Florida Interfaith Coalition for Reproductive Health and Justice

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. ¹

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.” ¹  The Coalition also affirms that terminating a pregnancy is a proper moral decision consistent with religious people’s faith and values. ²

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. ² 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. ³

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, ⁴ 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. ⁵

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, ⁶ a professor of religious studies and director of the Poverty and Social Justice Program at Elon University. ⁷

People

Kate Lannamann is the president and director of the Florida Interfaith Coalition for Reproductive Health and Justice, working in the role since 2016. According to Lannamann’s LinkedIn profile, she has also worked as the Chair of the Board of Directors for the Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida, a local affiliate of  Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) since 2023. Her LinkedIn profile also shows she previously worked in several roles with the local branch since 2017 including Vice Chair of the board between 2021 and 2023, as well as a board member between 2017 and 2023. Prior to this, Lannamann worked as a board member as well as affiliate representative of interfaith nonprofit group Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice. ⁸

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 on its website and has urged supporters to sign on to the Coalition’s letter of principles to advocate on left-of-center policy within the state of Florida on protecting abortion rights and LGBT interests. ⁹