The panel will discuss a few topics that are so wrought emotionally – and so religiously charged – as the right of women to control their own bodies and healthcare. With the Dodds decision that overturned Roe v. Wade and has allowed states to restrict or totally ban access to abortions, religious conversations about reproductive care have become prominent once again. How do Jewish traditions and texts speak to these questions? What is the legal and spiritual status of a fetus? Does the period of gestation matter? Who does Judaism empower to make the ultimate choices, and to what extent does the tradition want to influence secular law over others?

Rabbis from each of the three largest denominations, Rabbi Stephanie Alexander (KKBE – Reform), Rabbi Evan Ravski (Emanu-El – Conservative), and Rabbi Elli Fischer (Orthodox), will discuss this difficult topic from their own denominational perspective. Hybrid with online and in-person options.