Christian Authors Jen Hatmaker and Mary Katherine Backstrom Say They Back Roe v. Wade

Michael Foust | ChristianHeadlines.com Contributor | Updated: May 06, 2022
 Christian Authors Jen Hatmaker and Mary Katherine Backstrom Say They Back Roe v. Wade

Christian Authors Jen Hatmaker and Mary Katherine Backstrom Say They Back Roe v. Wade

Two prominent female authors of Christian books have voiced their support for Roe v. Wade in light of the leaked Supreme Court opinion that suggests a majority of justices are in favor of overturning the landmark decision.

Jen Hatmaker and Mary Katherine Backstrom each expressed support for Roe and legalized abortion on their respective Facebook pages this week, sparking a mixture of approval and pushback from followers.

A Supreme Court decision overturning Roe would send the issue back to the 50 respective states.

On her blog, Hatmaker, the author of For the Love and multiple other books, called the potential overturning of Roe a “shocking, unprecedented repeal of women’s rights.”

Backstrom, the author of Holy Hot Mess and Crazy Joy, said she believes women “deserve to have agency over their bodies.”

Hatmaker, whose books were pulled by Lifeway in 2016 due to her support for same-sex marriage, said on her Facebook page that she had “sat quietly” for two days before voicing her opinion.

“Reproductive rights belong to women, individually, and they keep us safer, healthier, and autonomous,” Hatmaker wrote. “This reversal will cause monumental physical and social harm to women ….”

The legislative opponents of Roe, she said, are participating in “political theater.” She chided politicians who oppose Roe but also oppose free birth control, “comprehensive” sex-education, maternal health care, paid maternity leave and subsidized child care, among other things.

Backstrom said she is a survivor of rape and childhood sexual abuse. She posted a comment on Hatmaker’s Facebook page, thanking her for speaking out and adding it’s “scary/hard/discouraging being a person of faith and feeling alone on the topic of agency.”

Hatmaker and Backstrom each have more than 800,000 Facebook followers.

A 2021 Gallup poll showed American women deeply divided about abortion, with 52 percent labeling themselves pro-choice and 42 percent pro-life.

That division was reflected on the Facebook pages of Hatmaker and Backstrom.

“You aren’t alone. Many of us feel the same,” one woman wrote, referencing both authors. “Every woman deserves to have autonomy over her body.”

“Each life is precious and deserves a chance. Reversing Roe V. Wade will give more unborn children a chance at life,” another woman, who is pro-life, commented. “... While every woman that becomes pregnant has infinite value, so does the life she carries inside her. So many women have experienced abortion, and it not only has caused irreparable harm to them but permanently taken away the rights of the unborn person inside them.”

“Oh, Jen. My heart breaks for you,” another pro-life woman wrote. “I’ve always admired how you defend the vulnerable and the underdog, but now, seeing how you have told unborn people that they’re not worth your defense, truly makes me mourn.”

Related:

Supreme Court Has Votes to Overturn Roe in Draft Opinion: ‘Pray They Stay Strong,’ Pro-Lifers Urge

10 Christian Leaders React to Potential Overturning of Roe v. Wade

Photo courtesy: ©Getty Images/Wesley Hitt/Stringer


Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chroniclethe Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.



Christian Authors Jen Hatmaker and Mary Katherine Backstrom Say They Back Roe v. Wade