The Florida Interfaith Coalition for Reproductive Health and Justice is a Florida-based coalition of people of faith who advocate left-of-center policies such as expanded abortion access and comprehensive sex education for teenagers. ¹ The organization is run by employees of Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida, an affiliate of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America. ²

Activities

The Florida Interfaith Coalition for Reproductive Health and Justice gathers people of faith from different religious backgrounds in support of abortion. Members are primarily drawn from various Christian and Jewish denominations, including Unitarian Universalism, Lutheranism, Presbyterianism, and Reform Judaism. ³

To become a member, individuals must sign a letter agreeing to the principles of the coalition. These principles include a declaration that they “affirm the sanctity of life by endorsing laws and policies that provide access to comprehensive reproductive medicine, including access to safe and legal abortion care”; “protest the enshrinement of any faith strictures as public policy”; affirm that “religious leaders and government officials have no business imposing their personal faith strictures or religious definitions of medical services into the laws of the land or the private lives of women and families”; and “stand by the work of women’s health centers, including Planned Parenthood, for providing quality and affordable medical care and comprehensive sex education so vital to the well-being of our communities.” ⁴  The Coalition also affirms that terminating a pregnancy is a proper moral decision consistent with religious people’s faith and values. ⁵

The Coalition advocates on behalf of the Florida Planned Parenthood affiliates, promotes the idea that religious liberty demands legal access to abortion, and argues that according to religious principles there is no contradiction between supporting the sanctity of life and abortion. ⁶ The Coalition also advocated fetal remains, including from abortions, to do research on COVID-19 and opposed legislation in Florida to require parental consent before a minor receives an abortion. ⁷

The Coalition provides resources for its members, including access to a database of statements from various religious denominations relating to sexuality issues, Pew Research Center findings on the opinions of various religious groups in regards to abortion, and pro-abortion materials from Catholics for Choice, ⁸ a pro-abortion advocacy group of self-identified Catholics who deny the teaching authority of the Roman Catholic Church on abortion-related matters and have been denounced by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops as representing the abortion lobby and not the Catholic Church. ⁹

Additionally, the Coalition hosts events for its members. Previously, the Coalition hosted a series of events promoting the book Trust Women:  A Progressive Christian Argument for Reproductive Justice by Rebecca Todd Peters, ¹⁰ a professor of religious studies and director of the Poverty and Social Justice Program at Elon University. ¹¹

People

The president of the Florida Interfaith Coalition for Reproductive Health and Justice is Kate Lannamann. During much of her time as president of the coalition, Lannamann also worked as a board member, then vice chair, then the chair of the board of directors of Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida, an affiliate of Planned Parenthood Federation of America. Previously Lannamann worked as a board member and affiliate representative of the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, a left-of-center interfaith nonprofit that advocates for expanded abortion access as well as a host of center-left policies, including LGBT issues, illegal immigration, environmentalism, and “economic justice.” ¹²

Partner Organizations

The Florida Interfaith Coalition for Reproductive Health and Justice is a partner of Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida. Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida promotes the Coalition and urges its supporters to sign on to the Coalition’s letter of principles to take political action in the state of Florida to support abortion rights and LGBT interests. ¹³

1. “Sign On Letter.” Florida Interfaith Coalition for Reproductive Health and Justice. Accessed November 13, 2023. https://www.flinterfaithcoalitionforreproductivehealth.org/sign-on-letter.
2. “Kate Lannamann.” LinkedIn. Accessed November 13, 2023. https://www.linkedin.com/in/kate-lannamann-8253834a/.
3. “Sign On Letter.” Florida Interfaith Coalition for Reproductive Health and Justice. Accessed November 13, 2023. https://www.flinterfaithcoalitionforreproductivehealth.org/sign-on-letter.
4. “Sign On Letter.” Florida Interfaith Coalition for Reproductive Health and Justice. Accessed November 13, 2023. https://www.flinterfaithcoalitionforreproductivehealth.org/sign-on-letter.
5. “Florida Interfaith Coalition for Reproductive Health and Justice.” Florida Interfaith Coalition for Reproductive Health and Justice. Accessed November 13, 2023. https://www.flinterfaithcoalitionforreproductivehealth.org/.
6. “Florida Interfaith Coalition for Reproductive Health and Justice.” Florida Interfaith Coalition for Reproductive Health and Justice. Accessed November 13, 2023. https://www.flinterfaithcoalitionforreproductivehealth.org/.
7. “The Interfaith Coalition asks Trump Administration to lift ban on the use of fetal tissue in NIH funded Covid19 Research.” Florida Interfaith Coalition for Reproductive Health and Justice. Accessed November 13, 2023. https://www.flinterfaithcoalitionforreproductivehealth.org/news.
8. “Resources.” Florida Interfaith Coalition for Reproductive Health and Justice. Accessed November 13, 2023. https://www.flinterfaithcoalitionforreproductivehealth.org/resources.
9. “NCCB/USCC President Issue Statement on Catholics for a Free Choice.” United States Conference of Catholics Bishops. May 10, 2000. Archived November 13, 2011. Accessed November 13, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20111113050709/http://old.usccb.org/comm/archives/2000/00-123.shtml.
10. “Events.” Florida Interfaith Coalition for Reproductive Health and Justice. Accessed November 13, 2023. https://www.flinterfaithcoalitionforreproductivehealth.org/events.
11. “Rebecca Todd Peters.” LinkedIn. Accessed November 13, 2023. https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebecca-todd-peters-ba207643/
12. “Kate Lannamann.” LinkedIn. Accessed November 13, 2023. https://www.linkedin.com/in/kate-lannamann-8253834a/.
13. “Take Action.” Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida. Accessed November 13, 2023. https://www.plannedparenthood.org/planned-parenthood-southwest-central-florida/get-involved-locally.