A resurfaced sermon by a Presbyterian minister and social ethicist has drawn widespread attention on social media after she advocated for abortion rights from a synagogue pulpit while wearing a Planned Parenthood stole. The Rev. Rebecca Todd Peters delivered the address, titled “Reclaiming Scripture for Reproductive Dignity,” in February during a “Repro Rights Shabbat” at Temple Beth El, a Reform Jewish congregation in Charlotte, North Carolina. The roughly two-minute clip was recently recirculated online by the popular Christian X account Protestia.
In her remarks, Peters described her professional agenda over the past decade as focusing heavily on countering what she views as harmful anti-choice arguments originating from Christian communities. Drawing on her background as a Christian ethicist committed to liberation theology, Peters publicly shared her personal history of experiencing four pregnancies and two abortions. She argued that abortion is heavily burdened by stigma in America and that her ministry is dedicated to dismantling negative religious messaging and developing counter-narratives that frame abortion as life-saving and morally responsible.
During the lecture, Peters reinterpreted several biblical passages to support her position. Citing Exodus 21:22-25 regarding a pregnant woman struck during a fight, she argued the text establishes that prenatal life holds less value than the life of the pregnant woman. She also referenced Psalm 139:13-14, recounting an insight from a supporter who compared God knitting humans together in the womb to an artist who can choose to undo their knitting projects. Peters is a professor of religious studies at Elon University, the author of Trust Women: A Progressive Christian Argument for Reproductive Justice, and has previously asserted that abortion is a “moral good.” The article notes that her denomination, the Presbyterian Church (USA), has experienced a series of internal debates and increasingly progressive policy shifts regarding contemporary social and cultural issues in recent years.
