FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contact:
Sarah Garfinkel, West End Strategy Team
sgarfinkel@westendstrategy.com; 202-765-4290

WASHINGTON– National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) CEO Sheila Katz issued the following statement in support of several executive actions that President Joe Biden enacted ensuring the right to necessary abortion information, access and services:

“National Council of Jewish Women welcomes the Biden administration’s move today to rescind the global gag rule, restoring federal funding to organizations abroad that provide abortion services, referrals, or information, or that advocate for abortion access; and President Biden’s order directing the Department of Health and Human Services to review Title X, an important first step in restoring family planning funding to low-income Americans.

“Jewish tradition affirms that access to reproductive health care, including abortion, is a matter of human rights and basic human dignity. As many people’s reproductive health care decisions are informed by their religious beliefs, denying them access to family planning and abortion services is a violation of their religious freedom. Privileging the religious beliefs of one group while making it more difficult for another group to follow their own faith is a violation of the First Amendment.

“As we continue to deal with the damaging effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, NCJW also welcomes the Biden administration’s actions to reopen federal marketplaces selling Affordable Care Act health plans and to lower recent barriers to joining Medicaid. NCJW will continue to push Congress and the administration to prioritize comprehensive, affordable, and accessible health care — particularly sexual and reproductive health care — for all.

“We will continue to advocate for the full restoration of Title X, the only federal grant program dedicated solely to providing individuals, particularly those struggling to make ends meet and the uninsured, with comprehensive family planning and related preventive health services.

“Additionally, NCJW advocates will urge Congress to pass the Global Health, Empowerment, and Rights (HER) Act that would permanently end the global gag rule; the Equal Access to Abortion Coverage in Health Insurance (EACH Woman) Act to permanently end political interference in public and private insurance coverage of abortion, and the Women’s Health Protection Act (WHPA) to safeguard access to care and to enshrine our constitutional rights to this care into law.

“NCJW’s more than 180,000 advocates are committed to creating a world where all people, regardless of race, class, gender, sexuality, ability, or immigration status, have the right to build their families as they choose and live their lives with dignity. We can only fulfill this mission when every person can make their own moral and fully-informed decisions about their body, health, and future.“

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National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) is a grassroots organization of 180,000 volunteers and advocates who turn progressive ideals into action. Inspired by Jewish values, NCJW strives for social justice by improving the quality of life for women, children, and families and by safeguarding individual rights and freedoms. Through a program of education, community service, and advocacy, our advocates across the country create lasting social change on our key issues of the federal courts; reproductive health, rights, and justice, and voter engagement. More information on Facebook and on Twitter at @NCJW.