Abortion access: “Reproductive freedom is a Jewish value”
Originally published by Jewish Telegraphic Agency, excerpt from “We asked Jewish leaders about their priorities under a second Trump term”
November 10, 2024
By Sheila Katz, CEO of National Council of Jewish Women
These are fraught times. For women, children, and families everywhere – our rights and our lives are on the line.
While we celebrate expanded protections for abortion access in seven states, we reel from setbacks that continue to bar our mothers, sisters, and daughters from their right to reproductive health care.
On the most human level, we fear for our right to live. Bans don’t only impact those seeking to terminate a pregnancy, they affect all facets of contraception, pregnancy and miscarriage care. Families, friends and partners will be forced to sit idly by while their loved ones suffer because they are unable to access the care they desperately need. We don’t need to look further than the senseless deaths of Amber Nicole Thurman, Candi Miller, Josseli Barnica and Nevaeh Crain due to these egregious bans.
This fear is our fuel: fuel for a world in which women are treated with respect and autonomy.
Reproductive freedom is a Jewish value, and we will not stop advocating for it. We will come together in community after inauguration for our national Repro Shabbat to teach about Judaism and reproductive freedom. And we will work in partnership with Jewish organizations and civil rights organizations to build a better world. We will not be deterred.