President Joseph R. Biden
Vice President Kamala Harris
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President and Madam Vice President,

We are writing as concerned members of the American Jewish community, devastated and outraged over the recent US Supreme Court decision that overturned Roe v. Wade.

The ruling is catastrophic for people of all backgrounds seeking compassionate health care, including abortion, and violates our religious freedom by prioritizing a narrow understanding of when life begins. Abortion access is a Jewish value, as Judaism permits abortion, and even requires it when the life of the pregnant person is in danger.

We urge you to look creatively at your executive powers and other avenues that the government has at its disposal to rapidly make abortion care accessible to everyone — people of minority religions, and people of no religion — regardless of the state in which they reside.

We write to you today to ask that you immediately do the following:

• Declare a federal health emergency for abortion to address the crisis that is the result of the Supreme Court's decision.

• Appoint a Reproductive Freedom Czar at the White House demonstrating the administration’s commitment to abortion access and to coordinate a whole-of- government response.

• Direct the Food and Drug Administration to increase access and availability to medication abortion.

• Issue an Executive Order to instruct the leaders of each federal agency to submit their plans to protect the right to an abortion within 30 days.

• Use the powerful and authoritative position of the presidency to adopt the word “abortion” as part of the vernacular to help destigmatize abortion as a medical procedure and connect abortion to other fundamental rights and freedoms like contraception, racial justice, LGBTQ+ rights, voting rights, economic security, and more.

• Call for for the Senate to pass the Women’s Health Protection Act, federal legislation that would protect the right to access abortion  throughout the United States, by any means necessary.

• Nominate fair, independent, and qualified federal judges who have a strong reproductive health, rights, and justice record.

• Appoint a reproductive health ombudsman at the Department of Health and Human Services to educate the public about contraception, Title X clinics, reproductive health clinics, self-managed abortion, and to analyze data about access to reproductive services.

• Provide resources through federal agencies for individuals seeking abortion care in other states, such as support for travel and child care services, amongst other forms of support.

• Implement the use of federal property and resources to increase abortion access, such as requiring that all federal employees are provided paid time off and reimbursed for necessary expenses related to access of abortion; relocating of military personnel and their families to access reproductive health care when needed; and requesting all federal agencies to craft or update regulations that expand access to reproductive health services, including abortion.

There is so much more to be done, and we look forward to working with you and your administration to ensure access to care for all who need it. Thank you for your attention to this important matter.

Sincerely, 

[Organizations]
[Individuals]