Funding: This oral history project has received funding from Temple and Oral History in the Mid-Atlantic Region.

Methodology: Oral histories are conducted with an intersectional approach,  attentive to how race, class, gender, sexual orientation, and religious affiliation shape narrator’s relationship to both Catholicism and reproductive justice. The methodology accounts for regional nuances relevant to U.S. religious and reproductive politics, and encompasses Mexico and Canada to capture cross-border experiences.

Ethics: Due to the politically charged nature of this project, narrators can choose full attribution, partial attribution, or full anonymity. Consent is essential at all stages of the process, from interviews to archiving. This research received a waiver from Temple University’s Internal Review Board, but further documentation can be provided.

Who Counts As Catholics?: This project resists treating Catholics as a monolithic bloc. So-called traditional measurements of religious affiliation adhere strictly to participation in institutional or organized activities. While these actions capture institutional markers of religious affiliation, they fail to account for the myriad ways in which individuals identify—or no longer identify—with Catholicism or the label “Catholic,” including communal and familial connections, education, and religious trauma. Thus, narrators are able to self-identify and can also participate if they feel “Catholic” no longer defines them.