Roe v. Wade, the constitutional right to abortion access, would have turned 50 on January 22, 2023.

Instead, the Supreme Court overturned this right, leaving it to individual states or Congress to decide the fate of our right to reproductive healthcare.

Please join us and email your lawmakers encouraging them to pass legislation that expands abortion access instead of limiting it.

It is painful and poignant to mark this day, now — the non-anniversary of a decision that was meant to be the floor of our reproductive rights, but is now their former ceiling. 24 states have now banned abortion or are about to do so — violating the dignity, autonomy, safety, and humanity of 40 million Americans of reproductive age.

Narratives in this country have long held that people of faith do not support abortion access, but this is a harmful myth, casting off the beliefs of Jews and many other religious beliefs, faith traditions, and moral principles.

Jewish tradition tells us to honor kavod habriot, the dignity of every human being. We support access to safe and legal abortion care. Not in spite of our religion — but because of it.

Send an email to your lawmakers encouraging them to pass legislation, like the EACH Act, that expands abortion access for everyone.

Donate now. Because the stakes have never been higher.

For over 129 years, National Council of Jewish Women has been championing the needs of women, children, and families. And we’re not stopping anytime soon.

Please use the form below to donate to NCJW’s abortion access work!

NCJW is recognized as an organization described in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue code. Contributions are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.

The issue: An application for the first-ever over-the-counter (OTC) birth control pill was filed with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in June. 

The good news: The FDA announced an advisory committee will meet to review the application. This meeting is a key step in the FDA’s regulatory process and an important opportunity for public testimony emphasizing the strong evidence and broad support for OTC birth control pills for people of all ages. 

Your task: Using the draft below, submit testimony letting the FDA know that everyone should have the resources they need to plan their futures, including the birth control method of their choice, free from barriers or stigma.

Submit your electronic testimony

Instructions:

1. Copy the below testimony, including the Docket No. and Name, directly in the comment box on the site. Add your own words to the space at the top of the statement to personalize your testimony. The final submission should be short and skimmable.
2. Select your comment category: individual consumer, other organizations, or whatever is appropriate to who you are as an individual based on the options in the drop down menu.
3. In the “Tell us about yourself” section, click on either individual or anonymous as is your preference. Your comment will be public. If you are in a low-access state or a mid-access state, please remember that these comments are public, so exercise judicial discretion when writing about and sharing your personal information.  

************************************** 

Docket No. FDA-2022-N-1959 for “Joint Meeting of the Nonprescription Drugs Advisory Committee and the Obstetrics, Reproductive and Urologic Drugs Advisory Committee; Notice of Meeting; Establishment of a Public Docket; Request for Comments.”  

To Whom It May Concern: 

I am writing as a [concerned citizen/active birth control user/former birth control user] and member of National Council of Jewish Women [Section name].  

[Include a paragraph to make this testimony unique to you. You can share a personal paragraph about your experience with birth control, why you think it’s important; information about your state, perhaps with data on the number of people using birth control, and the impact more access to birth control to OTC would have on the people in your community/state; and/or information about NCJW’s work in this area, any relevant Resolutions in support of birth control, and the organization’s longtime support for accessible and affordable birth control.] 

Birth control pills are one of the best-studied medicines on the market. Decades of research and experience have shown they are safe and effective. Birth control pills are available over the counter, no prescription needed, in the United Kingdom, Brazil, South Korea, Portugal, and over 100 other countries.  

However, systemic barriers and inequities keep this contraceptive method out of reach for many in the United States who want and need it, including people of color and Indigenous communities, young people, immigrants, LGBTQ+ folks, those working to make ends meet, people in rural communities, and individuals with disabilities. 

The concept of every person’s dignity is important in Judaism. It is one reason why I believe everyone should have the resources they need to plan their futures, including the birth control method of their choice, free from barriers or stigma. That is why it is time to make birth control pills available over the counter in the United States, and ensure that they are priced affordably, fully covered by insurance, and available to people of all ages. 

Sincerely, 

Name 

NCJW Section title title, if appropriate 

Submit your electronic testimony

The issue: Medication abortion, two pills taken within a short window, is safe, reliable, and can offer an important option for many who are ten weeks pregnant or less.

The good news: In December, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) permanently repealed its in person dispensing requirements for medicaiton abortion. 

Our task: The FDA left in place several barriers that continue to unnecessarily restrict and stigmatize this safe medication. Urge Health and Human Services, which oversees the FDA, to remove the remaining obstacles and facilitate medication abortion access.

The issue: For over 40 years, the Hyde Amendment has been added to annual appropriations (spending) bills. This policy denying insurance coverage of abortion to those enrolled in federal health plans and programs disproportionately harms Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) communities and is a painful example of how systemic racism permeates our federal laws and regulations.

The good news: We are thrilled that the House has introduced spending bills eliminating the Hyde Amendment and similar abortion coverage bans, ensuring that each of us can make our own decisions about our future and health with dignity and economic security.

Our task: Urge your Representatives to pass clean appropriations bills free of abortion coverage bans!

Every year, Congress embarks on the appropriations process to decide how the federal government will spend money on programs impacting the daily lives of women, children, and families. Each of the 12 House and Senate Appropriations Subcommittees drafts a spending bill that must pass the Subcommittee, the full Appropriations Committee, and the full House and Senate. A conference committee then meets to work out the differences between the House and Senate bills before sending the final versions to the president’s desk.

This year, for the first time in decades, the House has introduced a spending bill that does not ban Medicaid insurance coverage of abortion through the Hyde Amendment. Hyde language has also been removed from additional spending bills impacting federal employees and dependents, Peace Corps volunteers, pregnant individuals in federal prisons and detention centers, and Washington, DC residents.

Now, Representatives (particularly Appropriations Committee members) must reject efforts by anti-abortion lawmakers to add these discriminatory and immoral coverage bans back into the bills. Instead, they must pass clean bills to ensure respect, dignity, and equal access to the resources necessary to control our bodies, families, and futures, including insurance coverage of abortion.

*For DC residents, we continue working towards full voting representation in the US Congress. Click here to tell the Senate to make DC a state!