One of my quirks (not all of them, just one) is that I like to coordinate my tie with my sermon. During Lent and Advent I wear my purple tie. Whenever Wake Forest is doing really good, I wear my Wake tie. If it is a family day I wear one of my Save the Children ties. (They are some of my favorites!)
Most of the time no one knows this except me. But it is often a thoughtful decision every Sunday morning.
Today there really wasn’t a struggle.
The bowtie I wore this morning was one given to me in 2014 as a part of the 20th Anniversary of the SC Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy. Now it is know as Fact Forward, but they continue to do great work. I became involved with that organization in it’s very beginning and now serve as an emeritus board member.
I wore that tie today for two reasons. First it was in honor of Mother’s Day. That might seem a bit strange but Fact Forward has done a wonderful job in helping make sure that being a mother is something you choose. We have worked to help inform teens about making decisions that are right for them.
The result has been a 70% reduction in teen pregnancies over the past few decades. It has led to a `16% reduction in the number of abortions in SC.
Which leads to the second reason I wore this tie today. The leaked draft from the Supreme Court of the US seems to predict the imminent demise of abortion access in much of the US. I strongly disagree with this decision. The negative impact it will have on the health of so many cannot be overestimated.
My prayer is that those who have worked so hard to overturn Roe will now join us in making sure that age appropriate, evidence based sex education will be available to all our children. I hope that contraceptives will be available over the counter. And since children are so precious I am sure that once they are born they will be just as precious, meaning that the day will soon come when we will have adequate childcare, maternal health, family leave, and healthcare healthcare healthcare!
After all, every child is precious!
That is why I wore this tie today, and will continue to do this important work.
You are invited to join!