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Reproductive Justice: A Critical Issue for Our Time

06/26/2019 02:33:59 PM

Jun26

By Jane Taves

An exciting thing happened on the way to the Consultation on Conscience in May. This Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) conference, held every two years, was the opportunity to refresh the Brit Olam (Covenant for the World) program of the URJ Religious Action Center (RAC). Temple Beth El has been participating in the Brit Olam with our Urgency of Now initiative for the past two years.

As part of the next iteration of the Brit Olam, Women of Reform Judaism (WRJ) is responding to the great passion and urgency around the issue of reproductive justice. WRJ has agreed to support congregations throughout the Reform movement who want to advocate for this issue. As the WRJ vice president for advocacy, marketing, and communications, I have been involved since the start of the WRJ Reproductive Justice Campaign, in partnership with the RAC.

In recent weeks, we have seen many state laws that would restrict access to abortion and in some cases send women or doctors to prison for acting on their constitutional rights. WRJ is taking on this challenge and stepping up our efforts to secure women’s rights and ensure that women remain in control of their own health care decisions.

The Reproductive Justice Campaign will provide training, education, and resources to mobilize the Reform community. We will work at the federal and state levels to ensure access to safe and legal reproductive health care, including abortion services.

WRJ President Susan Bass offered an inspiring message about this effort during the RAC Consultation on Conscience, proclaiming: “As we look around at what is broken in our world, we know that this moment demands our presence and our voices in the work of ensuring reproductive justice for all.” View her message at youtube.com/watch?v=oAh58znAUcU.

The goal of the Reproductive Justice Campaign is to make sure that no woman—not us, not our sisters, daughters, granddaughters, nieces, or any woman—ever again finds herself in a back alley, desperate and alone. Please help WRJ spread the word about this effort to others who share our progressive Jewish values. We are proud to be the champions in this fight for reproductive rights and justice.

Click here  for more information about the Reproductive Justice Campaign.

 

March 18, 2024 8 Adar II 5784