Investment in reproductive health care a must
Recently, I was blessed to be present at the state Capitol in Albany where an overwhelming majority of the Assembly passed the Comprehensive Contraception Coverage Act (CCCA). The CCCA would expand access to affordable contraception for men and women and provide coverage for emergency contraceptives purchased at community pharmacies.
As a member of Concerned Clergy for Choice, I joined clergy from a variety of denominations — Methodist, United Church of Christ, Unitarian Universalist and more — to make sure everyone knows that providing people with access to comprehensive reproductive health care and sex education affirms the sanctity of human life more than opposing it ever will.
Many religious groups have called for making reproductive care available and affordable. For centuries, Jewish legal authorities have acknowledged how essential reproductive choice is to the health and well-being of women and families. Across all branches of Judaism and in many situations, rabbis have made a place for birth control in family life and deeply appreciate this religious liberty. I am proud to say that my denominational organization, the Central Conference of American Rabbis, recognized the wisdom in making birth control available in 1929. In 1947, we called for all of us to support the work of Planned Parenthood, and have strongly reaffirmed these decisions ever since.
There is much press coverage devoted to religious leaders who oppose contraception, abortion and comprehensive sex education. I want our communities and decision makers to know that Judaism, like many other faiths, teaches that the work of family planning centers and sex health educators is lifesaving work. Every day, peer and adult sexual health educators go out into our community to teach about consent, contraception and sexually transmitted infections. Sex education empowers our young people — and, I learned, our senior citizens — to make healthy, informed decisions about their bodies, and to protect themselves and others from unintended pregnancies and STIs.
Moreover, six out of 10 women in New York state rely on family planning centers for their primary source of care, not only for contraceptive and abortion services, but also for screenings for sexually-transmitted infections, as well as for breast and cervical cancer. Blocking access to such services not only increases health risks for both men and women, particularly in low-income families, it also costs the state hundreds of millions of dollars in health care expenses.
New York state has made incredible progress empowering men and women to make informed decisions about their bodies and when and how to build their families. But there is still much work to be done. The CCCA still needs to pass our state Senate, along with several other initiatives that will promote health for women and families.
New York state banned the shackling of pregnant inmates in 2015. This year, our policy makers have an opportunity to prohibit solitary confinement for pregnant women. Solitary confinement is a drastic measure that severely limits a pregnant woman’s movement, and restricts her access to necessary physical and mental health care.
Our policymakers also need to protect the health and economic stability of families in New York state by passing the Paid Family Leave Insurance Act. This bill will enable employees to take time away from work to care for a newborn or a seriously ill family member, while still being paid a portion of their salary for up to three months. This program will be supported by employee payroll contributions, at no cost to employers.
Finally, we need to increase the Family Planning Grant, an investment in family planning services that ultimately saves New York state hundreds of millions of dollars in health care costs caused by unintended pregnancies and sexually-transmitted infections.
Our women, our men and our families deserve these investments in their health and well-being. I call upon our state senators and assemblymen and women to affirm the sanctity of human life, and take these next crucial steps in providing comprehensive reproductive health care and education for everyone in New York state.
Rabbi Leah R. Berkowitz is a member of Concerned Clergy for Choice. She blogs at thisiswhatarabbilookslike.wordpress.com