Abortion laws across the country have recently made headlines which has led to renewed discussions about the Orthodox view on this complicated issue and how it translates into public policy. Agudath Israel has a nuanced, but clear position. It has long opposed the central holding of Roe v. Wade, that the right to abortion protected under the Fourteenth Amendment’s personal liberty/due process clause is uniformly “fundamental”, yet supports a woman’s legal right to abortion where she seeks the abortion as an expression of her religious faith (see brief in 1992 SCOTUS cases). With the passage of the New York Reproductive Health Act, we issued this statement.
We also issued a statement upon the passage of the New York Child Victims Act explaining what the organization supported and what concerns we had with the final legislation.
While it hasn’t been in the news as much lately, the New York “substantially equivalent” guidelines for nonpublic schools has not gone away. Please read this informative interview with my colleague Avrohom Weinstock in the Flatbush Jewish Journal here.
Could your school or synagogue use a $150,000 grant for security to protect it from potential terror threats? The federal Nonproft Security Grant Program does just that, but is now being threatened with a potential 41% cut in Congress. Please take a moment to ask your elected officials to maintain the current funding level. Call, email, or Tweet your message using our action center.
Advocacy Made Simple: Contacting Your Elected Officials (Rabbi Matz)
Does contacting your elected official matter? What are ways to make sure that your voice is heard? Watch Rabbi Moshe Matz’s brief presentation on the topic from a session at therecent Agudah convention titled, “Advocacy Made Simple.”
The ubiquitous yellow fleece scarves distributed by National School Choice Week came in handy this week, as much of the US experienced unusually cold weather. Thank you to the Jewish schools that participated and shared pictures with us.
Many states are considering bills which would create or expand school choice programs in their state legislatures and Agudath Israel’s staff and lay leaders are busy garnering support for those measures. To find out more about legislative efforts in your state or to see how you can help, please contact [email protected]