James Talarico

All I'm asking is that for Christians who are pro-choice and who respect the bodily autonomy of women, that we be given the space to make our theological argument, because I think there is a lot of biblical evidence to support that opinion.

So, one, you know, in Genesis, God creates life by breathing life into the first human being, which we later call Adam, that life starts when you take your first breath.

And that is actually the mainline position in Judaism, is that that's when life starts.

Then if you think about it from a Christian perspective, what something interesting that Jesus does throughout his ministry is he is breaking first century norms about women, talking with women, learning from women, having women lieutenants in his movement.

And this was something that was kind of unheard of in the first century.

The longest conversation Jesus has with anybody in the whole Bible is with the Samaritan woman at the well.

And so this affirmation of women as full and equal people is a huge part of the Jesus movement, especially the early church.

And then the last, I think, story I would go to is the story of Mary.

Mary is probably my favorite figure in the Bible, the mother of Jesus.

And she's an oppressed peasant teenage girl living in poverty under an oppressive empire as a Jew.

And she has a vision from God that she's going to give birth to a baby who's going to bring the powerful down from their thrones, going to scatter the proud, who's going to send the rich away empty.

I mean, this revolutionary song that she sings, it's called the Magnificat.

And it's actually been banned by certain authoritarian regimes because it is so radical.

But I say all this in terms of in context of abortion, because before God comes over Mary and and we have the incarnation, God asks for Mary's consent.

Which is remarkable.

I mean, go back and read this in Luke.

I mean, the angel comes down and asks Mary if this is something she wants to do.

And she says, if it is God's will, let it be done.

Let it be.

Let it happen.