“[Missouri’s] abortion bans also codify a theological belief about conception that does not align with my religious beliefs. This an unconstitutional violation of the separation of church and state. No interpretation of the Bible or any other religious text should be enshrined into law or used to restrict the rights of all Missourians.” ~Rev. Darryl Gray of St. Louis

Dear AU Supporter,

The Rev. Darryl Gray, a Progressive Baptist pastor at one of St. Louis’ oldest Black congregations, deeply values abortion rights and church-state separation. He believes no one interpretation of the Bible or any other religious text should be enshrined into law or used to restrict people’s rights.

But Missouri legislators did just that when they imposed one narrow religious belief on all Missourians by enacting a “trigger law” that bans all abortions in the state. So Rev. Gray has joined 13 other faith leaders from across Missouri in our lawsuit that challenges the state’s abortion bans as a violation of church-state separation.

We filed the lawsuit in January with the National Women’s Law Center. With the addition of Rev. Gray, we now represent 14 faith leaders from seven diverse faith traditions who all support abortion rights because of their faith. Click here ([link removed]) to learn more about the case, our clergy plaintiffs and lawmakers’ religious justifications for banning abortion.

We’ve also expanded the lawsuit to challenge an additional anti-abortion statute, which dates back to the 1980s and codifies the unscientific, religious belief that the “life of each human being begins at conception.”

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Support for our groundbreaking lawsuit is growing. But we still face an uphill battle as we fight to restore abortion access in Missouri – just last week the state’s attorney general asked the court to dismiss our case.

We have our work cut out for us if we’re to expand this legal strategy beyond Missouri. But with your support, and with faith leaders like Rev. Gray joining our cause, together we can make this a watershed moment in the fight for church-state separation and abortion rights.

With hope and determination,

Rachel K. Laser
President and CEO

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