Jewish Abortion Access Coalition
National Council of Jewish Women launched the Jewish Abortion Access Coalition (JAAC) in 2021, recognizing the growing need for education, deeper strategic coordination, power building, and collaboration among Jewish organizations that support abortion access.
JAAC is a national coalition that mobilizes the Jewish community to advance reproductive freedom. Through education and engagement opportunities, JAAC brings together national Jewish organizations across denominations to advance a Jewish vision of reproductive health, rights, and justice.
Our Vision
Guided by the Jewish values of kavod habriot — dignity for all human beings — and tzedek — justice — we dream of a world where each person’s reproductive journey is rich with compassion and free of stigma. We believe our collective Jewish voices make an important contribution to the larger reproductive rights and justice movement. We recognize the imperative to center those communities most impacted and aim to inform our strategies with input from Reproductive Justice leaders. We know our faith-based voice is critical to shift the narrative on the intersection of abortion and religion. People of faith can and do believe in access to abortion.
Jewish law not only permits abortion, but even requires abortion under certain circumstances. Bans on abortion and restrictions on reproductive health care violate our beliefs rooted in Judaism. Working with faith-based, and non-faith-based partners, JAAC aims to change the narrative on abortion and religion through a powerful Jewish movement advocating for abortion access because of our religion, not in spite of it.
Our Work
- Monthly Meetings
- Trainings and Educational Opportunities
- Lobby Days
- Social Media Days of Action
- Webinars
- Sign-On Letters
- Petitions
- Repro Shabbat
- …and more!
Our Impact
- Engaging thousands from the Jewish community around major inflection points including the 49th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the leaked Dobbs draft opinion, the overturning of Roe v. Wade as well as the one year anniversary of the disastrous decision, and more.
- Getting Out The Vote through phone banking for state ballot initiatives, helping to advance reproductive health, rights, and justice.
- Galvanizing the Jewish community to call on President Biden and Vice President Harris to examine all possible avenues to make abortion care accessible to all.
- Increasing cosponsors to the Women’s Health Protection Act, Right to Contraception Act, and Stop Anti-Abortion Disinformation (SAD) Act.
- Helping to destigmatize the word “abortion” in the Jewish community.
- Mobilizing Jewish organizations large and small across denominations to advocate for abortion access.
- Providing values-based messaging utilized by the Jewish community.
- Creating a storybank for Jewish abortion storytellers.
Member Organizations
ADL
ALEPH
American Jewish World Service
The Association of Rabbis and Cantors Board (ARC)
Avodah
Be’chol Lashon
BBYO
Bend the Arc
Central Conference of American Rabbis
Hadassah
Hillel
JALSA
JCC Association of North America
JCPA
Jewish Democratic Council of America
JFREJ
Jewish Labor Committee
Jewish Orthodox Feminist Alliance
Jewish Women’s Archive
Jewish Women of Color Marching (JWOC)
JWI
JOIN for Justice
Keshet
Lilith Magazine
Moishe House
Moving Traditions
NA’AMAT USA
Network of Jewish Human Service Agencies
Rabbinical Assembly
Reconstructing Judaism
Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association
Religious Action Center
Repair the World
SRE
Society for Humanistic Judaism
SHJ / Jews for a Secular Democracy
Women’s League for Conservative Judaism
Women of Reform Judaism
Women’s Rabbinic Network
Worker’s Circle