We, clergy and religious leaders from across New Mexico, in accordance with our moral convictions and our personal faith, support a woman’s ability to access a full range of reproductive health services, including abortion.
Read more about faith, religion, and abortion from the faithful voice for choice in our Clergy Notes.
As leaders of various faith communities, we have lived and ministered closely with thousands of women and their families. Many of these women find themselves faced with the decision to have an abortion, and one in three will decide to end a pregnancy at some point in their lives.
These women are our neighbors, our co-workers, our friends, and our peers. As people of faith and as New Mexicans, we believe in loving our neighbors and treating one another as we would like to be treated—with dignity and respect. This means recognizing that the decision to have an abortion is deeply personal and should be left to a woman, her family, and her doctor, in consultation with her faith.
We live in an era where abortion is discussed at length both in the media and in our communities. Regardless of how we feel about abortion personally, we know that this is a complex and deeply personal decision. The decision to have an abortion is not something that should be restricted by elected officials. Every family and every pregnancy is different, and a woman should feel confident that if she decides to seek an abortion she is able to turn to a member of the clergy or a religious leader who will provide compassionate and nonjudgmental support.
We recognize there are a diversity of views in the faith community. Indeed, not everyone in our own congregations or denominations agrees on this complex issue. But as leaders, we feel called to declare our support for a woman’s ability to access abortion and other reproductive healthcare services as a basic issue of health and safety for women and their families.
Our religious principles are grounded in a love and acceptance of all people, and we believe deeply that means ending the shame and stigma associated with abortion and increasing access for all women to a full range of reproductive healthcare options.
New Mexico has a long history of valuing and protecting the dignity of all women. It is time to end all attempts to interfere in a woman’s deeply private medical decisions about abortion and leave them in the capable hands of a woman, her family, and her doctor, in consultation with her faith.
Sign the Clergy Letter of Support
The congregations and/or organizations listed are for identification purposes only and were current at the time they signed the letter. These signatures represent the position of the individual clergy and religious leaders who have signed on in support.
Rev. Antonio (Tony) Aja, D.Min., Retired, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
The Rev. Dr. M. Lee Albertson, United Church of Christ, Retired, Albuquerque
Rabbi Neil Amswych, Temple Beth Shalom, Santa Fe
Rev. Nancy J. Anderson, Minister Emerita, Unitarian Universalist Church, Las Cruces
Rev. Dale Arnink, Minister Emeritus, Unitarian Universalist Church, Los Alamos
Rev. Talitha Arnold, Sr. Minister, The United Church of Santa Fe (United Church of Christ)
Rev. Robert Aubrey, Monte Vista Disciples of Christ, Albuquerque
Rev. Kathryn Barlow Westmoreland, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Rio Rancho
Rev. Virginia Bairby, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Taos
Rev. Dr. Holly Beaumont, Disciples of Christ, Santa Fe
Rev. Carl Boaz, Parish Associate, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Albuquerque
Rev. Carolyn Brown, Unitarian Universalist, Retired, Albuquerque
Rev. Joshin Brian Byrnes, Vice Abbot, Upaya Zen Center, Santa Fe
Rev. Jared Carson, Peace Lutheran Church (ELCA), Las Cruces
Rev. Vangie Chavez, Rising Sun Christian Community, Albuquerque
Rev. Dr. Don Childers, Disciples of Christ, Santa Fe
Rabbi Paul Citrin, Albuquerque
Rev. James M Collie, HR, Presbytery of Santa Fe, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
Rev. Tyler Connoley, Pastor, Silver City UCC, Silver City
Rev. Theodore Cooley, Disciples of Christ, Retired, Albuquerque
Rev. Patrick Crocker, Disciples of Christ, Las Cruces
The Rev. Pedro G. Cuevas, Associate Rector, St. Bede’s Episcopal Church, Santa Fe
Rev. John Cullinan, Pastor, Unitarian Church of Los Alamos
Rev. Tiffany Curtis, Pastor, First Christian Church of Santa Fe
Rev. Patricia Davison, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A), Albuquerque
Rev. Harry Eberts, First Presbyterian Church, Santa Fe
Rabbi Arthur Flicker, Retired, Albuquerque
Rabbi Shefa Gold, Center for Devotional, Energy and Ecstatic Practice, Jemez Springs
Rev. Andrew Groves, Albuquerque Center for Spiritual Living
Rev. Trey Hammond, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Albuquerque
Rev. Joan Jiko Halifax, Abbot, Upaya Zen Center, Santa Fe
Pastor Joene Herr, Christ Lutheran Church, (ELCA), Santa Fe
Rev. Angela Herrera, First Unitarian Church, Albuquerque
Rev. William E. Hershey (ELCA-Ret.)
Rev. Harvey Daiho Hilbert Roshi, Abbot Emeritus of the Order of the Clear Zen Mind, retired, Las Cruces
Rev. Diane Hill, Episcopal Church, Gallup, NM
Rev. Karen Hill, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Albuquerque
Rev. Dr. Nancy Hitt, Unitarian Universalist Westside Congregation, Rio Rancho
Rev. Carolyn E. Hughes, American Baptist Churches, USA, retired, Albuquerque
Rev. Doug Inhofe, Co-Minister, Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Taos
Rev. LaVonne Johnson, Lutheran Church (ELCA), Corona, NM
Rev. Sue Joiner, United Church of Christ, Albuquerque
The Rev. B. Gail Joralemon, United Church of Christ, Albuquerque
Rev. Xolani Kacela PhD, Minister, UU Church of Las Cruces
Rabbi Larry Karol, Union for Reform Judaism, Las Cruces
Rev. Lorelei Kay, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Gallup
Sara Koplik, Director, Hillel, University of New Mexico
Rev. Kristi Koppel, St. Paul Lutheran Church (ELCA), Albuquerque
Very Rev. Kristen Kopren, Rector Church of the Holy Cross, Edgewood, NM
Rev. Gary Kowalski, Co-Minister, Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Taos
Rev. Stephanie Kremmel, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Albuquerque
Sylvia Ledesma, Ceremonial Leader, Traditional Healer, Kalpulli Izkalli
Fr. James Lehman, Holy Family American National Catholic Church, Las Cruces
Rabbi Martin Levy, Congregation Beit Tikva, Santa Fe
Rev. Dean Lewis, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Retired, Medanales, NM
Rev. Sharon Littrell-Marsh, Pastor, Retired, Rio Rancho
Rev’d Canon Thomas Lowe, St. John’s Episcopal, Alamogordo
Rev. Terry Lund, Unity, Las Cruces
Rev. Cheri Lyon, El Pueblito United Methodist Church, Taos
Rev. Gail Lindsey Marriner, Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Santa Fe
Rev. Judith Maynard, Metropolitan Community Church, Albuquerque
Rev. Liz McMaster, Unitarian Universalist, Retired, Albuquerque
Rev. Linda Mervine, Pastor, First Christian Church, Disciples of Christ and United Church of Christ, Las Cruces
Rev. Dr. Stephen J. Miller, Retired Disciples of Christ Pastor, Albuquerque
Rev. Sylvia Miller-Mutia, Rector, St. Thomas of Canterbury Episcopal Church, Albuquerque
Rev. Rebecca Morgan, United Church of Christ and Namaste House, Farmington
Rev. Janet Norden, University Heights United Methodist Church, Albuquerque
Fr. Mike Olsen, Retired, Episcopal Church, Taos
The Rev. Scott D Penrod, Retired, New Mexico United Methodist Clergy, Albuquerque
Marlene Perrotte, Religious Sister of Mercy, Albuquerque
Rev. Amy Pospichal, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Tucumcari
Rev. Roger Scott Powers, Pastor, St. Andrew Presbyterian Church, Albuquerque
Rev. Milton Propp, United Methodist Church, Retired, Albuquerque
Rev. Susan Joan Quass, Member at Large, Presbytery of Santa Fe, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Albuquerque
Fr. Francis Quintana, Blessed Oscar Romero Catholic Community, Albuquerque
Rev. Kylie Renner, Albuquerque Center for Spiritual Living, Senior Minister
Rev. Maxim Rice, United Methodist Church, Retired, Albuquerque
Rev. Catherine Robinson, Member at Large, Presbytery of Santa Fe, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Albuquerque
The Rev. Christine Robinson, Senior Minister, Retired, First Unitarian Church of Albuquerque
Rabbi Harry Rosenfeld, Congregation Albert, Albuquerque
Rev. Richard Safford, United Church of Christ, Angel Fire
Rev. Pamela Shepherd, Taos United Community Church
Rabbi Dr. Jack Shlachter, Congregation HaMakom, Santa Fe
Rev. Richard Stoops, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Retired, Albuquerque
Rev. Dr. Leona Stucky-Abbott, D.Min., AAPC Diplomate, LPCC, Santa Fe
Rev. Carol Tuck, Retired, United Methodist Church, Las Cruces
Rev. M. Catherine Volland, Rector, St. Bede’s Episcopal Church, Santa Fe
Pastor Steve Wiard, Retired, United Methodist Church, Taos
Rev. Robert Williams, Presbyterian (U.S.A.), Retired, Roswell
Rev. H. Blaine Wimberly, Zia United Methodist Church, Santa Fe
Todd Wynward, Mennonite Minister, Taos, NM
