Project 2025: A Spiritual Perspective on its Impact on Women and Marginalized Groups
Project 2025, a plan by conservative groups, aims to reshape the U.S. government if Republicans win in 2024. As a Spiritualist Minister, I reflect on how policies align with compassion, inclusivity, and respect. This proposed document raises many concerns, especially for women and those in marginalized communities. As a Spiritualist Minister, I am worried that this is a first step in eliminating all other religious beliefs including my own. This country was founded upon religious freedom, we must stand up to those imposing their will on everyone else.
I have done a lot of learning about other religious beliefs, and have found a way to be more understanding to those of other beliefs. Even if they do not align with how I live. A perfect example of this is Miriam Malnik-Ezagui who is a content creator on social media. I follow her on Instagram. She is an Orthodox Jew who shares her life and answers questions about her life. She never tries to convert a person to her beliefs and she has been an inspiration to me as she shares her experiences. I may not always agree with her, but I have great respect for her.
Reproductive Rights and Bodily Autonomy
Certainly if you believe a certain way, your beliefs limit you. Not everyone else. Project 2025 threatens reproductive rights. It seeks to remove emergency contraception coverage and enforce the Comstock Act, which makes illegal to mail broad and unspecified categories of items including contraception and abortion information. This undermines a woman’s right to decide about her body, a fundamental principle of personal freedom. Taking contraception away from those that desire it, can have devastating effect on families.
Spiritually, this conflicts with the belief in individual agency and personal well-being. We should support each other in making decisions that align with our inner truth, free from coercion. I don’t believe in abortion as an option, so I did not have one. I believe that is a deeply private decision for each family and I have no business in that decision for someone else.
What does this mean for women who run the risk of reproductive cancer? Will they not be afforded the right to a preventive hysterectomy if they are still of child-bearing age? As a Previvor, I fear for women if that option could be potentially be taken away from a woman. What if a woman has cancer and needs a hysterectomy to save her life? As I watch women who need an abortion to save their life needlessly die for the sake of the baby, this is not out of the question. That they will take the options away from women one by one.
LGBTQ+ Rights and Recognition
Project 2025‘s vision includes policies that erase LGBTQ+ recognition. It promotes heterosexual marriage as the only valid form of sexual expression, denying the existence and rights of transgender and gender-nonconforming individuals (Democracy Docket). This fosters intolerance and discrimination.
Inclusivity and acceptance are core spiritual values. Every person, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity, deserves respect and the freedom to live authentically. Denying these rights is against the spiritual principle of unconditional love. I have many friends that this will affect, and I am afraid for them. Our Spiritual community is a safe place for many of these people.
Civil Liberties and Democratic Principles
Critics say Project 2025 undermines civil liberties and democratic principles. It promotes consolidating executive power and reclassifying civil service workers as political appointees (Wikipedia). This move towards authoritarianism threatens democratic values like checks and balances and separation of powers. Something our Founding Fathers were clear needed to be in place. Watching these safeguards being eroded is frightening to say the least.
As spiritual individuals, we uphold justice and fairness. Policies that erode democratic institutions and concentrate power undermine the collective voice and agency of the people, against the spiritual principle of shared governance. We all have a part in this, if we do something or nothing. Our lack of action have grave consequences.
Economic Inequality and Social Programs
Project 2025’s economic policies include cutting Medicare and Medicaid, which would hurt marginalized communities. It calls out huge reductions in environmental regulations, increasing pollution and health hazards, impacting low-income communities more but also the earth as a whole. Mother Nature doesn’t “redline” poor communities.
Compassion and support for the vulnerable are central to spiritual teachings. Social programs and environmental protections ensure all individuals, especially the marginalized, have access to basic needs and a healthy environment. Policies reducing these protections fail to uphold the spiritual mandate to care for one another and the Earth.
Educational Equity and Access
Project 2025 recommends abolishing the Department of Education, raising concerns about educational equity. Without federal oversight, programs supporting marginalized students may be reduced or eliminated. Only the wealthy will have access to private schools while public education is marginalized and geared toward teaching only what the Project 2025 writers believe is “appropriate.”
Education is key to personal and societal transformation. Ensuring equitable access to education aligns with spiritual values of empowerment and growth. Policies hindering educational opportunities for marginalized groups harm collective progress and spiritual well-being.
Project 2025 Will Only Benefit a Few
As a Spiritualist Minister, I believe it’s crucial to view policies like Project 2025 through a lens of compassion, inclusivity, and respect. The project raises concerns for women and marginalized communities, particularly on reproductive rights, LGBTQ+ recognition, civil liberties, economic inequality, and educational equity. Devoid of compassion, inclusivity or respect. It benefits a very elite few and puts a burden on those less likely to see any benefit.
We must advocate for policies upholding spiritual principles of love, justice, and mutual respect. We should strive for a society where every individual can thrive, free from discrimination and coercion, with compassion and inclusivity guiding our decisions. I want to live in a world without fear of losing more rights. I grew up in an age of greater equality than my mother had and I am watching it erode away. There is a way forward, but unless more people stand up to this movement towards an authoritarian nation, it is going to get a lot worse. In school I used to wonder in history class “How could people let this happen”, well now I know. We are called to uphold justice and be mindful of our place in history.
