NCJW Executive Director Addresses Pre-March Rally at March for Women's Lives
April 25, 2004, Washington, DC -- Sandra Lief Garrett, executive director of the National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW), spoke today at the NCJW send-off rally at the Capitol Reflecting Pool before the March for Women's Lives. NCJW's rally was part of a morning of events sponsored by the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, which drew hundreds of participants from a variety of religious traditions. Garrett's remarks were as follows:
"Good morning everyone. I am Sandra Lief Garrett, NCJW's executive director. Let me also welcome you to Washington and the March for Women's Lives. NCJW's participation in this event is part of a proud legacy. When you march today, you will be following in the footsteps of hundreds of thousands of NCJW women throughout the decades who have struggled to secure and safeguard their constitutional right to make their own reproductive decisions. When our president, Marsha Atkind, addresses the multitude of marchers gathering on the Mall today, she will be following in the footsteps of past NCJW presidents who have spoken at every national pro-choice rally in American history.
"NCJW has defended the most personal of all women's rights from the very beginning. As early as a century ago -- in the 1900s -- NCJW supported family-planning champion Margaret Sanger. In the years that followed, NCJW educated and advocated. And in 1967, NCJW stood up, spoke out, and publicly declared its support for abortion rights. 1967 -- a time when a woman's right to reproductive freedom was recognized in only one of the 48 contiguous states and hidden in the back alleys of all the others. 1967 -- six years before the right to reproductive freedom was affirmed by the US Supreme Court in Roe v. Wade.
"We were courageous. We were committed. And we still are. NCJW launched its landmark BenchMark campaign in 2001 -- two years before the dismantling of Roe by federal judges became national news. And today, more than ever, NCJW is the leading Jewish organization working to support reproductive choice.
"Look around you. Your presence is proof of our collective power. The power of the hundreds of people standing right here. The power of our 90,000 members and supporters across the country. The power of our convictions. And the power of the important message we have come to communicate in Washington today.
"Women must be respected as moral decision makers, free to make reproductive choices based on their own beliefs and traditions. Imposing the view of one religion on all of us defies the very meaning of religious liberty. NCJW has always understood that being pro-choice is being pro-religious liberty. And we are honored to be part of the large religious contingent gathered for this march today -- honored to be part of the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice.
"So, when you march today, be proud. Be very proud. You are continuing NCJW's legacy of courageous social action and fighting to make the world a better place.
And when you go home to your communities, fight even harder. Talk to your friends, your families, your fellow NCJW members, and your coworkers. Get them involved in NCJW and make sure they join BenchMark.
"Together we can protect reproductive freedom -- and all fundamental freedoms -- not only for ourselves, but also for our daughters, our granddaughters, and generations to come.
"Thank you."
NCJW is a volunteer organization, inspired by Jewish values, that works to improve the quality of life for women, children, and families and to ensure individual rights and freedoms for all through its network of 90,000 members, supporters, and volunteers nationwide. It has launched BenchMark: NCJW's Campaign to Save Roe, a national effort to educate and mobilize NCJW members, the Jewish community, and friends and allies everywhere to promote a federal bench with judges who support fundamental freedoms, including a woman's right to choose.
Contact:
Sammie Moshenberg
202 296 2588; sammie@ncjwdc.org