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Reproductive Justice, Faith and the Environment
The Sierra Club and the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice's SYRF program have partnered to empower young people with the information and resources to advance reproductive justice for all from interfaith and environmental perspectives. This has led to discussions on campuses and in communities around the country about the interconnections between these issues, and ways you can take action to make a difference for your school, community, and our world.
Why do spiritual and environmental activists care about reproductive justice?
SYRF (Spiritual Youth for Reproductive Freedom), a program of the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, seeks to merge reproductive justice and faith issues in order to incorporate people of faith in the discussion on reproductive choice, and to dispel the myth that religious people are anti-choice and conservative. The Sierra Club’s Youth Action for the Global Environment Campaign mobilizes young people to recognize the inter-connectedness of population growth, natural resource consumption, reproductive health and rights, and sustainable communities. Together, we work to advance issues like comprehensive sexuality education, access to voluntary family planning information and services, and gender equity, through public education, material creation, and advocacy.
What are the connections among reproductive justice, faith and the environment?
At its core, protection of our bodies and our planet, now and for future generations, are questions of values related to justice, fairness and responsibility. This encompasses individual human rights -- including the right to bodily integrity and autonomy, to free decision-making about sexuality, reproduction and family, and freedom from violence. But it’s also bigger than individual rights. In today’s complex and globalizing world, we must question what impact our individual and our government’s choices have on others. If the United States consumes 25% of the world’s resources, what are we leaving for future generations? If we continue to underfund critical sexual and reproductive health programs and services, how can we ensure a healthier and more just future for communities around the world?
Why must young people unite movements to build power and make change?
We recognize that youth voices are key to changing ideologically-based U.S. policies, like  abstinence-only-until-marriage programs that affect young people globally. As future leaders, youth deserve access to information that will enable them to make empowered decisions about their lives, and speak out for comprehensive sexuality education and sustainable family planning solutions here and abroad.
Activism in coalitions, combined with awareness of how our personal choices impact our own lives and those of our families, our communities, and the planet, can create the change we wish to see in the world.
Take action today!
Sierra Club and SYRF can help you put together an event that will unite the reproductive justice, interfaith and environmental movements, by drawing out the connections between local-to-global issues like access to health care, accurate information about sex, and clean air and water.
If you’d like to learn about and discuss these issues or host an interactive workshop, please contact us at info@syrf.org or population@sierraclub.org!
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