EZ Read January 21, 2023

January 21, 2023

On Our Minds

It took the Supreme Court eight months in 1973 to change the lives of millions of women across this country when they handed down their ruling in Roe v Wade. It was a bittersweet moment. Women could finally take charge of their own health care decisions, but many women had already suffered the consequences from illegal abortions.

Immediately the fight began to gut this newly protected right, at first from outside the Court and then from within. As expected, this summer Roe was struck down. However, there had been a steady erosion of abortion rights prior to that across the nation. When the Supreme Court repealed the protections under Roe, there were already many states where women found it incredibly hard, if not impossible, to obtain an abortion.

The GOP House continues to want to punish women. Their first order of business when Congress finally convened was to introduce more antichoice legislation. A women’s body is their political football.

JAC’s important work that helped elect a pro-choice Democratic Senate is now our only defense against the antichoice House. With Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) chairing the Judiciary committee, President Joe Biden’s court nominees will finally get approved, which will help. These justices will be voices of reason against states’ increasingly more punitive antichoice legislation.

For JAC, the fight for abortion rights began long before last summer’s SCOTUS ruling. JAC has been working to safeguard abortion rights since the 1989 SCOTUS Webster ruling, which allowed states to legislate abortion restrictions, thereby beginning the unraveling of Roe.

At that time, Justice Harry Blackmun said: ’I fear for the future. The signs are evident and very ominous, and a chill wind blows.’’ JAC agreed and immediately incorporated reproductive rights into our mission and has been tirelessly working ever since to elect pro-choice candidates to Congress.

On Sunday, we mark the 50th anniversary of Roe v Wade. Today our world looks frighteningly similar to the one before Roe. We may be weary in this fight, but we must continue. Change will come when we change Congress. That takes constant commitment and effort — and it takes your support. Elections have consequences. Donate to JAC. Stay involved. Let’s keep the momentum going until every woman everywhere can make their own reproductive health care decisions freely and safely.

SUPPORT JACPAC

In the News

ISRAEL

U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and Benjamin Netanyahu met to discuss expanding the Abraham Accords to normalize ties with Saudi Arabia
90 countries, including five allies, are concerned about Israel's recent retaliation against Palestinians
Saudi Arabia will not normalize ties with Israel in the absence of a two-state solution with the Palestinians, the kingdom’s top diplomat has said

ANTISEMITISM AND BDS

A professor who specializes in Holocaust studies uses TikTok to break down and teach about antisemitic dog whistles
An app that uses AI to let users talk to historical figures lets them speak to high-ranking Nazi officers
Antisemitism is spiking, caused in part by the rise of MAGA rhetoric and ideology

CHOICE

Anniversary of Roe v Wade: a generation of women born with the constitutionally protected right to an abortion saw it taken away
Two days after passing an abortion rights law, the Planned Parenthood facility in Peoria, IL was set on fire
Websites that sell abortion pills share data with Google, which makes it easier for pill-takers to be tracked by law enforcement

RELIGION AND STATE

The Evangelical voting bloc is not likely to go away any time soon, so candidates need to figure out what issues they care about in 2024
Trump has called Evangelical leaders 'disloyal' for not supporting his 2024 bid for president
SCOTUS is using the 'lemon test' to determine if showing Christian television in jails is a violation of the establishment clause

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BEYOND THE CORE

Greenland, one of the coldest places on earth, is warmer than it has been in 1,000 years, threatening to raise sea levels by 20 inches this century
SCOTUS is still unable to identify who leaked the Roe v. Wade draft
The New York Supreme Court upheld the state's gun restrictions in a challenge by a group of arms dealers

POLITICAL BYTE

Despite continued political fragmentation, two years into Biden's presidency, Americans feel more united now than at the start of 2021
Josh Shapiro, a Jewish day school alum, was sworn into office on three Jewish bibles, a symbolic moment for Jews in politics
One woman is holding politicians accountable through her new Dignity Index

FYI

Dolly Parton has an impressive command of the Jewish bible, evident in many of her lyrics
Heirs of a German-Jewish banker, who had been forced to sell a Van Gogh painting due to Nazi policies, are suing to get the painting back
A new beer commissioned by the Danish Jewish Museum, called "400," commemorates the 400th anniversary of Danish Jewry

THE LAST WORD

" I call upon Americans to honor generations of advocates who have fought for reproductive freedom, to recognize the countless women whose lives and futures have been saved and shaped by the Roe v. Wade decision, and to march forward with purpose as we work together to restore the right to choose."

President Joe Biden's proclamation on the the anniversary of Roe

SUPPORT JACPAC

Joint Action Committee for Political Affairs (JACPAC) is a pro-Israel PAC with a domestic agenda. We support a strong U.S.-Israel relationship and advocate for reproductive health and the separation of religion and state and incorporate other issues of importance to the Jewish community, including gun violence prevention and climate change. In addition to providing financial support for U.S. Senate and House campaigns, JACPAC educates our membership with outreach events designed to inform and activate their participation in the political process.

Paid for by Joint Action Committee for Political Affairs. Contributions or gifts are not tax deductible. Federal law requires us to use our best efforts to collect and report the name, mailing address, occupation, and name of employer of individuals whose contributions exceed $200 in an election cycle. Corporate contributions and contributions from non-US citizens who are not lawfully admitted for permanent residence are prohibited. All contributions by individuals must be made from personal funds and may not be reimbursed or paid by another person.