Christianity and Abortion
This week’s guest is CoWanda Rusk. She’s gifted us her time to talk about her abortion experience as a teen and her relationship with God and Christianity. We discuss how she found purpose in her experience, and how she now contributes to supporting others through abortion.
Show Notes:
1:30 CoWanda’s intro hello and introduction to WeTesify
2:55 CoWanda’s story
5:11 Her introduction to the reproductive justice movement
7:32 PopSugar article quote:"I didn't have that kind of relationship with my parents where I felt comfortable enough to go tell them," she said, so she leaned instead on her own relationship with faith, talking to God and carefully considering the kind of life she wanted for herself"I was in school, thinking about it, on my computer, doing some applications. And then I was like, 'You're planning your future right now. And this one thing could possibly change the way that you navigate that."
8:59 Coming from a place of poverty and struggle, not understanding systemic racism
10:06 “I always had a drive to do more”
10:38 “How can I be the support for myself, you can’t wait around when you need something”
12:10 Learning about and understanding God on a personal level
14:08 PopSugar article quote:"I remember when my attorney explained to me exactly what I had to do. And I was like, 'I can't do that.'" As a black person in America, she said, the thought of stepping into a courtroom was traumatizing enough on its own. Add in asking another human being for permission to make an extremely personal decision, and the experience threatened to feel completely dehumanizing. "We all, I feel like, have been given choice by God; by our creator," she explained. "You only have yourself. If you can't govern yourself, then what control do you really have over anything?"
15:45 What it means to give up autonomy and have someone else make the decision for you
18:08 Jane’s Due Process
19:33 PopSugar article quote:“For Rusk, sharing her story means helping to lift the immense weight of shame off of the shoulders of others. "I don't really think a lot of good things come from secrecy," she said. A member of YouthTestify, a joint leadership program between NNAF and Advocates for Youth. She hopes she's able to reach those feeling most alone. "As a black person, we don't talk about these things a lot," she said. "Sex isn't talked about. The whole idea about a woman's anatomy is so secret." Being visible about her path to abortion could be life-changing for someone who feels like no one in their immediate community understands. "We need to have these conversations," Rusk explained, "because people's lives are at stake."
21:44 Facing abortion after not having solid places to talk about sex education
23:55 Having conversations with God about navigating sex in your life
25:45 Cultivating a relationship with God
27:47 “Everything that happens is perfect”, you can always make a decision be used for something better
28:34 ReWire article quote:“I soon realized each and every moment in my life led me here. Having access to an abortion when I needed it allowed me to escape an abusive relationship and plan my family the way I wanted. But attending camp taught me something invaluable: God wanted me to open myself up to the life experiences I had shut out, because God knew my experiences could be used to help people. Through Youth Testify, I did just that, and it was powerful from the start.”
30:25 “I was accepting horrible treatment because I thought this was what was for me”
31:01 Being able to breathe at camp
31:47 Praying for opportunity
33:00 Being able to be loved and receive in a different way
34:01 The freedom at camp to feel relief from the everyday struggle
36:38 “When you think about God, take bad out of it”
38:40 “When you have that feeling of regret, acknowledge it and give it to God...”
39:30 ReWire article quote:“I’ve grown so much since my abortion, and I’m grateful every day that I can help others. There is space for us in this movement, even if it means creating that space for ourselves by shouting our abortion experiences.Some people say they don’t believe in abortion. But abortion doesn’t need you to believe in it. Abortion is essential health care, and it will always be needed. I believe in a loving God, a God who understands our unique situations and sees us in our entirety. I believe this was God’s plan for me.”
40:32 “I you don’t think God wants to be a part of abortion.. I’m here to say he wants to be a part of this…”
