Jewish leaders and activists were among demonstrators outside the United States Supreme Court earlier this week demanding that the court not overturn the 1973 Roe v. Wade case that established abortion rights nationwide.
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"Abortion is not only permitted in Judaism, but in some cases required when the life of the pregnant person is at stake," National Council of Jewish Women CEO Sheila Katz told a crowd of protestors.
"Restrictive abortion laws… limit our ability to fully practice our religious tradition," she continued, Haaretz reported. "Spoiler alert: Jews have abortions. Christians have abortions. Muslims have abortions. And people of faith overwhelmingly support access to healthcare, including abortion."
A leaked initial draft opinion of conservative Justice Samuel Alito, published by Politico on Monday, indicated that the Supreme Court looks set to overturn Roe v. Wade.
"If what was leaked was true, it's going to be devastating for so many people," Katz told Haaretz. "One person being forced to be pregnant is one person too many."
A 'Jewish Rally for Abortion Justice' – spearheaded by NCJW, a major voice in the Jewish Abortion Access Coalition fighting to preserve reproductive rights – is scheduled for May 17.
While NCJW is leading the charge, other Jewish organizations are outspoken in their support for a women's right to choose.
Rhoda Smolow and Naomi Adler, who head the Hadassah women's volunteer organization, said the draft opinion was an attack on women's autonomy, freedom, and health, Haaretz reported.
Other support came from the Conservative movement's Rabbinical Assembly, which denounced the opinion, as well as from the Union for Reform Judaism's President Rick Jacobs, who said "we will fight for abortion rights with all of our strength."
i24NEWS contributed to this report.
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