In December 2023, I had the pleasure of joining the folks at Blue Cypress Books for a discussion about my book, Undue Burden: A Black Woman Physician on Being Christian and Pro-Abortion in the Reproductive Justice Movement.
It’s always refreshing to connect with people who are curious about ways to talk about abortion beyond the tired pro-choice vs pro-life tropes. People are hungry for truth, for deeper discussions about faith, abortion, and justice.
We covered a lot in that discussion—how independent abortion clinics are closing at alarming rates, the way anti-abortion extremism is escalating, and why reproductive justice is so much bigger than ’choice.’
But at the heart of it, we talked about reclaiming the moral high ground—because the people fighting to take away our rights do not get to define morality for the rest of us.
Communities Are Getting Left Behind
One of the hardest things to talk about is just how many independent abortion clinics are closing—and what that means for the people who rely on them.
According to the Abortion Care Network, 23 clinics shut down in 2023, following 42 closures in 2022. Fifty-eight percent of abortion care in the United States is provided at independent clinics like the one I founded in Phoenix, Arizona. These numbers represent real people losing access to care. These clinics are where people feel safe. They’re where people go to access birth control, gender-affirming hormone therapy, and more.
I had to reduce hours at my own clinic after Roe fell, struggling to keep up with staffing shortages and demand. Eventually, I made the difficult decision to sell my clinic to the nonprofit I founded—because the only way we could keep serving the community was by making sure the clinic belonged to the people who needed it most.
Stop Hurting People in Jesus’ Name
One thing I will always challenge is this toxic lie that you can’t be both Christian and pro-abortion. Because let me tell you—you absolutely can. For far too long, we’ve let anti-abortion extremists hijack the moral conversation, acting like they speak for all people of faith. They don’t.
Fifty-four percent of those who have abortions are Christians—Catholics, Evangelicals, and other denominations included. And yet, the loudest voices in the room are the ones shaming people for their choices.
When someone tries to argue with me about faith and abortion, I keep it simple: We have to stop hurting each other in Jesus’ name.
Representation Saves Lives—And We Need More Black Doctors
We also discussed something deeply personal to me: the urgent need for more Black doctors in maternal and child care.
In a country where Black women are three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes, that is not an accident. That is systemic neglect.
The data is clear: Black women, Indigenous women, and people of color experience higher maternal mortality rates because of medical racism, bias, and neglect. Black newborns are more likely to survive when cared for by Black doctors.
And yet, when people go into clinics, hospitals, and OB-GYN offices, they rarely see doctors who look like them. Despite representing 13% of the U.S. population in 2018, only 5.4% of physicians were Black—2.6% Black men and 2.8% Black women.
I have had patients tell me—through tears—that I was the first Black doctor they had ever seen. They said they felt safe with me in ways they had never felt in a medical setting. That should not be the exception. That should be the standard.
Not ‘Pro-Choice,’ Pro-Abortion
The pro-choice narrative has always been too weak, too apologetic, too tied up in shame. It’s time for a new framework.
Abortion is not a necessary evil. it is a moral, positive choice for many people. People don’t need justification or permission to end a pregnancy. They need access, support, and dignity.
As I often tell my patients: Extend yourself some grace. You are human. Mistakes happen. But even beyond that, you do not need to be in crisis to deserve an abortion.
The old narrative is broken. Reproductive justice is the future.
What We Can Do Now
We can’t just talk about reproductive justice. We must fight for it.
Here’s where we start:
- Support Local Abortion Clinics. Independent clinics provide most of the abortion care in this country. If your local independent clinic is a nonprofit, like Desert Star Institute for Family Planning, please donate directly to them. If your local clinic is not tax-exempt, you can still support them by donating to the Keep Our Clinics fund.
- Challenge misinformation. Talk about abortion loudly, unapologetically, and without shame. Push back when people spread myths and lies.
- Demand Better Policies. For example, we need to extend Medicaid coverage for postpartum care to 12 months. All health insurance plans should cover abortion care. American families deserve paid family leave. These aren’t radical ideas—they’re life-saving measures.
- Elect Allies The same politicians banning abortion are also gutting maternal and child healthcare. That is not a coincidence.
We Are the Moral Majority
The anti-abortion movement is loud, but it is not the majority. We are the majority. And we must reclaim that power.
The fight for reproductive justice is about bodily autonomy, healthcare access, and human dignity—and the old narratives are failing us.
It’s up to us to build new ones—louder, bolder, and completely unapologetic.
Are you ready to fight for that future? Because I am.
