NCJW activists in D.C. lobby for abortion rights, gun control

WASHINGTON (JTA) — Some 350 National Council of Jewish Women activists lobbied for abortion rights, gun controls and immigration reform.

Women from across the country attending NCJW’s annual Washington Institute lobbied Tuesday on Capitol Hill. They called for continued access to abortion in federally funded health programs, arguing that proposals by some conservative lawmakers to withdraw such funding would create a two-tiered system denying poor women access.

The activists also backed a range of gun controls proposed in the wake of the massacre of 20 first-graders in Connecticut in December, including proposals seen as unlikely to pass, like assault weapon bans. They also pushed for immigration reforms supported by lawmakers from both parties that would provide a path to citizenship.

The three-day program included sessions on Israel advocacy. It concluded Tuesday evening with a dinner honoring Sammie Moshenberg for her 30 years representing NCJW in Washington.

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Ron Kampeas is JTA’s Washington bureau chief.

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