Religious freedom is one of our nation’s foundational tenets, enshrined in the First Amendment to the US Constitution. The right to religious belief and expression and a guarantee that the government neither prefers religion over non-religion nor favors particular faiths over others has allowed religion to thrive. Yet conservatives and the religious right increasingly use their religion as an excuse to justify discrimination against LGBTQ individuals, women, and religious minorities in the name of “protecting” religious liberty. Denying women contraception, refusing to bake a wedding cake for a gay couple, or barring Jewish students from a school that accepts federally-funded vouchers are all ways in which religious freedom is being misapplied.

NCJW advocates against measures that weaken the separation between religion and state and works to ensure that taxpayer dollars never fund discrimination. And, we believe ensuring women and young people have access to reproductive health care, information, and options is both a moral imperative and essential to preserving religious liberty. No one religious belief should be imposed on us all; to do so threatens the nation’s commitment to religious liberty.

Check out our Religious Freedom Action Resources

National Council of Jewish Women, specifically among our sections, works for the recognition, prevention, and elimination of all forms of human trafficking. Women and children are the more likely victims of sex trafficking — sold into dangerous and abusive situations here in the United States. Combating sex trafficking requires a complex response that includes federal, state, and local policies addressing the root causes of trafficking and the conditions that allow it to take place.

Human trafficking is one of the top-grossing criminal industries in the world — to the tune of $32 billion every year — with cases reported in virtually every country, all fifty states, as well as the District of Columbia and the US territories.

Every woman and child deserves a life of freedom from coercion, violence, and sexual exploitation.

Check out our Sex Trafficking Action Resources