NCJW Sounds Alarm on Coordinated “Paper Cuts” Undermining Access to Reproductive Health Care

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Friday, January 23, 2026

PRESS CONTACT: press@ncjw.org

WASHINGTON, DC — As anti-abortion leaders gather in Washington for the March for Life, the Trump administration is advancing a coordinated campaign of policy “paper cuts” that quietly, but deliberately, undermine access to reproductive health care in the United States and around the world. This week alone, new anti-abortion policies and enforcement actions include further funding hurdles for Planned Parenthood, a dangerous expansion of the Global Gag Rule to slash foreign aid, the targeting of states for protecting abortion, and hindering health research.

In response, Jody Rabhan, executive vice president of National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) — the nation’s leading Jewish feminist civil rights organization, representing 250,000 changemakers across the United States and Israel — released the following statement:

“This week, the Trump administration announced more anti-abortion policies and enforcement actions, all as part of an ongoing series of administrative maneuvers to chip away at reproductive freedom. This flurry of paper cuts is an intentionally dangerous strategy to weaken access to reproductive health care until care is effectively inaccessible, even if abortion remains legal on paper.”

As Jewish advocates, NCJW rejects the false premise that restricting reproductive health care protects anyone or advances religious freedom. This moment comes just days before NCJW’s sixth annual Repro Shabbat — February 13-14 — when hundreds of Jewish communities across the country will gather to affirm that reproductive freedom is a Jewish value.

“Communities coming together all across the country for Repro Shabbat remind us that dignity is not divisible,” said Rabhan. “Jewish values affirm the need for moral agency and the obligation to protect access to health care — not government mandates over medical decisions. When the government uses its power to impose one narrow religious ideology on everyone else, it violates our most fundamental values.”

Ahead of this Repro Shabbat, NCJW is calling on policymakers, faith leaders, and the public to name these actions for what they are — a coordinated strategy to dismantle reproductive health care through accumulation rather than legislation. NCJW invites communities of faith and conscience to affirm access to reproductive health care, including abortion, by participating in Repro Shabbat. This year, an unprecedented number of secular organizations are joining Repro Shabbat as cosponsors, standing alongside faith leaders to reject Christian nationalism and affirm reproductive freedom for all. Learn more at ReproShabbat.org

“Paper cuts bleed,” Rabhan added. “And we will not allow this administration to quietly carve away access to care, human dignity, or the freedom to make deeply personal decisions. NCJW’s advocates are organized, vigilant, and ready to meet this moment — mobilizing all across the country to protect reproductive freedom for all.”

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National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) is a 133-year-old Jewish feminist civil rights organization working for equity and justice for women, children, and families in the United States and Israel. Through the efforts of our 250,000 grassroots advocates and 46 local sections, NCJW combines education, direct service, and advocacy to effect lasting social change at the local, state, and national levels. We approach our work through the intersections of gender, economic, and racial justice to center those most impacted in a uniquely Jewish way. Learn more at NCJW.org and on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.