September 17, 2012

We will miss Reverend Howard Moody deeply. He helped thousands of women obtain safe abortions before Roe v. Wade, and after the decision, he helped poor women afford safe, legal abortions.

As a founder of the Clergy Consultation Service on Abortion, Rev. Moody co-created an extensive network of clergy members and abortion providers in the late 1960s and early 1970s. In this short video from our documentary Voices of Choice, he explains how the network vetted doctors to ensure patients would be treated safely.

Rev. Moody saw no shame in abortion. For him, serving pregnant women in need was integral to his faith and his profession. We feel lucky to have known him.

PRCH President and CEO Jodi Magee published a tribute to Rev. Moody on RH Reality Check. Jodi noted that Rev. Moody explained the rule he and his colleagues in the Clergy Consultation Service on Abortion observed: “‘[W]e were not to be judgmental … we were to help them go through this and be with them through the process.’ …They were way ahead of their time. Forty-five years after Reverend Moody started the Clergy Consultation Service, and almost 40 years after Roe, it is a lesson this country still needs to learn.”