Terry Williams discuss religion, abortion stigma, and why they don’t make New Year’s resolutions. While unpacking new year anxiety and how humans often scold ourselves to change and do better, Kelley and Terry give some sage advice about how to avoid falling into cycles of guilt and shame that sometimes arise around the first of the year. Exploring alternative...

In this second part of a double episode, Faith Organizers Kelley Fox and Rev. Terry Williams cast hopeful eyes toward 2024, offering highlights of what we can expect from the Ohio repro movement in the year after we secured abortion rights in the state constitution. Kelley and Terry give personal prognostications about what the future holds for abortion access in 2024, while also sharing strategie...

In this first installment of a double episode, Faith Organizers Kelley Fox and Rev. Terry Williams review 2023 from a faith and repro perspective, recapping the yearlong journey we’ve all been on while striving for reproductive freedom and abortion rights in Ohio. Looking back through the 2023 elections in August and November, Kelley and Terry help listeners process past events, name the collectiv...

Faith Organizers Kelley Fox and Rev. Terry Williams talk turkey in this latest episode, laying out best practices for engaging diverse group of friends and family during the holidays. With so many opportunities for conflict, checking in with yourself before conflict arises can help you keep your cool and also honor your values during all the holidays this season. Listen in as Kelley and Terry refl...

We did it — together! Faith Organizers Kelley Fox and Rev. Terry Williams break down the monumental win that is the passage of Ohio’s reproductive freedom constitutional amendment. Kelley and Terry call attention to the important role physicians and clergy played in pressing for the 2023 ballot initiative, taking a long look at the past 10 months of faith communities fighting long and hard for the...

Faith Organizers Kelley Fox and Rev. Terry Williams check in less than two weeks before Election Day, giving listeners a rundown of where the pro-abortion Issue 1 campaign stands and what listeners can do to help this effort finish well. Using a faith-soaked lens, Kelley and Terry also dive into the misrepresentations and outright lies being spread against Issue 1 by the anti-abortion crowd, layin...

Faith Organizer Terry Williams welcomes special guest Nicole Morino — the Ohio Field Organizer for Catholics for Choice — to discuss the Faith & Repro Freedom Tour, an educational tour that is a collaborative effort between our faith-based organizations. Nicole and Terry give a glimpse of what life is like on tour for reproductive freedom in Ohio, helping listeners understand the November abor...

Faith Organizer Kelley Fox sits down with our new Program Coordinator Samantha to discuss her work with Faith Choice Ohio, her experience as a Patients to Advocates fellow during the fall of Roe, and the importance of abortion patients telling their stories to fight against the clamor of the loud anti-abortion minority. Links to discussed content: Samantha, our new Program Coordinator: www.faithch...

Faith Organizers Kelley Fox and Rev. Terry Williams keep the Labor Day vibes rolling in this latest episode by discussing wages, benefits, and the connection between strong labor unions and reproductive freedom. Discussing recent labor disputes playing out across multiple reproductive health, rights, and justice organizations, Kelley and Terry explore why building a just future for all takes faith...

Faith Organizers Kelley Fox and Rev. Terry Williams address the latest foolishness of the Ohio Ballot Board, detailing how people of faith are organizing to overcome abortion misinformation and dirty tricks to ensure passage of the Right to Reproductive Freedom Amendment in November. Modeling a practice of disciplined re-examination and truthtelling, Kelley and Terry also discuss how reviewing sou...

Faith Organizers Kelley Fox and Rev. Terry Williams revel in the huge “Hell No!” defeat of Issue 1 with post-election analysis and issues-based insights about faith, repro, and the power of people to effect change in the Buckeye state. Looking forward to the November 2023 election and the reproductive freedom constitutional amendment that Ohioans will get to vote on then, Kelley and Terry connect...

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 ru...

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, Kell...

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...