Sarah Greenberg

Sarah Greenberg (she/her) is the former assistant legislative director at the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, where she was also an Eisendrath Legislative Assistant in 2013-2014. Sarah graduated in 2013 from Cornell University and is originally from New York City.

Bill to Ban Abortions After 20 Weeks Introduced in Senate

Sarah Greenberg
 November 14, 2013

Last week, Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) introduced The Pain Capable Unborn Child Act (S. 1670), which would prohibit abortions after 20 weeks of gestation, with very few exceptions for life of the mother and rape or incest when reported to legal authorities. An identical bill, The Pain Capable Unborn Child Act (H.R. 1797), introduced by Representative Trent Franks (R-AZ-8), passed the House of Representatives on June 18, 2013. The Senate bill, like the House bill, severely limits a woman’s autonomy over her own body, and refuses her the ability to make decisions according to her own beliefs and conscience.

Since the Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade in 1973, anti-choice advocates have worked to restrict access to abortion, including laws on the use of public funds and restrictions on access to abortion services. First passed in 1976, the Hyde Amendment set the dangerous precedent of prohibiting federal dollars from going to abortion services. Until now, this has mostly affected women who rely on Medicare and Medicaid for health care, as well as women in the armed forces. However, under Affordable Care Act, millions more women will be impacted by this law.

Celebrating 25 Years of Women of the Wall

Sarah Greenberg
 November 4, 2013

The Reform Movement missions include youth, lay leaders and clergy, including a mission from the Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR) and the Women’s Rabbinic Network (WRN) and a NFTY mission, together totaling 69 lay leaders, 28 clergy, and five young adults.

Reflections on International Day of the Girl

Sarah Greenberg
 October 11, 2013

In December 2011, the United Nations General Assembly declared that October 11 would henceforth be known as the International Day of the Girl. For its second year in existence, the theme of this year’s commemoration is education as a form of girls’ empowerment.

Over the past year, the face of girls’ education advocacy has been sixteen-year-old Malala Yousafzai, a Pakistani teenager who was shot in the head by the Taliban for her activism in support of education for girls. Wednesday marked the one-year anniversary of the attack on Malala, who fully recovered from her injuries and has become an important voice on this issue around the world. Her story reminds us of the real and present dangers that young women face when they demand a right that is theirs by birth: an education.

The Hyde Amendment at 37: An Unhappy Birthday

Sarah Greenberg
 September 30, 2013

Thirty-seven years ago today, Congress passed the Hyde Amendment, prohibiting federal dollars from funding abortion, mostly through Medicaid. The law as it stands contains exceptions for cases of rape, incest and life endangerment of the mother. It was passed in response to the landmark Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade (1973), which legalized abortion in the United States.

The Hyde Amendment is not permanently on the books – it is attached to appropriations bills (a “must-pass” bill) as a “rider” that affects the funding for the Department of Health and Human Services. Since 1976 when it was first passed, it has had damaging effects as the women who receive their health coverage through Medicaid, Medicare and military women serving at home and abroad are often unable to access safe, legal and affordable abortions. In Harris v. McRae (1980), the Supreme Court upheld the Constitutionality of the Hyde Amendment, and decided that states that participated in Medicaid were not obliged to contribute funds for abortions deemed medically necessary for which reimbursement from the federal government was blocked under Hyde.