[Episcopal News Service] The Rev. Elizabeth Kaeton has been elected to a three-year term on the national board of the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice.
The Episcopal Church is among 40 denominations and faith groups belonging to the RCRC. John Vanderstar, a representative of the Episcopal Women’s Caucus on the RCRC Council of Governors and a member of the Strategic Planning Committee, nominated Kaeton, who is the only Episcopalian on the 25-member board.
“Elizabeth is a very bright and highly experienced cleric and counselor. She is very committed to our issues and our organization,” Vanderstar said in his nomination.
An Episcopal priest in the Diocese of Newark now living in Delaware, Kaeton is national convener of the Episcopal Women’s Caucus and past president of the New Jersey chapter of RCRC. She has participated in and coordinated training sessions for “A Peaceful Presence” at several outpatient clinics in Northern New Jersey and participated in the state chapter’s lobbying efforts in Trenton and Washington, D.C.
“I believe that the ‘war on women’ is real. Reproductive rights — from education to prevention and early intervention — are being eroded by the very people who say they believe in God and Jesus as well as ‘smaller government,’” Kaeton said via e-mail. “The work and voices of RCRC have never been more important. I am excited and honored to join this stellar board. My sleeves are rolled up, and my running shoes are on.”
I amazed how someone in any Church would want to be associated with RCRC. I am not against women having choices…but I am total disagreement with anyone who thinks killing an innocent baby should be part of “choice”! Anyone who is for abortion…please understand what this choice is…it is murder and there is no other way of looking at it. It is taking a life of a innocent baby. How can anyone support this???
Congratulations, Elizabeth Kaeton! And Godspeed in this imoportant work! I’m a member of the local board of Faith Aloud (formerly the Mo. RCRC) and have been interested in this work for many years, having been active even prior to 1973 (Roe v. Wade) as a counselor when to be so was illegal in some respects. I was part of the old Clergy Coalition here in the St. Louis area. You are right in that this is a critically important time for the work of RCRC.
Congratulations … to Elizabeth Kaeton AND to RCRC! I know their work will be blessed by her passion and advocacy and pray that she will be blessed by yet-another opportunity to make justice roll down — this time for women’s health issues. As for supporting the RCRC platform, I am privileged to serve a congregation — All Saints Church in Pasadena — that has been “prayerfully pro-choice” since 1989 and we are delighted that one of our staff members is currently serving on the local Planned Parenthood Board. All of which to say there is a long history of the Episcopal Church being in the forefront of advocating for a woman’s right to choose … and delighted to see that Elizabeth Kaeton will bring that voice to the RCRC.