2025 brought what feels like several years' worth of experiences: a new federal political administration, drastic worsening of life for families in the U.S. due to Project 2025, and a deepening struggle for reproductive freedom in Ohio and beyond. Kelley Fox and Rev. Terry Williams look back on the year from both community and organizational perspectives, exploring how the seemingly darkest of times can be fruitful ground for growth, strategic development, and expectant preparation. Kelley and Terry highlight the amazing things that happened at Faith Choice Ohio in the past year including launching our on-demand Faith for Repro Training Center, developing 10 new mini-zine offerings, organizing across regions with various clergy & congregations, and much more!

Links to Discussed Content:

• Presidential pardons for anti-abortion criminals - https://apnews.com/article/abortion-trump-executive-order-pardon-817774b21d32a4edf6d39ee43cbc18f4
• Project 2025 targets repro advocates, transgender rights, and more - https://19thnews.org/2025/12/project-2025-heritage-foundation-progress/
• DOGE undermines AIDS prevention and health policy - https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/5263506-former-trump-official-doge-cuts-hiv-aids-epidemic/
• FDA approves Mifepristone generic as safe and effective - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/fda-approves-another-generic-abortion-pill-prompting-conservativ...
• Faith for Repro Training Center - https://www.faithchoiceohio.org/trainings
• PRIDE 2025 with Faith Choice Ohio - https://www.faithchoiceohio.org/pride
• Faith4Repro Store - https://www.faithchoiceohio.org/store
• Minister in Residence, Constance M. Dunlap - https://www.faithchoiceohio.org/blog/justice-as-an-invitation-to-transformation
• 2025 Intern, Karina Streeter - https://www.faithchoiceohio.org/blog/the-power-of-youth-led-organizing
• FREE Mini-Zines for distribution - https://www.faithchoiceohio.org/zines
• Get plugged in with Clergy for Choice - https://www.faithchoiceohio.org/clergy-for-choice
• Video Library at Faith Choice Ohio - https://www.faithchoiceohio.org/videos

Music by Korbin Jones

Ohio enshrined reproductive freedom in the state constitution in 2023, but sneaky attempts to thwart the will of the people are still very much in play. Kelley Fox and Rev. Terry Williams take aim at some sly laws slipped in to the state budget and shoved through the latest legislative session that seek to burden reproductive healthcare providers, stigmatize abortion seekers, and ultimately force a minority religious viewpoint onto the bodies of every Ohioan. Calling out the dishonesty and religious hypocrisy of crafty anti-abortion zealots, Kelley and Terry help listeners gain perspective, centering this episode on the important truth at the core of this struggle — that people who support abortion-positive policies are in the majority in Ohio and beyond.

Links to discussed content:

• Ohio Monthly Abortion Report - https://odh.ohio.gov/explore-data-and-stats/published-reports/data-and-stats-abortion-reports
• What are TRAP laws? - https://www.plannedparenthoodaction.org/issues/abortion/types-attacks/trap-laws
• Preaching Personhood: The Politics of Ignoring People In the Present - https://faithchoiceohio.podbean.com/e/preaching-personhood-the-politics-of-ignoring-people-in-the-present/
• SMA in Good Faith Training - https://www.faithchoiceohio.org/self-managed-abortion-in-good-faith-training
• Abortions are Holy, a new zine by Faith Choice Ohio! - https://www.faithchoiceohio.org/zines/p/abortions-are-holy-mini-zine
• Ohio lawmakers move to restrict mifepristone - https://ohiocapitaljournal.com/2025/11/18/ohio-gop-lawmakers-move-to-ban-telehealth-mail-order-abortion-pills/
• Student required to view “Live Action” propaganda video in Ohio - https://ohiocapitaljournal.com/2025/11/19/ohio-house-passes-bill-requiring-public-schools-show-baby-olivia-video-to-students-in-grades-5-12/
• Experts say new anti-abortion laws in Ohio are about misinformation - https://ohiocapitaljournal.com/2025/11/12/ohio-bill-requiring-legal-statement-prior-to-abortion-treatment-could-sew-mistrust-experts-say/

Music by Korbin Jones

Sharing her experience as a Catholic woman living in southern Ohio, special guest Sister Shannon joins Rev. Terry Williams for a discussion about bodies, belovedness, and boldly claiming a living faith. As a faithful Roman Catholic believer who has experienced dating, single motherhood, and now marriage, Sister Shannon reflects on the meaningfulness of being a pro-choice person of faith who trusts other people to make choices about their own bodies while expecting the same trust from them in return. Lifting up her lifegiving encounters with our partner organization Catholics for Choice, Sister Shannon discusses her journey with finding solidarity and wholeness among the majority of Roman Catholics who support reproductive freedom (no matter what the church's hierarchy has to say!) Links to discussed content:

• Sister Shannon on Instagram: instagram.com/sister.shannon
• Catholics for Choice: catholicsforchoice.org
• Roman Catholic Women Priests: https://romancatholicwomenpriests.org/
• Background information about the Womenpriests Movement: https://progressive.org/latest/the-movement-to-excommunicate-misogyny-from-the-catholic-church-20250709/
• The Autobiography of Malcolm X: penguinrandomhouse.com/books/106490/the-autobiography-of-malcolm-x-by-malcolm-x-as-told-to-alex-haley/
• About Father Richard Rohr: https://cac.org/about/cac-faculty/cac-founder-richard-rohr/
• Catholics for Choice resource "The Advocate's Bible": catholicsforchoice.org/advocatesbible

Music by Korbin Jones