Statement on Reproductive Laws

The Interfaith Alliance of Oklahoma is dedicated to protecting religious freedom for all Oklahomans (including the freedom not to believe). In sharing life with our diverse community, we oppose any laws that violate the Golden Rule: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." While each of our traditions holds that human life is sacred, we sometimes differ in our understandings of precisely when human life begins (and thus requires our protection and support).

These definitions vary greatly within and between those belief systems, at both the group and individual level. Reproductive freedom and decision-making about pregnancy and childbirth must only be informed by an individual's privately held religious beliefs and the advice of medical professionals. According to multiple public opinion polls, the narrowly held religious view that human life begins at conception and therefore can be legally controlled is clearly not shared by the majority of citizens of this country.

For these reasons, the Interfaith Alliance of Oklahoma opposes any law that restricts freedom of choice and denies pregnant persons the right to make medically informed decisions for themselves. Such laws fundamentally violate both religious freedom and individual autonomy, and reflect only one, narrow religious perspective.