Hello, I’m Rev. Marta Fioriti, the pastor of Black Forest Community Church, United Church of Christ. I am a Christian, AN ordained woman, and I had the choice to have three children.
Our teenagers know that they hold their own power over themselves. They know that their bodies are theirs. We don’t make choices for them about their mental health, physical health, or sexual health. We give them information, educate them, and love them through their choices.
There have been a lot of choices to make in the past few years. Choices about their bodies, choices that impact their mental health, and choices about their sexual health. Thank God there are choices. Thank God they have the power within them to make those choices. We don’t regulate them, their health providers don’t regulate them, and their partners have not regulated their choices.
Because this is about power, isn’t it?
It’s about a culture steeped in heteropatriarchy, white supremacy, and the grasping for power over the other. In the past few years, anti-abortion movements have moved to pass an abortion ban that lacked rape AND incest exceptions–IN MANY STATES. We know this is not about choice but power when laws are passed to punish abortion at higher rates than rape or incest.
We give our kids power to take that power away from the abuser, the politician, and the random voters that will be scared of my children’s power. One of the ways that we take that power away is by allowing them to tell their story. To release ANY POTENTIAL shame to praise God that science is on their side, modern medicine is on their side. They have power.
A year ago, one of our children was a part (and we say apart- because there are two parts) of an abortion. It was a very early term abortion that took place in the comforts of home. And it was hell. The abuses of mental health, the abuses at the hands of another, the abuses of the world told them- they are not worthy. We told them that they were worthy and could make their own choice. They have the power, always. Not the state. Not politicians and not random voters.
Pastor Marta and her younger daughter Nina (15 years old)