I love a good podcast. I also love a kind and respectful discussion about hard, heavy, complicated topics. And “Freedom Road” by Lisa Sharon Harper checks all the boxes.

In Episode 25, “It’s Time to Talk about Abortion and Reproductive Justice,” Harper invites Rev. Susan Chorley (Exhale), Rev. Sekinah Hamlin (Christian Church Disciples of Christ) and Andrea Lucado (evangelical journalist) to discuss the subjects of abortion and reproductive justice. This important and thought-provoking talk touches on the intersections of racism, sexism, religion, and reproductive justice, through the lens of personal experience. Thought leaders discuss the pressure that exists in certain religious communities for its members to profess alliance with the Republican party in order to maintain a sense of integrity in one’s faith. This has led to a large group of “single-issue voters” who feel that they are not allowed to consider all aspects of the candidates in a political election.

Harper and her guests discuss the topic of abortion, which many religious voters are very concerned with but have never had an opportunity to consider in real life contexts. I appreciated this honest and open discussion because my own understanding of the issues surrounding women’s health have grown throughout my medical training (more on that in a later post). The truth is that having an abortion is very rarely, if ever, anyone’s first choice and ideal plan. More often than not, this decision is met with fear, sorrow, trepidation, doubt, and anxiety. Having a medical professional’s support and guidance in these unfortunate situations can literally make the difference between life and death for women.

As this episode points out, the “pro-life” versus “pro-choice” debate, is actually overly simplistic and not at all representative of the real issues at hand. The history behind this language was surprising to me, and I appreciated the way this podcast unpacked some of the true and reasonable points within this complex topic.

I highly recommend listening to this episode of “Freedom Road.” Be sure to follow Lisa Sharon Harper on Instagram also, for timely insights and wisdom around this and other important topics in the realm of social justice.

Did you listen to this episode? What were some of the words or segments that made you think?

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