Partner Toolkit: CFC Synod Story Collection

We’re bringing your abortion stories to the Vatican this fall. Church leadership can’t keep ignoring us.

Background: This October, the Catholic church is concluding its 2021-2024 Synod on Synodality. The Synod was supposed to be a groundbreaking opportunity for the people who make up the church — like the pro-choice majority — to reshape the life and future of the church.

However, the Vatican chose to move the focus of the Synod away from “hot-button topics” like gender equality and LGBTQ+ inclusion in the church. 🙄

We have no doubt that the Vatican is avoiding the topic of abortion at the synod for the very same reason. But it is disrespectful to dismiss the harm caused by the church’s abortion stigma (not to mention the millions of collection plate dollars that they pour into anti-choice campaigns). The church cannot write off this issue as a “hot button topic” when it knows full well that 1 in 4 abortion patients in the U.S. is identifies as Catholic.

We are asking our valued partners to use their platforms and invite their audiences to share their abortion stories with Catholics for Choice here: Catholicsforchoice.org/stories.

Whether they are somebody who has had an abortion or somebody who has supported a loved one through an abortion, whether they are a former or practicing Catholic (or somewhere in between), we want to hear their story. We are eager to hear from people of all genders!

Stories can be shared anonymously or with whatever identifiers they are comfortable with.

We have provided several examples of Twitter or Facebook posts that can be used to promote our message. Catholics for Choice will also direct partners to our social posts as they go live so you may re-post them on any platform.

CFC Posts to Share:

Twitter Sample Posts:

This fall @Catholic4Choice is trying to get as many abortion stories as possible in front of Pope Francis and Catholic leadership. Support our partners in this mission and share your story today: Catholicsforchoice.org/stories
President of @Catholic4Choice @JamieLManson is returning to the Vatican one year after she risked arrest in support of abortion access. Share your abortion story or ask a loved one to share theirs for a chance to have your story brought to Rome: Catholicsforchoice.org/stories
If you supported a partner, friend, or loved one through an abortion, please consider sharing your perspective — especially if you are a practicing or former Catholic — with @Catholic4Choice as they prepare to bring your stories to the Vatican this fall: Catholicsforchoice.org/stories

Facebook Sample Posts:

Sample post 1:

Last October, President of @Catholics for Choice Jamie Manson risked arrest as she declared “Faithful Catholics have abortions” and brought dozens of abortion stories to the Vatican. This fall, the Catholic church is concluding its 2021-2024 Synod on Synodality. This moment is a groundbreaking opportunity, and the final chance, for the pro-choice majority of Catholics to get their perspectives in front of Pope Francis and Catholic leadership.

We encourage you to help our partners @Catholics for Choice and share your abortion story – whether you have had an abortion or as somebody who has supported a loved one though an abortion. Share your story at Catholicsforchoice.org/stories, or share this post with your pro-choice Catholic or former Catholic loved ones.

Sample post 2:

If you have had an abortion, or you have supported a friend, partner or loved one through an abortion, please consider sharing your story with our partners @Catholics for Choice as they prepare to bring your abortion stories to the Vatican this fall.

This is the final opportunity to get as many abortion stories as possible in front of Catholic leadership, and the support from pro-choice Catholics or former Catholics is critical. Visit this link, or share with a loved one, to make your story heard: Catholicsforchoice.org/stories

Catholics for Choice thanks you so much for your partnership! Without partners like you uplifting this mission, we could not achieve these same levels of engagement and momentum leading up to this critical opportunity for our organization. We hope to support you as much as we can in your future projects so that together, we can continue our valuable mission to make reproductive freedom a reality for everyone, everywhere.