NEW YORK — On Friday, the Supreme Court of the United States reversed nearly 50 years of precedent and voted to overturn the decision in Roe v. Wade, effectively revoking the constitutional right to an abortion in the country.
T’ruah, a rabbinic human rights organization that represents over 2,300 rabbis and cantors and their communities in North America, condemned this deplorable decision and called out how it violates our First Amendment right, as Jews, to freely practice our religion.
Rabbi Jill Jacobs, CEO of T’ruah, issued the following statement:
“Reproductive freedom is a Jewish value. According to Jewish law, abortion is not only permitted in at least some circumstances, but even required if the life of the pregnant person is at risk. Today’s ruling ignores the First Amendment right for Jews to practice their religion without government interference, and will also have life threatening implications for millions of Americans, primarily low-income people of color, by giving states the power to revoke essential health care from nearly half the population.
“Abortion-related deaths are rare in countries where abortion is legal, accessible, and performed early by skilled providers. Yet with bans on most abortions in many states, potential criminal penalties for those who seek abortion or assist others in doing so, along with unnecessary waiting periods, ultrasounds and other barriers, patients no longer have access to essential health care.
“Pregnant people will now be forced into giving birth or in some cases will lose their lives, due to the financial, legal, health, and personal limitations imposed by this decision. We will see people arrested and imprisoned for seeking essential health care, and we can expect a rise in the horrifying specter of those who have suffered miscarriages and stillbirths being criminally charged as well.
“T’ruah, along with our partners in the reproductive health and justice spaces, will remain steadfast in supporting the right of people to make their own decisions about their bodies, lives, and futures. We call on the Biden administration to take action where the Senate failed and to ensure equal access to abortion nationwide. This is a necessary step forward for racial justice, for abortion justice, and for religious freedom for all.”
T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights mobilizes a network of more than 2,300 rabbis and cantors from all streams of Judaism that, together with the Jewish community, act on the Jewish imperative to respect and advance the human rights of all people. Grounded in Torah and our Jewish historical experience and guided by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, we call upon Jews to assert Jewish values by raising our voices and taking concrete steps to protect and expand human rights in North America, Israel, and the occupied Palestinian territories.
