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Sisterhood Shabbat: How Jewish Values Inform the Debate on Reproductive Health and Rights

03/03/2020 01:40:56 PM

Mar3

At the Sisterhood Shabbat on January 31, Ally Karpel gave a passionate and illuminating talk about the relevance of Jewish values to the debate over reproductive rights and the need for equal access to vital medical care for women both rich and poor. Ms. Karpel is the Reproductive Health & Rights Campaign associate for the Women of Reform Judaism and URJ Religious Action Center in Washington, DC. As part of her work, she supports Reform movement congregations as they speak out on matters of sexuality, family, and personal autonomy.

Ms. Karpel began by recounting her previous weekend, where she was chaperoning a weekend retreat for teenagers called “Sex, Love, and Relationships.” Although at first the mere use of the word “sex” was enough to send the teenagers into nervous fits of laughter, soon giggles and lack of eye contact were replaced by inquisitive questions and thoughtful discussion. By the end, the teenagers realized that their feelings, thoughts, and bodies mattered, and that they were capable of making informed choices that would have a significant impact on the rest of their lives.

While to some, the words “sex” and “Sunday school” may seem incongruent, Ms. Karpel found it natural that a community whose core is based in life cycles should educate its young people about topics like reproduction and health. When the Religious Action Center welcomes teen lobbyists, one of the most popular topics is reproductive rights. The young people of our movement feel strongly about protecting their ability to make autonomous choices about their own bodies.

For this reason, Ms. Karpel finds it heartbreaking to watch as reproductive rights are rolled back across the country, and it is especially infuriating that many of these rollbacks are being done in the name of religion. Progressive faith voices are left out of the conversation when it comes to reproductive rights, but yet our voices are necessary to counter the narrative that the religious community favors these restrictions. While Reform Jews agree that life is sacred, we believe that the national surge in regressive policies is in no way life-affirming. These policies include:

  • Extremist bans on abortion that strip away the dignity and moral agency of pregnant people to decide what is best for their bodies, their futures, and their families. Banning potentially life-saving medical procedures and interfering with a doctor’s decision-making runs contrary to the Jewish commandment to protect life.
  • Federal policies, like the Hyde Amendment, that render abortion inaccessible and unaffordable to low-income individuals by banning federal health insurance from covering the procedure. Our tradition’s moral mandate to preserve the dignity of marginalized communities means that we need to speak out about how restrictions on abortion access, contraceptive coverage, and sex education affect rural communities and communities of color.
  • Sweeping expansion of religious exemptions, often framed as “conscience protections,” that allow medical providers and employers to opt out of providing reproductive health care or covering contraceptives. As a religious minority, Jews strongly believe in religious freedom—yet as Reform Jews we reject the false binary between religious liberty and fundamental civil rights.

The concept of kavod ha’briyot, respect for individual dignity, is one of the core values of the Women of Reform Judaism–Religious Action Center Reproductive Health & Rights Campaign. For nearly 85 years, WRJ has been a leading advocate for reproductive rights and health, mobilizing its members to speak out for the rights of those who are pregnant to exercise moral authority over their own bodies, calling for access to information about contraception in 1935 and for abortion reform in 1965. Ensuring that everyone is able to shape their reproductive lives with dignity, regardless of race, class, age, or geography, is intrinsic to the values our faith demands.

Ms. Karpel urged Temple Beth El to join the WRJ-RAC Brit Olam cohort for reproductive health and rights, a virtual network for congregations working on similar issues, and use the toolkits on the WRJ and RAC websites. She also recommended that we get involved in the Reform Movement’s civic engagement campaign to make sure that everyone’s voices are heard at the polls in November. She concluded with the prayer that we all work together to create a world of justice, compassion, and dignity.

April 25, 2024 17 Nisan 5784