June 24, 2022 — New York, NY
American Jewish Committee (AJC) expressed profound disappointment in today’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling overturning the landmark Roe v. Wade decision.
AJC has long opposed government interference in a woman’s right to autonomy over her body and access to medical procedures that affect her own life and her ability – and decision – to bear children. Jewish tradition prioritizes the safety of women carrying a child.
Overturning abortion access, as numerous states already have, denies individuals health care options consistent with their religious beliefs, including many in the Jewish community, thereby presenting issues of religious freedom and privacy. Just as the religious freedom of those whose faith renounces abortion must be protected, we insist on the protection of the religious freedom of those whose faiths would permit the choice of abortion.
In discarding a half-century of legal precedent, the Court has charted a dangerous course. We must guard against future efforts to undermine other hard-fought civil liberties, including contraception and same-sex marriage. The Court has sent an ominous signal that we cannot take these freedoms for granted.
