How one Christian reproductive justice leader is building a faith-based movement for abortion justice and reproductive freedom — and why rest is central to sustaining it
What Is Christian Reproductive Justice — and Why Does Faith Matter?
When most people think about reproductive justice, faith communities aren’t the first thing that comes to mind. But for Elaina Ramsey, executive director of FaithChoice Ohio, faith is exactly where the work begins.
FaithChoice Ohio elevates the moral power of faith communities for abortion justice and reproductive freedom in Ohio and beyond. In a recent conversation on the Just Rest: Burnout Tips for Everyday Radicals podcast, Elaina shared how her journey from fundamentalist evangelical Christianity to pro-faith, pro-choice advocate shaped not only her activism but her deeply held convictions about bodily autonomy, community care and sustainable movement work.
Her story is a powerful reminder that religious freedom and reproductive freedom are not in opposition — and that faith communities have a vital role to play in the fight for abortion justice.
Reproductive Health Care, Reproductive Rights and Reproductive Justice: What’s the Difference?
One of the most important distinctions in this conversation — and one that often gets lost in the public debate — is the difference between reproductive health care, reproductive rights, and reproductive justice.
Reproductive health care refers to the medical services people need throughout their reproductive lives. This includes birth control, prenatal and perinatal care, gynecological services, and access to abortion care.
Reproductive rights are the legal and policy protections that make that health care accessible. This can include the right to abortion, paid family leave, comprehensive sex education, and protections against government interference in personal reproductive decisions.
Reproductive justice is the broadest and most holistic term of the three. A group of 12 Black women created this framework in 1994. It is grounded in three core rights: the right to have children, the right not to have children, and the right to raise children in safe and sustainable communities.
That framework connects abortion access to a wider landscape of justice issues — from immigrant family separation to gun violence to LGBTQ+ family rights. As Elaina puts it, if we’re not talking about all of it, we’re doing a disservice to the people we’re trying to serve.
We go even deeper into the connections between reproductive justice and rest on the pod.
How Do Faith Communities Show Up for Abortion Justice and Reproductive Freedom?
For many people, a pro-choice faith community can sound like a contradiction. But Elaina’s work at FaithChoice Ohio is built on the conviction that people of faith have always been part of this movement — and that the moral case for abortion justice is deeply rooted in values of compassion, dignity and care.
FaithChoice Ohio does education, advocacy and direct service. One example is the Jubilee Fund, a mutual aid program that provides practical support to people accessing abortion care in Ohio. It can help with transportation to appointments, childcare, food, lodging and language interpretation services.
Because, as Elaina says, if you have the legal right to an abortion but can’t access it, is it really a choice?
What Does Mutual Aid Have to Do With Reproductive Justice?
Mutual aid is a core part of reproductive justice. It’s not enough to fight for legal rights if the practical barriers to care remain out of reach for the people who need it most.
For FaithChoice Ohio, mutual aid looks like the Jubilee Fund. It also looks like building pregnancy and parenting support into the broader conversation, and recognizing that reproductive justice means supporting families in all their forms, at every stage.
This is where the reproductive justice movement diverges most sharply from a narrower focus on abortion rights alone. It asks: what does it look like for every person to be able to make a truly free decision about their family? That freedom must be legal, practical, and affordable — and supported by community.
What Does Rest Have to Do With Reproductive Justice and Activism?
This is where the conversation takes a turn that might surprise you — and it’s one of the most important threads in this episode.
Elaina draws a direct line between bodily autonomy and rest. If we believe that people have the right to make decisions about their own bodies and their own lives, they also have the right to rest. To grieve. To step back. To be human.
Elaina grounds her own rest practice in the concept of Imago Dei, which is the idea that human beings are made in the image of a creative God. For Elaina, that means we are designed to create, to be in community, and to rest — not just to produce and perform.
And she doesn’t just preach it. At FaithChoice Ohio, rest is built into the organizational culture. The team has sabbatical policies, open-ended leave, firm boundaries around part-time hours, and intentional space for grief and lament. As Elaina says, how we do the work is the work.
Burnout in Movement Work: How Do We Sustain the Long Game?
Anyone doing advocacy, activism or nonprofit work knows the exhaustion that comes with caring deeply about things that feel urgent all the time. Elaina has been doing this work for nine years, and she speaks candidly about the cycles of pushing hard and pulling back — and why both are necessary.
She also speaks honestly about her own struggles with chronic illness, grief, and the gap between aspiring to rest and actually doing it. That honesty is itself a form of leadership.
Her message for anyone doing hard work in the world: The permission you give so freely to others — to rest, to grieve, to be imperfect and human — is also an invitation you can extend to yourself.
Learn More and Get Involved
🎧 Listen to the full conversation with Elaina Ramsey on Just Rest: Burnout Tips for Everyday Radicals
Learn more about FaithChoice Ohio and support their work for abortion justice and reproductive freedom. You can also find them on Instagram and Facebook at @FaithChoiceOhio, and listen to their podcast, R-Soul.
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About Elaina Ramsey
Elaina Ramsey is the executive director of Faith Choice Ohio, which elevates the moral power of faith communities for abortion justice and reproductive freedom in Ohio & beyond. With more than 15 years of campaign, advocacy, grassroots organizing, and editorial experience, she loves listening to people’s stories and engaging communities for social change. A former fundamentalist Evangelical, Elaina practices compassionate care as a pro-faith, pro-family, and pro-choice Christian. She is currently pursuing ordination with the United Church of Christ and proudly serves on the board of Red Letter Christians.
About Nicole Havelka
Nicole Havelka (she/her) is a burnout recovery coach, reverend, yoga and meditation teacher and founder of Defy the Trend, where she helps individuals and organizations resist grind culture and reclaim rest as a practice of liberation. She hosts Just Rest: Burnout Tips for Everyday Radicals and writes about rest, agency, and the nervous system on the Just Rest newsletter on Substack.
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