Questions for Discussion
Questions for Discussion
Reproductive Justice, Abortion Rights
Unitarian Universalist (UU) Principles & Reproductive Health
- What do the principles teach us about the way we should treat others?
- What do they teach us about the way we should treat ourselves?
- In what areas of society and in which current events do you see UU values and beliefs reflected? Where do you see our values are not reflected?
- How do we try to reflect the values we hold? How do we succeed or fail?
- What is the relationship between perception of the "Other," the "Holy," the "Beloved Community" and reproductive health?
Responsibilities to Others:
- What principles of relationships do our UU values teach? How do these principles relate to our tradition's definition of human nature? To your own definition of human nature?
- What groups do we recognize as historically marginalized? Why do you think these groups are specified?
- How do our principles guide our treatment of marginalized people?
- Who today is marginalized, especially in regards to reproductive health?
- Have you ever seen someone treated in a way that contradicts the principles of Unitarian Universalism? What did you do? How did you feel?
- Have you ever been treated/treated someone in a manner contrary to UU values? How did it make you feel?
Responsibilities to Society:
- As religious Unitarian Universalists, what responsibilities do we have to be involved and active in social justice work?
- Why is reproductive choice a moral/religious issue?
- How do our principles, and especially our belief in the inherent worth and dignity of every person, inform and influence our view of the reproductive rights debate?
- How do we reconcile our respect for all life with a woman's right to choose abortion?
- How does our religious history as Unitarian Universalists inform our actions in the present-day fight to preserve reproductive choice?
- What is the best way to represent our values and beliefs in our communities and in society? What should we say? How should we act?
- Can we be pro-choice without being pro-abortion? What does it mean to be pro-choice? How is it a struggle?
- How can we connect reproductive health to other issues of the day (poverty, racism, homophobia, population, sexuality education, child care, etc.)? When and how did these connections first occur to you? How can we emphasize them in our work without losing focus?
- How can we speak/act with tolerance and compassion for persons whose choices may differ from our own? How can we respect the free and responsible search for truth and meaning of those who reach different answers than we do?
- What is some common ground we share with anti-choice activists? How can we work to solve the choice debate in our country?
- What is the ultimate goal of our movement? What is the next step we can take?