The March for Women's Lives- April 25, 2004 in Washington, DC

> Energized by the March For Women's Lives- Ten Things You Can Do To Protect Reproductive Choice
> NOW ONLINE: Reform Movement March Video
> What an AMAZING weekend!
> View March Photos
> Were You Counted?
> Bid on a Reform Movement March Hat
> Learn More About the Reform Movement and Reproductive Rights
> March in DC Again- Million Mom March
> Contribute

Energized by the March For Women's Lives?
Ten Things You Can Do To Protect Reproductive Choice

>view this information as a flyer, that you can disseminate (PDF format)

Advocacy . . .

1. Urge your Senator and Representative to support the Putting Prevention First Act (S. 2336 / H.R. 4192).

2. Write to the Food and Drug Administration to protest the FDA's recent decision prohibiting over the counter sales of Emergency Contraception, despite support for such sales from the FDA's own scientific panel.

3. Sign up for RAC News to stay informed about crucial legislative battles over reproductive rights and other issues.

Support for Local Abortion Providers . . .

4. Volunteer to escort, provide administrative support, or act as a legal observer at your local abortion clinic. You can locate your local abortion providers by clicking here.

5. Write letters to your local clinics or sponsor an ad in a local newspaper thanking abortion providers for their commitment to women's health care.

Community Organizing . . .

6. Write letters to the editor and op-eds for your local newspaper telling them about your experience at the March and the Jewish perspective on reproductive choice. You can find information about the Reform Jewish Movement's position on reproductive choice at http://rj.org/roevwade/movement.shtml

7. Host a panel discussion at your congregation on reproductive health issues. Invite health care providers, policy experts, clergy, and other members of your community who can share a unique perspective.

8. Start a comprehensive sexuality education program in your congregation. Contact the Union for Reform Judaism's Department of Jewish Family Concerns (212.650.4294) for guidance.

9. Get involved with your local chapter of the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice. Encourage your rabbi to join the RCRC's Clergy for Choice Network.

10. Help your synagogue's youth group start or join a chapter of Spiritual Youth for Reproductive Freedom. Identify a college student from your congregation to attend SYRF's Student Summit in June!

NOW ONLINE: Reform Movement March Video
Zach Rosenberg, a Legislative Assistant at the Religious Action Center, has created an amazing short video documenting our March delegation.
>View video (low resolution for dial-up modems)
>View video (high resolution for high-speed access)

Download Windows Media Player

What an AMAZING weekend!
Thank you to everyone who attended the March for Women's Lives, the Reform Movement's Havdalah service, and our Breakfast. An estimated 1,150,000 individuals descended on the National Mall in Washington on Sunday to give an urgent wake-up call to government leaders and the nation concerning women's lives, with thousands of Reform Jews participating in this historic March.

>View the address by Rabbi Sue Ann Wasserman at the March which was given during the morning March program

>View photos from the March

Were You Counted???
If you attended the March for Women's Lives, and did not receive a green "Count Me In" sticker, then you were not added to the March official count. Please click here to fill out the form to be counted!

Send Us Your March Photos
If you took pictures at the March, we would love to have them in our collection. E-mail them to arice@rac.org or mail prints to:
Religious Action Center
Attn: Alexis Rice
2027 Massachusetts Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20036

TAKE ACTION ON FAMILY PLANNING: Urge the Congress to Address the Family Planning Needs of Women and Families
On April 22, 2004, Senator Harry Reid (D-NV) and Representative Louise Slaughter (D-NY) introduced the Putting Prevention First Act (S. 2336 / H.R. 4192), an omnibus family planning bill that combines increased Title X funding with six existing bills relating to contraception, family planning, and comprehensive sexuality education. This comprehensive legislation was introduced in the week leading up to the 2004 March for Women's Lives as a public statement by pro-choice leaders that helping all women have access to family planning services is fundamental to giving women real reproductive choice and is the most effective way to reduce the number of abortions performed.
***Take Action***
In emails, phone calls, and faxes, please contact your Representatives and Senators and urge them cosponsor and support the Putting Prevention First Act (S. 2336 / H.R. 4192). Encourage your Member of Congress to support this comprehensive family planning legislation. To easily reach your Member of Congress, call the Capitol Switchboard at 202.224.3121. You can also send e-mail to your Senators and Representative by going to the Religious Action Center's Legislative Action Center.
For more information please contact Beth Kalisch, Legislative Assistant, at 202.387.2800 or Beth Kalisch at bkalisch@rac.org or visit NARAL Pro-Choice America.

March in DC Again- Million Mom March
The Million Mom March is sponsoring a Mother's Day March to Halt the Assault on Sunday, May 9, 10am-3pm on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol to bring the "Halt the Assault" message to the front door of Congress. This day will be an opportunity to tell Congress to Halt the Assault on our safety, our families, and our gun laws.

The day will start at 10:00am with an Interfaith Service where all faiths will be welcome. Among the various forms of prayer, the Service will contain a call to prayer, readings from various traditions, music and hymns, and prayers of remembrance for those who have died from gun violence.

From 11:00am to 2:30pm, we will listen to speakers share their stories of how violence has impacted their lives and how the gun lobby has assaulted their lives and families. Informational booths and other visual elements will be peppered throughout the area.

And at 2:30pm, we will march down Constitution Avenue, west toward the Washington Monument, ending our march at 15th and Constitution, across the street from the Ellipse in front of the White House. The march will also be the send-off for our summer long, Coast-to-Coast Halt the Assault Tour.

The event site is wheelchair accessible and interpreters will be on-hand for the hearing impaired.

Let's join each other on Mother's Day for an opportunity to remember and recognize those affected by gun violence, and to let Congress know we are here and we must Halt the Assault!

>To learn more about this March visit www.millionmommarch.org

>For more information, please contact the Religious Action Center at 202.387.2800 or choice@rac.org

Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism's activities related to the March are supported in part through the generosity of Barbara Bluhm-Kaul and Marilyn Herst Karsten.