Teens Urge Congress to Protect Abortion Access

The RAC is proud to bring thousands of teens to Washington D.C. for our annual L'Taken Social Justice Seminars. After three days of intensive programming, learning about just a few of the many issues prevalent in our country today, all participants travel to Capitol Hill to meet with their members of Congress and advocate in support of the things they care about.   

Aliya P., Elliot R., and Mia K. are all high schoolers at Congregation B'nai Israel in Sacramento, California. They participated in the L'Taken Social Justice Seminar in February 2024, when they delivered this speech to their members of Congress. As we mark the second anniversary of Dobbs v. Jackson, we share their remarks about the importance of reproductive health and rights for all. 

Hello, my name's Aliya P. and I use she/her pronouns.

My name is Elliot R. and I use he/they pronouns.

My name is Mia K. and I use she/her pronouns.

We are from Congregation B'nai Israel in Sacramento, California, and we would like to discuss reproductive rights with you today.

We would like to thank Representative Matsui for cosponsoring and showing her unwavering support for the Women's Health Protection Act (H.R. 12) in the 118th Congress, which establishes a statutory right for healthcare providers to provide, and their patients to receive, abortion care free from medically unnecessary restrictions, and we ask that she continues to support the bill in the 118th Congress.

As you may know, in July 2022, the Supreme Court decided in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization case to overturn Roe v. Wade, leaving abortion rights up to the states. Since then, states have limited access to abortion services by enforcing stricter requirements around mandatory waiting periods, biased counseling with medically inaccurate scare tactics, and parental consent laws for minors.

Even though seven in ten Americans support the right to legal abortion, and voters in many states such as California, Michigan, Kentucky, and Vermont, have voted to protect abortion rights, the government still chooses to go against the public majority of the country they are supposed to be representing. Due to Dobbs and the federal government's failure to pass legislation that protects abortion, one-third of people of reproductive age live in states where abortion is either unavailable or severely restricted. Those who are unable to obtain abortions due to state restrictions are now forced to face additional travel costs, child care, self-managed abortions, or continue their pregnancy, ultimately putting their mental and physical health at risk.

Our Jewish traditions instill in us the importance of kavod ha'briyot, or the respect for individual dignity. This bill will allow those who choose to abort the pregnancy to do so safely without forcing it upon others who choose not to. When Roe v. Wade legalized abortion, the Reform Jewish Movement applauded the decision for its importance not only in protecting life but also in safeguarding civil liberties, but now we are disheartened to experience the overturning of Roe v. Wade during such a pivotal point in our teenage lives. The hard work past generations put in to better our generation and generations to come felt like it disappeared in a matter of minutes.

We, those with uteruses, should have the ability to choose what is best for our own bodies depending on our lives and beliefs, which the Reform Movement has strongly supported since before Roe v. Wade. The Torah teaches not only are we allowed to get abortions but that we are required to get abortions if medically necessary to protect our physical or mental health. Voters of our Jewish community have also expressed disapproval of the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision that overturned Roe v. Wade with the Jewish Electorate Institute reporting an 82 percent disapproval.

Abortion restrictions and bans disproportionately hurt those who already face discriminatory obstacles to health care, including Black, Indigenous, and People of Color, the LGBTQ+ community, immigrants, young people, people with disabilities, and lower-income individuals. This Women's Health Protection Act will not only be beneficial to cisgender women, but also to anyone with female reproductive organs, like me. I'm a transgender man, which means I was assigned female at birth and have a uterus but my gender identity is male. Personally, I hope I never have to get an abortion, but having to be pregnant would be so much worse.

Getting an abortion, especially as someone whose gender identity doesn't align with my sex, would be extremely distressing for me as it would be a reminder of how my body betrays me. However, being forced to carry a pregnancy would be far more distressing, as it would constantly remind me that my body doesn't match my brain but for a much longer period of time. Additionally, I am on testosterone, which can cause serious harm to a developing fetus, so likely by the time I would learn of my pregnancy, it would be medically necessary to abort. Even if harm hadn't been caused, to continue the pregnancy, I would be required to go off my hormones, which would negatively affect my mental health. No matter what I choose, my mental health would be greatly impacted, but I should still be able to choose what to do with my own body. Throughout my time in high school, laws that negatively affect my body and my rights have significantly increased. I constantly feel powerless and quite frankly terrified to live at a time when my basic human rights are being called into question.

We, again, would like to thank Representative Matsui for cosponsoring and showing her unwavering support for the Women's Health Protection Act (H.R. 12) in the 118th Congress. And thank you for taking the time to hear from us today.

As we mark the second anniversary of Dobbs v. Jackson, urge Congress to protect reproductive rights by passing the Women's Health Protection Act.