James Tallarico

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.

So to me, that is an affirmation in one of our most central stories that creation has to be done with consent.

You cannot force someone to create.

Creation is one of the most sacred acts that we engage in as human beings.

But that has to be done with consent.

It has to be done with freedom.

And to me, that is absolutely consistent with the ministry and life and death of Jesus.

And so that's how I come down on that side of the issue.

This summer, more than half our population became second class citizens.

Every one of our neighbors with a uterus became the property of the state.

And nothing, nothing is more unchristian than that.

Before we go further, I want to acknowledge that our trans community needs abortion care too.

Defending trans Texans is something we have to do every day at the state capitol.

And you better believe I'll be giving sermons on that too.

So when I use the word woman, it should not be understood as an exhaustive term, but rather as a lens through which to understand, examine, and interrogate patriarchy.

So my family is from the border.

My mom grew up in Laredo, Texas.

I feel like Texans understand this issue of immigration more so than people in other states.