Ours is a tradition of stories. We see this from the flawed humanity of Adam and Eve through the tangle of relationships in Genesis and the struggle and redemption of Exodus, to the creative rabbinic interpretations of Midrash and Talmud, to the spiritually rooted Chasidic tales. Stories are essential to understanding one another and informing how we make sense of and choose to live in the world.
Right now, we need to be telling and hearing our abortion stories.
As we have feared, the Supreme Court has effectively overturned the federal right to abortion. The Court majority has proclaimed that the Constitution doesn’t protect abortion access despite 50 years of precedent to the contrary. Anti-abortion activists have argued that all people of faith must share their interpretation of when life begins. They have declared that prohibiting abortion is the only way to uphold the sanctity of life.
Our stories paint a different picture.
Our stories illustrate how the decisions we make are firmly rooted in our values, which are sometimes conflicting, and how each person among us must have the freedom to make these choices for themselves.
When we hear one another’s stories we understand more deeply the role of abortion access in honoring the sanctity of life.
We urge you to listen, share your own story, speak out, and join the work to ensure that all people in the United States retain access to abortion and the freedom to follow our own consciences and religions.
Abortion access is a Jewish value. Abortion is healthcare.
Banning abortions is a restriction of religious freedom.
Here are steps you can take:
Watch, listen on Spotify, Apple Podcast, or read R’ David Kasher’s sermon “I am a private person”, a Jewish response to the recently leaked Supreme Court draft opinion intending to overturn Roe v. Wade.
To make sure our values are upheld, we must not only vote but turn out voters across our country in every election. Stay tuned for info on our Minyan Tzedek Get Out The Vote actions.
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