10 | JULY 7 • 2022
PURELY COMMENTARY
will jeopardize the well-being of our
students and professionals, particularly
those of limited economic means and
those in states where legal abortion
will now be unavailable. As the largest
global organization supporting Jewish
students, today we are focused on
doing just that: supporting students and
creating a safe and caring environment
both for them and for the Hillel
professionals who serve them.
“Our tradition teaches that our most
sacred obligation is the preservation of
human life, and we’re dismayed that this
ruling will make it more challenging
to fulfill that promise for the students,
professionals and community members
we serve. In the weeks and months
ahead, we will continue to focus on
providing resources to our students and
professionals to support their health
and well-being, especially those in states
where the ruling has an immediate
impact.”
THE WORKERS CIRCLE
STATEMENT IN RESPONSE
TO THE SCOTUS DECISION
“The Workers Circle expresses outrage
at the reprehensible decision in Dobbs
v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization
handed down by the Supreme Court.
Six out of nine judges, each appointed
for their hostility to constitutional
rights — particularly abortion rights
— struck a blow to democracy by
overturning the protection Roe v.
Wade has guaranteed for nearly 50
years. The right to bodily autonomy is
foundational to democracy and human
rights. Today’s decision eliminates the
constitutional protection of that right.
This opinion will hurt many millions
— disproportionately impacting low-
income Americans — and it is a setback
in our fight for freedom. We pledge to
continue to fight for a democracy that
guarantees equality, rights and dignity
for all.
“As we all process this decision, I urge
you to find strength and inspiration
from our proud Jewish tradition of
resistance and resilience. Our ancestors
faced and stood up to similar attacks on
their rights and to their safety.
“Today, the fight is in our hands.
There is only one way to respond to
the ongoing erosion of everyone’s civil
liberties and human rights, and that is
to fight for the freedoms that brought
our ancestors here.”
STATEMENT OF MAZON: A JEWISH
RESPONSE TO HUNGER
Abby J. Leibman, president and CEO of
MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger,
said:
“Today’s decision by the Supreme
Court is reprehensible and egregious.
The right to choose whether to have
an abortion is not only a matter of
reproductive freedom — it’s a matter
of economic justice. Justices Breyer,
Sotomayor and Kagan wisely point out
in the dissent that above all others,
women lacking financial resources will
suffer from today’s decision.
“Grounded in our Jewish values,
we know that all people are B’tselem
Elohim, created in the image of God.
This includes women, girls and other
pregnant people, who, through today’s
decision, have lost autonomy over their
bodies and their lives.
“No one who has been affected by
the war on women — perpetrated by
fundamentalist conservatives — is
surprised to see this happen. But we are
no less horrified, outraged and resolved
to fight for what we know is right at all
levels of government.”
IN SUPPORT OF THE RULING
AGUDATH ISRAEL OF AMERICA
STATEMENT ON THE SCOTUS
DECISION
“Today, the Supreme Court of the
United States overruled Roe v. Wade, the
1973 decision establishing a woman’s
constitutional right to abortion. Agudath
Israel of America welcomes this historic
development.
“Agudath Israel has long been
on record as opposing Roe v. Wade’s
legalization of abortion on demand.
Informed by the teaching of Jewish law
that fetal life is entitled to significant
protection, with termination of
pregnancy authorized only under
certain extraordinary circumstances, we
are deeply troubled by the staggering
number of pregnancies in the United
States that end in abortion.
“We do not seek to impose our
religious beliefs on the broader
American society. We are of the view,
however, that society, through its
laws, should promote a social ethic
that affirms the supreme value of life.
Allowing abortion on demand, in
contrast, promotes a social ethic that
devalues life.
“To be sure, there are certain
extraordinary circumstances where
our faith teaches that a woman should
terminate her pregnancy. Agudath Israel
fully supports her right to abortion
in such situations, both as a matter of
constitutional free exercise and moral
principle. However, it must be reiterated
that these cases are indeed extraordinary,
rare exceptions to the rule that fetal life
is entitled to protection.
“We pray that today’s ruling will
inspire all Americans to appreciate the
moral magnitude of the abortion issue
and to embrace a culture that celebrates
life.”
THE COALITION FOR JEWISH
VALUES STATEMENT
“Judaism regards all human life as
sacred, including when a fetus is
yet to be born. Jewish law permits
abortion only in truly extraordinary
circumstances. This does not describe
the situation in America today, where
the overwhelming majority of abortions
are done as an elective procedure.
“The dialogue needs to change: if
everything is a human right, then, in the
end, nothing remains worthy of special
protection. We must return to a society
that cherishes human rights and human
life.”
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