Ep. 9 The Choice: Processing

On this 2 part season finale, a risk taker and woman of courage -  Jamie Manson. She is best known for her writing for the National Catholic Reporter where in her very first article she came out as a lesbian. She is a Yale Divinity schooled Theologian, award winning writer and editor… and President of Catholics for Choice.  Jamie and Taye explore the last radical patriarchy, motives and how to navigate the morally complex questions around abortion and women’s fertility.

On the season 1 finale, Jamie and Taye uncover what’s been hiding in plain sight. Race and our history of white supremacy. The influence of the bishops on politics and what does it really mean to have a preferential option for the poor.  Jamie’s hopes for Pope Francis and her long game for women to be seen as equal in the church.

Father Thomas and I continue our discussion on the Catholic church’s position on topics of Excommunication, Pro-Choice Catholics, weighing the vote and who is in the center of the decision. We come back to Ann's question of what kind of community do we want to surround ourselves with. Will we find common ground?

I ask Father Thomas where the Catholic church and community is today from a place at the center of Ann’s abortion story.

After 18.  Jenn shares her ten year journey in processing her shame and fears around her decision, mental illness and identity.

On the edge of 18, Jenn is struggling with mental illness and the discovery of a pregnancy, is it too late. 

Ann recounts what it was like moving to a small town in high school, navigating a parent’s divorce and making a decision in college that will forever influence how she leads her life and builds community today.

Taye shares the outtakes of her conversations with Romeo as he shares what it was like under Cheausescu's regime in Romania before the fall of communism. We confront the sides of communism and his personal projections of our American two party system and the future of Trumpism after the insurrection on Jan 6.

So I’m not one for skirting around hard things. And, if we are going to be authentic about struggle and connection, one of the longest bridges to cross together is the distance between Pro Choice and Right to Life.  This chapter, “The Choice”, demands of us to listen HARD. The stories are intimate and is an opportunity to imagine oneself in someone else’s shoes and circumstances.  We will wrestle with our faith, beliefs, the what if’s and could’ve beens and how might we move forward with less shaming and more compassion. Settle in.

It's the feedback you may need to hear. Romeo and Taye reflect on January 6  and discuss events and triggers that stoked acceptance of untruths and polarization in and between parties. As attention is focused on Former President Trump, Trumpism and Republican Party leaders for accountability, he has something to share for the left. Perhaps it uncovers an echo chamber that was hiding in plain sight.