October 14, 2005 – New York – The American Jewish Committee joined with a diverse coalition of religious groups advocating for the religious and reproductive rights of minors in an amicus brief filed with the U.S. Supreme Court. The brief was filed in Ayotte v. Planned Parenthood of Northern New England.

“Protecting the civil and religious rights of all Americans includes the fundamental right of reproductive choice,” said Jeffrey Sinensky, AJC’s general counsel. “Mandatory parental notification and consent requirements place a substantial burden on women’s reproductive rights.”

At issue in the Ayotte case is the constitutionality of a New Hampshire statute which requires healthcare providers to notify parents or guardians before providing an abortion to a minor under the age of 18, with limited exceptions.

AJC believes that the lack of a health exception and the inadequacy of the life exception render the New Hampshire statute unconstitutional.

“In emergency medical situations, the [statute] unconstitutionally threatens the health and lives of young women, and undermines their right to choose an abortion in accordance with religious faiths that place great value on women’s health and lives,” states the brief, filed by the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice. The brief argues that the State of New Hampshire has failed to articulate a persuasive justification for the statute’s lack of an adequate health and any life exceptions, and, therefore, the statute “is an unconstitutional infringement of the right to make the decision to terminate a pregnancy free from undue government interference.”