Livingston, NJ January 15, 2015 – NCJW/Essex will sponsor a panel discussion on the topic of “Roe & Religion” on Thursday, January 29, 2015, as the nation notes the 42nd anniversary of the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision ensuring a woman’s right to a safe and legal abortion. The program will begin at 7:00 pm and will be held at the First Congregational Church, 40 South Fullerton Avenue, Montclair, NJ.
Religious leaders from the community will discuss ways in which moral decisions are made within each religion represented and how the decision in Roe v. Wade is supported by religious tenets and not in opposition to them. This year’s Hobby Lobby case and the topic of freedom of religion will be discussed in an effort to seek new ways of understanding and speaking out for reproductive justice and personal decision-making in the context of faith. Led by Moderator Belinda Lasky, NCJW Director of Community Engagement, the panelists include: Glenn Northern, Domestic Program Senior Associate, Catholics for Choice; Reverend Melissa Hall, St. James Episcopal Church, Montclair, NJ; Rabbi Amy Joy Small, Founder, Deborah’s Palm Center for Jewish Learning and Experiences; and Reverend Charles Blustein Ortman of The Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Montclair. Attendees will have the opportunity for a Q & A with the panelists.
The program is free of charge but registration is required. Please call 973-740-0588 or visit www.ncjwessex.org to register.
“Roe & Religion” is being co-sponsored by many community organizations including: American Association of University Women (AAUW), Alliance for Justice, American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey, BlueWaveNJ, Catholics for Choice, Center for Reproductive Rights, Community Relations Committee of Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest NJ, Deborah’s Palm Center for Jewish Learning & Experiences, League of Women Voters of New Jersey, National Organization for Women (NOW), NCJW/West Morris, New Jersey Abortion Access Fund (NJAAF), Planned Parenthood Action Fund of NJ, Physicians for Reproductive Health, Reproductive Justice Committee of the Unitarian Society of Ridgewood, Sierra Club and Temple B’nai Abraham.