ACC Reacts to SCOTUS' ruling overturning Roe v Wade

Members of the American Conference of Cantors are deeply disturbed and condemn today’s ruling by the Supreme Court of the United States in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, overturning 50 years of precedence established by Roe vs. Wade in 1973.

The Reform Movement has a long history of support for reproductive rights dating back to a 1935 Resolution by the Women for Reform Judaism, decades before the right to a safe abortion was codified by the Court. Throughout the decades, the Reform Movement has steadfastly worked to ensure a person’s right to choose.

A defining pillar of Reform Judaism is the fundamental belief in the sanctity of life and the Jewish value of kavod ha’briyot, respect for human dignity. There is no doubt in the teaching of our sages that that the life and well-being of an existing life must be prioritized over the possibility of potential life.

We will work with our partners and supporters to continue to advocate for safe access to the reproductive care to which each person is entitled. For more information on the beliefs and values surrounding reproductive rights, please visit the Religious Action Center (RAC) or Women for Reform Judaism’s websites. Resources from the RAC called a Path Forward on Abortion Resources can be found here. Additional resources for advocacy can be found on the website of the National Council of Jewish Women.

Cantor Seth Warner
President
American Conference of Cantors

Rachel Roth
Chief Operating Officer
American Conference of Cantors

The ACC is strongly committed to its members, the Reform movement and the movement’s affiliated organizations. To its members it pledges advocacy, professional support, camaraderie and training. To the movement it pledges support and participation in the movement’s efforts to repair the world and to the movement’s affiliated organizations, it pledges cooperation and partnership.