St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church has played a vital role in State Representative James Talarico’s upbringing, even being called his “political North Star.”
Now, in the midst of Talarico’s heated run to be the next United States senator from Texas, both his church and his pastor are being exposed for their involvement in a radical and far-reaching pro-abortion agenda.
In an interview with The New York Times, Talarico described his church and pastor, Dr. Jim Rigby, as some of his “biggest influences” – both as a Christian and as a human being. Talarico sees his politics and his political campaign as built on the foundation of loving God and loving his neighbor, with his pastor and his church as prime examples of the execution of that mission.
Rigby, who has pastored the church for over forty years, is a former board member of Texas Freedom Network (TFN) – an organization founded by former Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards, daughter of former Texas Democrat Governor Ann Richards. Influence Watch defines TFN as “a left-of-center lobbying organization that opposes religious conservatives on issues such as sex education, legal abortion, and Bible study in public schools.”
According to his own account, Rigby met Richards when she was organizing TFN. In the early days of the organization, Rigby would often travel with Richards to give presentations. St. Andrew’s has financially supported both Planned Parenthood and TFN.
The Benevolences page of the church website reads, “St. Andrews devotes a percentage of its budget annually to support community organizations that share our vision and goals for the world. Click on the links below to learn more about these organizations.”
Under the heading “Mission-Community Outreach,” there is a link to Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas, Inc. The benevolence page states that the organization “provides trusted, evidence-based sexual healthcare and education while advocating for reproductive justice, care without judgment, and access to healthcare for all.”
According to TFN’s 2024 annual report, St. Andrew’s is a part of TFN’s Freedom Council. The report states, “Freedom Council members commit to an annual gift of at least $1,000.”
The Open Society Policy Center and the Tides Foundation—both of which are associated with George Soros—are also listed as part of the Freedom Council. Between 2020 and 2024, the Open Society Action Fund gave $1,800,000 to TFN, while the Tides Foundation and the Tides Advocacy gave almost $230,000 combined.
One of TFN’s projects is called Just Texas, which is described as “a grassroots movement of progressive people of faith and faith leaders from diverse religious traditions to speak publicly and politically in support of reproductive freedom, including the right to abortion, and LGBTQIA+ equality for all Texans.”
Rigby served on an advisory committee with the project. One program of Just Texas is the Reproductive Freedom Congregations (RFC) initiative. The About Us page of St. Andrew’s website prominently recognizes the church as such a congregation, and on the Social Justice page, they say it is an association they “proudly proclaim.”
According to Just Texas, a RFC proclaims “abortion is a blessing” and affirms that: (1) “women and people who can become pregnant” are respected and trusted, (2) “will be free from stigma, shame, or judgment for their reproductive decisions, including abortion,” and support the idea that (3) “access to comprehensive and affordable reproductive health services, including abortion, is a moral and social good.”
In 2019, St. Andrew’s Associate Minister Rev. Erica Knisely, took part in a public letter alongside other Just Texas Faith Leaders. The letter read, “Our sacred texts neither condemn nor prohibit abortion. In fact, they call us to lean toward compassion when someone makes personal decisions about their health care. And once someone makes the decision to have an abortion, the care they receive should be safe, affordable and free from shame, judgment and the interference of government.”
The letter concludes, “we call on local policymakers to: Reject unconstitutional city ordinances aimed at banning abortion and shaming women who seek one, Stop labeling women’s health care providers and advocates as ‘criminal’, Ensure that all residents in the community have access to legal, safe and affordable reproductive health care.”
In addition to Just Texas, the Social Justice page on St. Andrew’s website also promotes Field of Hope, a project of the church’s Social Justice Committee.
Under the Actions For Justice tab on the Field of Hope website is a page devoted to Gender & Reproductive Justice and to opportunities for members and allies to take action. The page provides links to four prominent abortion trafficking organizations: Lilith Fund, Jane’s Due Process, Texas Equal Access Fund, and Avow Texas, which was formerly NARAL Pro-Choice Texas.
Rigby served on the state board of the Texas version of NARAL (National Abortion Rights Action League) when it was known as TARAL (Texas Abortion Rights Action League).
The organizations financially supported—both directly and indirectly—by Rigby and St. Andrew’s have aggressively fought against legislation prohibiting the abortion trafficking of pregnant mothers from Texas across state lines.
In 2024, TFN was successful in helping defeat bans on abortion trafficking in Clarendon and Amarillo. The Just Texas RFC that defeated the November 2024 ballot measure to prohibit such actions in Amarillo was the Amarillo Unitarian Universalist Fellowship. In TFN’s 2024 Annual Report, then-President Val Benavidez boasted, “When anti-abortion extremists tried to pass an abortion travel ban in Amarillo, our Just Texas program worked with partners to educate residents who voted to reject the ordinance by a whopping 20 percentage points.”
When it comes to James Talarico, Dr. Jim Rigby, St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, and the pro-abortion organizations they support, abortion is not just another issue they believe is worth talking about and advocating for; it is a fundamental part of their politics, their religion, and their vision for Texas and America.
For Talarico, this is what “loving your neighbor” looks like.
