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

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...

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 f...

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...

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...

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-cho...

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...

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...

In this latest episode, Faith Organizers Kelley Fox and Terry Williams discuss medication abortion from top to bottom, detailing why two little pills — mifepristone and misoprostol — have been such a blessing to so many abortion seekers. Exploring both the deep history and also the uncertain future of mifepristone, Kelley and Terry detail why medication abortion has made abortion care safer than o...

Faith Organizers Kelley Fox and Terry Williams take a long look at mutual aid and community care in light of the systemic uncertainty that is Ohio’s current abortion legislation landscape.  Kelley and Terry articulate why compassion and direct action will always be a part of the fight for reproductive freedom no matter what legislative, electoral, or institutional battles are fought and won for ab...

Faith Organizer Kelley Fox joins up with Executive Director Elaina Ramsey to discuss all that went into preparing faithful responses to the fall of Roe in 2022 and all the plans we have in the year ahead. Coming into 2023, Kelley and Elaina discuss the emotions and struggles of 2022, but also the last few years of surviving a pandemic-filled world with grit & grace. Links to discussed content:  Ou...

Faith Organizers Kelley Fox and Terry Williams close out the year with an episode jam-packed full of resources for all of our justice-minded listeners. With a show notes section filled to the brim with books, audio articles, and even app recommendations, Kelley and Terry want to make sure you have all the best faithfully pro-choice info heading into 2023 and beyond! Links to discussed content: Kel...

Faith Organizers Kelley Fox and Terry Williams put the whole year in perspective with a look back at all the exciting new work Faith Choice Ohio has been up to in 2022. From implementing an organizational name change, hosting our first Reproductive Justice Book Club, and offering 5 new trainings, to launching Ohio’s first faith-based abortion fund and adding a whole new staff member, this year has...

Faith Organizers Kelley Fox and Terry Williams struggle with how the practice of restorative and transformative justice gets lived out in a flawed and systemically-unjust world. Confronting very real desires for retribution and vengeance, Kelley and Terry go deep on the theory, practice, and spiritual necessity behind letting go of violence in order to embrace thriving, aiming for a world where ev...

Faith Organizers Kelley Fox and Terry Williams discuss the election aftermath and the calculus of fighting for justice through multiple strategies. Diving into what Ohio’s election outcomes mean for abortion justice in the Buckeye state, Kelley and Terry dig deep into the limitations of elections to bring about social change, the need for deeper community engagement from all sides of the political...

Faith Organizers Kelley Fox and Terry Williams talk about ballot boxes & values voters in this pre-election episode centered on faith, repro, and creating a future we all want to inhabit. Discussing both the importance and also the severe limitations of voting as a vehicle for social change, Kelley and Terry explore the balance between electoral change theories, community-centered organizing, and...

Faith Organizers Kelley Fox and Terry Williams explain why restoring the reproductive rights protections of Roe v. Wade is about as useful as reinstituting the 1973 minimum wage: woefully insufficient and downright ridiculous. Using the modern experience of inflation and stagnant wages, Kelley and Terry talk about what a truly thriving future looks like for Ohioans — both in their pocketbooks and...

Faith Organizers Kelley Fox and Terry Williams work to make sense of abortion access in Ohio and the greater Midwest in this episode dedicated to accurate news and trustworthy sources. Giving particular attention to the role faith-rooted organizing plays in supporting abortion access, Kelley and Terry give listeners a clear picture of what future possibilities lie ahead for reproductive freedom in...

Faith Organizers Kelley Fox and Terry Williams dive into the ever-evolving status of legal abortion in Ohio, discussing how confusion and constantly changing legal standards are not just a coincidence in a state under assault by anti-abortion religious extremists. Addressing the real motives of forced birthers who author legislative confusion, Kelley and Terry take a look at the religious underpin...

Faith Organizers Kelley Fox and Terry Williams talk about the role of self-preservation in the struggle for communal liberation, addressing self-care, work-life balance, and the necessity for sometimes just simply taking a break. Connecting concepts of mental health capacity theory with the reproductive freedom movement, Kelley and Terry mix equal parts theory and personal experience in this episo...

In this episode, Faith Organizers Kelley Fox and Terry Williams address the Columbus teacher’s strike and discuss the intersections between a thriving labor movement and reproductive freedom. Tying in our recent Reproductive Justice Book Club content from author Aja Monet, Kelley and Terry make the case for work-life balance and a healthy respect for rest & renewal as values of the repro movement,...

CONTENT WARNING: This episode contains discussion of miscarriages and pregnancy loss. Faith Organizers Kelley Fox and Terry Williams address the particulars of Ohio's current six-week abortion ban, discussing how pregnancy durations are calculated and what best practices can help keep self-managed abortion decisions private. Kelley and Terry spend time diving into a recent study from friends at If...

CONTENT WARNING: This episode contains discussion of sexual assault and violence against children. Faith Organizers Kelley Fox and Terry Williams tackle the topic of abortion reporting in the media and how pushing for details of patients’ lives often serves the anti-abortion agenda. Kelley and Terry discuss the societal desire to know intimate details about the lives of people involved in public t...

In this episode, Faith Organizers Kelley Fox and Terry Williams get cosmic, reflecting on the weeks since the fall of Roe in light of expansive new images from the James Webb Space Telescope. Using the light and darkness of astronomy as spiritual metaphor, Kelley and Terry address the bleak times for reproductive rights we’re living through & share how they’re finding light in the compassion of co...

Faith Organizers Kelley Fox and Terry Williams mark the fall of Roe v. Wade with lament, clarifying the current state of legal abortion rights in Ohio while naming the concrete actions we all can take today to ensure access in the future. Kelley and Terry talk about trainings, volunteer opportunities, and all the info you need to know about The Jubilee Fund for Abortion Justice in this episode pac...

In this episode, Faith Organizers Kelley Fox and Terry Williams speak a word of centeredness into the chaos, sharing how they keep moving forward amid the current environment of uncertainty around abortion rights & a legislative climate hostile to basic bodily autonomy. While naming the heaviness of this political and social moment, Kelley and Terry offer tangible ways for you to keep pressing for...