Image
The Path Forward on Abortion Resource Guide
July 1, 2022
Here are some resources and actions to protect and advance abortion access.
Reproductive Health and Rights
The Reform Movement's positions on reproductive rights are grounded in the core belief that each person should have agency and autonomy over their own bodies.
Description
The Reform Movement's positions on reproductive rights are grounded in the core belief that each person should have agency and autonomy over their own bodies. Our advocacy around abortion access is inspired by the Jewish value of kavod ha’briyot, respect for individual dignity. This same sanctity underscores the vital need for medically accurate sexuality education, affordable family planning services, and high-quality maternal and women’s health care.
We strive to work in partnership with both secular and faith-based organizations and build relationships across lines of faith, race, and other differences to create a world in which every person is able to shape their reproductive lives with dignity.
The RAC is partnering with Women of Reform Judaism on the WRJ-RAC Reproductive Health & Rights Campaign to provide an organizing structure for congregations, women's groups, and other Reform Jewish communities to take collective action for reproductive health and rights on a local, state, provincial, and federal level.
For immediate actions to take to preserve and advance access to abortion, check out our Resource Guide.
Why Should Jews Care?
Life is sacred in Judaism. Banning potentially life-saving medical procedures and interfering with a patient’s decision-making and moral agency runs contrary to the Jewish commandment to protect life. This belief, combined with biblical and rabbinic emphasis on human dignity, has led the Reform Movement to view the life of the pregnant individual as paramount, placing a stronger emphasis on protecting existing life than on potential life (Exodus 21:22-23).
Furthermore, the rabbis tell us that a physician’s job is to heal, and if they withhold medical care, it is as if they have shed blood. “The Torah has granted the physician permission to heal, and it is a religious duty which comes under the rule of saving an endangered life. If he withholds treatment, he is regarded as one who sheds blood” (Shulchan Arukh, Yoreh De’ah 336:1). Regressive state laws that prevent physicians and other providers from providing health care is in direct opposition to this sacred duty.
Take Action
Image
Contact your Governor and State Legislators to Demand They Protect and Expand Abortion Rights
On June 24, 2022, the Supreme Court ruled in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, overturning Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, leaving abortion rights will be left up to the states. Your state legislatures have the power to protect abortion access through legislation, ballot initiatives, and more. Urge your Governor and State legislators to protect and expand abortion rights.
Image
Protect Access to Abortion
The Women’s Health Protection Act would create a federal safeguard against countless state regulations, bans, and restrictions that prevent people from accessing the abortion care they need. Urge your members of Congress to pass the Women’s Health Protection Act (WHPA).
Image
Repeal the Hyde Amendment
The Hyde Amendment prohibits federal health insurance coverage of abortion, with very narrow exception, disproportionately impacting low-income individuals and limiting their access to abortion services. Urge Congress to support the EACH Act, which would restore moral agency to all pregnant individuals, regardless of income.
Image
Tell Congress to Permanently End the Global Gag Rule
The global gag rule, also called the Mexico City Policy, prevented foreign NGOs that receive U.S. global health assistance from using their own, non-U.S. funds to discuss abortion with their patients, perform legal abortions, or advocate for the legalization of abortion. Urge your members of Congress to support the Global HER Act.
Related Issues
Image
Abortion Access
Despite the fact that 7 in 10 Americans support the right to legal abortion, access to abortion services is limited by restrictions such as geography, mandatory waiting periods, biased counseling with medically inaccurate scare tactics, parental consent laws for minors, insurance coverage restrictions, and targeted regulation of abortion providers (TRAP) laws.
Image
Family Planning & Contraceptives
Access to affordable family planning services is a critical component of our reproductive health and rights advocacy, as access to these services equip individuals with the necessary tools to shape their lives and futures.
Image
Comprehensive Sexuality Education
Comprehensive sexuality education is intrinsically linked to reproductive rights. Without it, individuals cannot make informed decisions about their bodies or futures. Accurate and comprehensive sex education provides students with the information they need to avoid unwanted pregnancies, sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and other health problems.
Image
Reproductive Justice
The legal right to have an abortion or obtain contraceptive care does not mean much if these rights are inaccessible. The Reproductive Justice Movement is a contemporary movement and a framework coined by 12 visionary Black women in 1994 that centers the voices and concerns of marginalized communities in conversations relating to reproduction, sexuality, and families.
What's New
Image
Awaiting the Final Decision: Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization Case Recap
May 24, 2022
Though a draft decision has already leaked, before the summer is over, the Supreme Court will issue a final ruling in the case Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, the most consequential abortion rights case in generations.
Image
Take Action to Stand Up for Abortion Rights following leaked Dobbs v. JWHO decision
May 12, 2022
Even as we knew the Supreme Court was likely to undermine and even overturn abortion rights, to see the words in print in last night's leaked draft decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization is shocking and painful. Here's how you can take action now.
Related Press Releases
Image
Reform Movement Leaders Denounce the Supreme Court’s Decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization
“We are outraged that the Supreme Court today has stripped women and others who can become pregnant of the fundamental right to make essential health care decisions free of governmental interference."
Image
Reform Movement Leaders Decry Supreme Court’s Apparent Plan to End Abortion Rights
"As Reform Jews, we will not stand idly by as our rights are taken away. We stand firm in our commitment to the fight for a just and compassionate world, where everyone is free to make decisions about their future no matter who they are or where they live."
Image
Reform Movement Responds to Senate Vote on Women’s Health Protection Act
Although we are disappointed that the cloture vote failed, we will continue to work to enact this vital legislation that would help protect access to abortion by creating federal protections against state restrictions and establishes a right for health care providers to provide, and their patients to receive, abortion services free of restrictions and bans that unnecessarily delay or obstruct access to care.
RAC Email Sign Up
Learn more about the RAC's key issues and get involved by signing up for the legislative updates newsletter.
Thank you for subscribing to emails from the RAC! Please check your inbox for our emails and to manage your subscriptions.
Reform Judaism's Resolutions on Reproductive Rights
Learn more about the position of the Reform Movement on these key issues, and read the formal resolutions by URJ and CCAR.
Image
Engage Your Congregation
Image
Join the Brit Olam
Learn more about the RAC Brit Olam, and consider joining the Reproductive Health and Rights Cohort, run in partnership with Women of Reform Judaism, to join a network of congregations working to advance reproductive health and rights on a local, state, provincial, and federal level.
Image
Printable Resources
Utilize the WRJ-RAC Reproductive Health & Rights Printable Resource to find a list of Jewish texts and suggestions on programs to kickstart your advocacy efforts.
Contact our Staff
For more information on this issue, contact Lillie Heyman.