New York, January 22, 2006- On occasion of the 33rd anniversary of the Supreme Court's landmark decision in Roe v. Wade, Rabbi Marla J. Feldman, Director of the Commission on Social Action of Reform Judaism, issued the following statement:
On the 33rd anniversary of the Supreme Court's ruling in Roe v. Wade, we are acutely aware of the critical importance of this landmark ruling in protecting the privacy and reproductive rights of millions of women. Yet we remain ever-aware that efforts to overturn Roe continue, and plans to incrementally chip away at women's reproductive rights through legislative tactics diminish their sovereignty over their bodies and their reproductive health.
In this past year alone there have been numerous attempts to hamper these hard-won rights. The Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act, already passed by the House, would allow the prosecution of a parent, clergy member or other trusted adult who travels with a minor to another state to obtain an abortion if that minor has not met the requirements for parental involvement in her state of residence. The Food and Drug Administration continues to delay its decision as to whether safe and effective emergency contraception (EC) can be dispensed over-the-counter-even though EC is not an abortifacient. And with the recent troubling Supreme Court decision in Ayotte v. Planned Parenthood, as well as the potential ascension of Judge Samuel Alito to the Court, a nominee whose record has been hostile to reproductive rights, the future of reproductive choice is unclear at best.
The anniversary of Roe reminds us that we must remain vigilant in protecting women's reproductive rights and compels us to vigorously oppose efforts to undermine those rights. We must ensure that students receive medically accurate, comprehensive sex education in their public schools. We must guarantee that all women have access to contraception and other reproductive health services, as well as safe abortions. And we must insist that health insurance plans offer the same level of coverage for contraception as they do for other prescription drugs.
The Reform Jewish Movement has long affirmed its unwavering commitment to the protection and preservation of women's reproductive rights. Reflecting on the three decades since Roe reminds us how far we have come, and how fragile these rights continue to be.