Livingston—NCJW/Essex will sponsor a special Lunch and Learn on Thursday, January 21, in recognition of the anniversary of Roe v. Wade entitled, “Living in the Crosshairs: The Untold Stories of Anti-Abortion Terrorism.” The program will take place at Congregation B’nai Jeshurun in Short Hills from 12 noon until 2 p.m.
Although the Roe v. Wade decision was handed down by the Supreme Court in 1973, ensuring a woman’s right to a safe and legal abortion, the fight to overturn it has been relentless ever since. Unless murder or assassination is involved, as in the recent events in Colorado, domestic terrorism aimed at reproductive health care facilities and providers is one of the most under-reported aspects of the ongoing attempt to overturn Roe v. Wade.
“There are forces that want to roll back the clock,” says Phoebe Pollinger, advocate for reproductive justice and co-chair of the event along with Lunch and Learn co-chairs Isabel Margolin and Tema Javerbaum. “These efforts are well-funded and well-organized and are dangerous to women. We have chosen to highlight anti-abortion domestic terrorism because the media does not and therefore people don’t think about it,” she added. “We need to call it what it is—terrorism—and bring it to light.”
The program will feature law professor Davis S. Cohen and attorney Krysten Connon, authors of the book, “Living in the Crosshairs: The Untold Stories of Anti-Abortion Terrorism,” which exposes the harrowing reality facing abortion providers in the U.S. Join the authors for a panel discussion led by Janice Kovach, mayor of Clinton, NJ, and former director of the NJ Division on Women, along with Eric Boehlert, senior fellow at Media Matters which has highlighted the lack of media coverage on this critical topic, and Jennifer Amico, MD, from Physicians for Reproductive Health. The book which has inspired the title of the program will be available for purchase at the event.
The program is open to NCJW/Essex members, co-sponsors and interested community members; registration is required. The fee for the program is $20 and includes a buffet lunch. Pre-registration is required by Friday, January 15, and space is limited. In case of snow, the program will be held on Thursday, January 28. To register visit www.ncjwessex.org or call the NCJW/Essex office at (973) 740-0588.
