Reproductive Justice and the Catholic Church: Advancing Pragmatic Solidarity with Pregnant Women

Using a framework of reproductive justice and drawing on sources of the Catholic intellectual tradition, Emily Reimer-Barry argues that the Catholic Church’s position of moral absolutism against abortion denies women’s moral agency and violates human dignity.

Emily Reimer-Barry is associate professor of theology and religious studies and affiliated faculty in the program in women’s and gender studies at the University of San Diego, where she teaches undergraduate courses in theological ethics. She is the author of Catholic Marriage in the Era of HIV and AIDS: Marriage for Life and her articles have appeared in Theological Studies, Proceedings of the Catholic Theological Society of America, Theology & Sexuality, and the Journal of the Society of Christian Ethics. She is a member of Catholic Theology in the World Church, Catholic Theological Society of America, and the Society of Christian Ethics. Dr. Reimer-Barry was named a Laudato Si fellow by the Center for Catholic Thought and Culture at the University of San Diego in 2022, and a Steber Professor by the Office of the Provost in 2023.