NCJW Denounces Decision on Federal Abortion Ban

April 18, 2007, Washington, DC -- The National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) today denounced the decision of the US Supreme Court to uphold a federal law banning an abortion procedure used in second and third trimester abortions to save the life and health of the woman. NCJW President Phyllis Snyder released the following statement:

"The US Supreme Court has dealt a devastating blow to Roe v. Wade and the right of women to safe and legal abortions. Their decision in Gonzales v. Carhart guts the principle that laws governing abortion must protect the life and health of the woman. By so doing, the court has overturned 30 years of precedent, including a nearly identical case in which they ruled otherwise only seven years ago.

"This ruling underscores once again that the composition of the Supreme Court matters. Who serves on the court has a direct bearing on our ability to exercise our constitutional rights, including reproductive freedom. In this case, the very health and safety of women was at stake. NCJW has been in the forefront of the fight to protect our rights through the courts and has opposed stacking the bench with judges who adhere to an extreme ideological agenda. This decision will only spur us to redouble those efforts.

"In Gonzales, the court has decided to substitute its judgment and that of Congress for the nation's doctors. NCJW pledges anew to work for the passage of the Freedom of Choice Act, which would put Congress on record in support of the right to choose and against political interference with the most basic rights of American women."

NCJW is a volunteer organization, inspired by Jewish values, that works to improve the quality of life for women, children, and families and to ensure individual rights and freedoms for all through its network of 90,000 members, supporters, and volunteers nationwide. It has launched BenchMark: NCJW's Campaign to Save Roe, a national effort to educate and mobilize NCJW members, the Jewish community, and friends and allies everywhere to promote a federal bench with judges that support fundamental freedoms, including a woman's right to choose.

Contact:
Vanessa Schnaidt
212 645 4048 x179; vschnaidt@ncjw.org