Press Room
Human Rights Advocates Gloria Steinem, Faye Wattleton and Kathryn Kolbert Discuss the Far-Reaching Consequences of the Supreme Court Decision at Marble Collegiate Church
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(New York, N.Y., November 10, 2022) “Either women and men have decision-making power over our own bodies, or we’re not living in a democracy from the beginning. We’re not free people,” said Gloria Steinem, writer and women’s rights advocate at a conversation about “America After Roe V. Wade: Where Do We Go from Here?” at Marble Collegiate Church on Wednesday, November 9, in New York City.
“Women and your allies, we are here this evening, standing in solidarity. I believe that our participation in this act of justice and this act of disruption sends a very good message. It says that we’re not willing to sit idly by as the reactionary forces in this country try to strip women of their agency and power. It says that we will not sit silent and resigned in indifference and complicity, but we’re going to stand up. We’re going to speak up, and we’re going to raise our voices and say, ‘Enough is enough!’” said Rev. Rashad McPherson, Associate in Ministry and Music at Marble Collegiate Church, who moderated the evening with Steinem, Faye Wattleton, former president of Parenthood and longtime Marble Member, and Kathryn Kolbert, reproductive rights attorney and pioneer for reproductive freedom.
Wattleton stressed how the Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe goes beyond a women’s reproductive rights. “It is about how we conduct our lives, with whom we conduct them, and if the government has the right to invade that private space, as opposed to leaving it to our circumstance and to our ministers,” Wattleton said.
The program, which was presented by the Marble Women’s Ministry and GIFTS, Marble’s LGBTQ+ fellowship, came just hours after the 2022 midterm elections where multiple states decided to protect women’s right to abortion. While the speakers clearly laid out the stark reality of the continual chipping away of women’s reproductive rights in the United States, they did offer a glimmer of hope for the future.
“If we really want to help each other, we’ve got to work in elections. We’ve got to replicate what happened [on November 8], in states all across this country, and we’ve got to do that, not just as a one-off, but in every election, every year, for our lifetimes, until we have enough political power to make the change,” Kolbert said.
For images, video or more information, contact Christina Morano Keiser, Marble Collegiate Church, CMorano@MarbleChurch.org; (212) 686-2770
Watch American After Roe V. Wade: Where Do We Go from Here?
View a photo gallery from the event
Contact: Christina Morano Keiser, Marble Collegiate Church
Phone: (212) 686-2770
Email: CMorano@MarbleChurch.org
About Marble Church:
Marble Collegiate Church has stood on the corner of Fifth Avenue and 29th Street since 1854, with its ministry dating back to 1628. This vibrant, Protestant church (affiliations with The Reformed Church in America and The United Church of Christ) is a community where all of us are encouraged to become our best selves and serve New York City and the world.