Three Years Without Roe v. Wade: NCJW Marks the Anniversary of Dobbs With Grief and Resolve
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Tuesday, June 24, 2025
PRESS CONTACT: press@ncjw.org
WASHINGTON, DC — Today marks the third anniversary of the Supreme Court of the United States’ (SCOTUS) disastrous ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which abandoned almost 50 years of precedent by overturning Roe v. Wade — ending the constitutional right for all Americans to access abortion care.
In honor of all those who have suffered under state abortion bans, been denied essential health care, or endured dangerous delays in treatment over the last three years since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, and in memory of those who have died because of it, Shira Zemel, abortion access campaign director at National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) — one of the nation’s leading Jewish feminist civil rights organizations, representing 250,000 advocates from across the country — issued the following statement:
“Over 31 million women live under abortion bans in 22 states. These bans — made possible by the Dobbs decision — have created a public health crisis, pushing people to delay or forgo care, endure preventable suffering, or face life-threatening consequences. Today, we grieve for those whose stories we know and those we never will learn, as we mourn the devastating impact caused by the overturning of Roe v. Wade.
“The chaos of three years without Roe is having real, lasting, and irreversible consequences on everyday people, with the greatest toll from abortion bans falling on Black and Indigenous Americans, LGBTQ+ folks, immigrants, young people, and those living in rural areas. Even as we know that we know that Roe’s protections were always a floor — the minimum we should expect — not a ceiling, anti-abortion politicians are celebrating Dobbs as a springboard to continue undermining the health care and safety of our communities.
“Judaism places the life of the pregnant person over that of the fetus, and when anti-abortion activists attack reproductive health care, they flagrantly disregard the very religious liberty on which our country was founded. We fight for safe, legal, and accessible abortion care because of our religion — not in spite of it. Our Jewish story is one of continuing to find hope, even when the journey ahead is grueling — having the strength to believe in a better world and fighting like hell to build it.
“The attacks on reproductive freedom were never just about abortion. We are now seeing proposals in Congress and state legislatures to pare back the rights women have fought for nearly a century, and the end result will kill women, devastate families, and put providers in impossible positions. Congress is proposing the largest cut to Medicaid in American history, leaving millions of Americans, including children, without access to critical health care services, and anti-abortion legal groups are pushing the Supreme Court to ban Medicaid coverage of Planned Parenthood services — the sole source of health care in many communities. And the attacks do not stop here, as lawmakers are targeting the full spectrum of reproductive health care, including in vitro fertilization and birth control — devastating many Americans trying to build families.
“National Council of Jewish Women will never stop fighting until all people can control their own bodies, lives, and futures. We will always work toward comprehensive access to reproductive health care without stigma and shame. While we grieve today, we also mark this moment with renewed determination. This fight will be long and demanding, but so is our resolve. We invite those looking to join us to sign our Pledge for Reproductive Freedom, because the stakes could not be higher.”
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National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) is a 132-year-old Jewish feminist civil rights organization working for equity and justice for women, children, and families in the United States and Israel. Through the efforts of our 250,000 grassroots advocates and 48 local sections, NCJW combines education, direct service, and advocacy to effect lasting social change at the local, state, and national levels. We approach our work through the intersections of gender, economic, and racial justice to center those most impacted in a uniquely Jewish way. Learn more at NCJW.org, and on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.