The Rev. Hollie Woodruff says the Christian faith isn’t inherently “pro-choice or pro-life.” (Photo by Monica Escamilla)
The Rev. Hollie Woodruff, co-pastor of Seventh Street Christian Church on Grove Avenue, is ardently in favor of abortion rights. And her views are not as rare among Christian faith leaders as one might think, she says. The clergywoman — who spoke in support of abortion rights at a rally this summer organized by the Virginia Reproductive Equity Alliance shortly after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade — recently shared her views on Christianity and abortion with Richmond magazine.
Richmond magazine: Is being pro-choice inherently Christian?
Hollie Woodruff: I don’t think Christianity is inherently pro-choice or pro-life. I would say that Christianity is inherently pro-justice. For me, justice is the belief in the separation of church and state. I personally don’t want people, and a specific type or brand of faith, telling me what to do with my body. I want reproductive autonomy, and that’s me. And I think there are others who likely agree with that.
I believe that God has endowed all persons with the ability to make personal decisions over our bodies. I think justice is reproductive rights and access to health care, and injustice is poor access to contraception and things like that. So, for me, thinking about this issue of abortion access, it’s a justice issue.
Sixty percent of women who seek abortions are nonwhite, so statistically speaking, women of color are already disproportionately impacted. And the CDC reports that women of color are three times more likely to die [during childbirth] or have complications. Women of color are often not taken seriously at the hospital when they’re reporting concerns. Women of color already have lived in a reality where they don’t have true access to affordable health care.
RM: How do you respond to arguments posed by anti-abortion Christian leaders, such as the belief that God created humans in his image, and therefore, abortion desecrates his work?
Woodruff: I do believe life is holy. We should be grateful for the life that we have. Life is precious. I also recognize that there’s not a consensus on when life truly begins. Our Jewish brothers and sisters would say that life begins when you take your first breath. So, there’s a wide range of beliefs on where life begins.
And to that point, there’s a lot of things that we humans do that desecrate God’s work. We will force a woman to have a child, or anyone to have a child, and then we won’t provide health care or mental health resources for that child. We will send a child to school where they can be shot to death because we refuse to pass commonsense gun laws. We will refuse to support our schools and our teachers. I think that desecrates God’s work.
RM: Are there any other anti-abortion arguments you would like to address, religious or otherwise?
Woodruff: I will add that I was so nervous to get up at that rally and say, “Hi, I’m Rev. Hollie Woodruff, and I am one of many pro-choice clergy.” I was shaking, and I was shaking because I wasn’t sure. I mean, we’re not supposed to do this, right? The reason why I’m sure we’re having this interview right now and why the magazine thought it was even valuable to share this story, is because it’s supposed to be an anomaly. But I can tell you, it’s not. This goes back to the ’60s, where clergy were helping women find access to abortion before it was legal.
I was shaking because I was like, “I don’t know if I’m going to be booed off this stage,” but it was so affirming. But I also felt it was so important that women out there, and men, whoever you are, to know that you’re not alone. When I was preparing, I learned that 54% of women who seek abortions are people of faith, and that’s staggering.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
