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This conversation revolves around how reproductive rights are becoming increasingly curtailed around the United States, often in the name of religious ideals and beliefs around the respective roles of women and fetuses. But we should resist simplistic stories of religion vs. rights and explore the deeper ways in which religion plays different roles in women’s reproductive decision-making, framing of the narratives of their lives, and the role of religious values in the context of reproductive decision-making. Considerations of various religious traditions and the complexities of personal belief in relation to reproductive practices and how they impact the landscape of reproductive freedom and justice within the US provide key touchpoints from which to engage in creative ethical work. In this conversation, we will explore ways to creatively and effectively navigate challenging conversations with patients and providers around reproductive rights and practices in the context of this complexity.

Dr. Amy DeBaets, PhD, ThM, MDiv, MA, HEC-C, is a Clinical Associate Professor at Roseman University of Health Sciences College of Medicine. Dr. DeBaets earned a PhD at Emory University in religion with a focus on ethics and society, as well as a graduate certificate in women’s, gender, and sexuality studies and has served as an academic, clinical, and research ethicist throughout her career. She is widely published, with her work appearing in the American Journal of Bioethics, the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Academic Medicine, among others. She is currently co-editing the forthcoming Handbook of Religion, Spirituality, and Bioethics from Routledge and serves as an organizational change manager in the financial services industry.