Chaplaincy & Reproductive Justice: A Conversation on Intersections

Practitioners and pastors who are engaged in chaplaincy and spiritual care are invited, now more than ever, to consider how their role as spiritual care providers can support social justice efforts within their institutions and communities.

“Chaplaincy & Reproductive Justice: A Conversation on Intersections,” led by Rev. Dr. Jessica Chapman Lape, creates space for spiritual care providers, chaplains, and chaplaincy students to explore the intersections of spiritual care and a critical and timely topic in social justice: reproductive justice. The reproductive justice framework advocates for a person’s right to have a child, the right to not have a child, and the right to raise children in safe and healthy environments. In this presentation, we will explore how the reproductive justice framework informs the spiritual care practices of professional spiritual care providers in healthcare and community-based settings.

Register below.

Panelists

Rev. Jess L. Chancey • MDiv, BCC

Rev. Jess L. Chancey (they/them) originally hails from Atlanta, GA, where they earned their Master of Divinity at Columbia Theological Seminary. They completed their chaplain training at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, and they now serve as staff chaplain at Regions Hospital in Saint Paul while also completing their Doctor of Ministry work at United. Jess developed a passion for advocacy through their own experiences of struggling for acceptance and inclusion as a queer minister with a disability, leading them to serve as Co-Chair of UCC Disabilities Ministries and on the planning team for the LGBTQ+ peer network at Regions. When Jess isn’t working, you’ll likely find them watching Star Trek, writing their dissertation, or doing an Out of the Darkness walk with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, accompanied by their trust pup Macy.

jessica young chang • MFA, MDiv

jessica young chang (she/her) is excited about growth and transformation in individuals and communities through creative, embodied, mystical, and collective spiritual practices. Originally from Ohio, jessica has a background in Performance Studies (Northwestern University) and Creative Writing (MFA, Columbia College Chicago). jess started practicing yoga to help her deal with the trials and stresses of college. Her teaching is informed by vinyasa and Tantric traditions, and she has taught in community, for-profit, and private contexts for years. Before entering spiritual study, jess served as a collective member and board member at Chicago Women’s Health Center. Having cultivated a career in performance, writing, yoga and reproductive justice, a calling toward the intersection of embodiment and spiritual practice led jess to earn a Masters of Divinity at Harvard Divinity School. jess is pursuing ordination in the United Church of Christ, and is currently serving as a staff chaplain at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Rev. Latishia James • MDiv

Rev. Latishia James (she/they) affectionately known as Rev. Pleasure is a Black queer femme, womanist culture change agent, facilitator of healing spaces for QTBIPOC women + femmes and writer. A Master of Divinity and Certificate of Sexuality+ Religion graduate from Pacific School of Religion they currently serve as Co-Director for Organizational Development at Spiritual Alliance of Communities for Reproductive Dignity (SACReD) where she works to make Reproductive Justice a lived reality through liberating religious education and organizing people of faith. Latishia is ordained in The Fellowship of Affirming Ministries and is a certified healing-centered coach. Like the true womanist she is, she “loves music. Loves dance. Loves the moon. Loves the Spirit. Loves love and food and roundness. Loves struggle. Loves the Folk. Loves herself. Regardless.”

Rev. Jude Johnson • MDiv, BCC

Jude (he/they) joined All-Options in June 2023. He is a Board Certified Chaplain and Minister in the United Church of Christ (UCC). Jude received their Master of Divinity degree from Pacific School of Religion (Berkeley, CA), with a focus on the intersections of sexuality and religion. Jude completed their internship, residency, and fellowship for chaplaincy in VA hospitals – specializing in spiritual trauma, LGBTQ+ spiritual care, transgender-competent provider education, and holistic mental health. Other work from Jude includes writing camp programming for children and adults at Pilgrim Pines Camp (Yucaipa, CA), and educational workshops on sexuality, gender identity, and queer theology.

Rev. Dr. Jessica Chapman Lape • PhD, MDiv

Rev. Dr. Jessica Chapman Lape (she/her) is assistant professor and program director for interreligious chaplaincy. Jessica received her PhD in Practical Theology from Claremont School of Theology where she earned the Presidential Award for Academic Excellence and the Jack Coogan Award for the Creative Use of the Arts in the Life of the CST Community. Jessica’s research inhabits the intersection of spiritual care, healthcare, and reproductive justice. Her dissertation, missTreated: A Womanist Clinical Pastoral Theology on the Mistreatment of African American Women in U.S. Healthcare, explores Black women’s perception of cultural violence in U.S. healthcare systems and the subsequent role of spiritual care in interrupting such violence. Jessica’s current research is working to expand paradigms of clinical spiritual care to include contextualized spiritual care practices such as Black indigenous birthwork. As a trained community birth doula, Jessica works to integrate traditional African American birthwork and midwifery practices into her clinical chaplaincy. She has been a chaplain for faith-based nonprofit organizations, and a healthcare chaplain specializing in areas such as palliative care, women’s health, community health, and perinatal care. Jessica is an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ, a staff chaplain at Regions Hospital in St. Paul, MN, and a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated. She lives and plays with her spouse, J.D., their little one, Johnathan, and their rambunctious yet curmudgeonly senior dog, Andie.