March 10, 2023

On Our Minds

Walgreens announced this week its intention to cease selling Mifepristone in several states. This was in response to threatening letters from 20 GOP Attorneys General, including some from states where the medication is still legal. This is a further blow to women’s efforts to control their own healthcare decisions. While Walgreens is in the midst of becoming an FDA certified distributor of the medication, they simply succumbed to the culture wars orchestrated by the GOP.


Mifepristone has been safe and legal in the United States for more than 20 years. According to the Guttmacher Institute, medication abortion accounts for more than half of all facility-based abortions in the U.S, proving to be a “game changer” in expanding abortion care in our country. It also can be a life-saver - especially in cases of miscarriages, where it is regularly prescribed.


Earlier this year President Joe Biden issued a Presidential Memorandum lifting the requirement forcing women to pick up the medication in person, thereby removing yet another obstacle to obtaining the drug.


Walgreen’s decision will push more women to access the drug from on-line pharmacies. While this may seem like a viable work around, this option also comes with challenges. An investigation found several online pharmacies selling Mifepristone are sharing sensitive data, including users' web addresses, relative location, and search data.This data can then be recoverable, allowing police to prosecute abortion seekers in states like Texas.


The battlefield for women’s reproductive rights keeps expanding and we need to keep pushing back even more.


What can you do?


Contact Walgreens and request they stock Mifepristone all over the country. (Click on this link to contact Walgreens.)


Get involved with the WI Supreme Court race — a race that can have implications not just for abortion rights but even the 2024 election. Write postcards and make phone calls to help get out the vote for pro-choice Janet Protasiewicz. She is running against Dan Kelly who has ties to anti-abortion groups. Prostasiewicz can tip the balance on the WI’s Supreme Court to overturn the state’s 1849 law, which makes it a felony to perform an abortion at any stage of pregnancy. Click here for postcard information. Click here for virtual phone banking information.


Support JAC’s pro-choice candidates such as Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), who this week introduced the Women's Health Protection Act to codify Roe v Wade.

JAC 2023 Conference

Join JAC in Washington, DC in April. Click above to watch a video about why you should come.

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JAC was honored to be invited to the first-ever summit of Jewish women leaders at the White House. JAC's Executive Director Marcia Balonick joined women from around the country to hear from White House officials including Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism Deborah Lipstadt and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff.

Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism Deborah Lipstadt with JAC Executive Director Marcia Balonick

l to r: JAC Senior Fellow Lily Cohen, White House Jewish Liaison Shelly Greenspan, and JAC Executive Director Marcia Balonick

l to r: JAC Senior Fellow Lily Cohen, Sarah Hurwitz - former Key Note Speaker at JAC Power of Women Luncheon, JAC Executive Director Marcia Balonick

UPCOMING EVENTS

Tuesday, March 14

9:15 am

Rep. Lauren Underwood (D-IL)

Glenview, IL

(in person only)

RSVP

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Friday, March 17

12:00 pm

Sen Jon Tester (D-MT)

Chicago Fundraiser

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Monday, March 20

Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN)

Chicago Fundraiser

5:30 pm

RSVP

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Friday, May 5

Rep. Jan Schakowsky's 22nd Annual

Ultimate Women's Power Lunch

with special guests LA Mayor Karen Bass & Rep. Katherine Clark (D-MA)

Chicago, IL

RSVP

(Note JAC table when you register)

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Click here to register for the 2023 JAC DC Conference

IN THE NEWS

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ISRAEL

ANTISEMITISM AND BDS

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ANTISEMITISM WATCH

CHOICE

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RELIGION AND STATE

BEYOND THE CORE

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POLITICAL BYTE

FYI

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THE LAST WORD


 "The Women’s Health Protection Act would reverse the death sentence handed down to American women when the Supreme Court overturned fifty years of precedent in Roe.”


Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), cosponsor of the recently introduced Women’s Health Protection Act of 2023

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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.