#ShoutYourAbortion from the Bimah: U.S. Abortion Masterplots and Jewish Counternarratives from Rabbis for Repro

Abstract: In the context of increasing attacks against reproductive rights and religious freedom, the National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) launched the Rabbis for Repro campaign, which currently includes over 1,500 Jewish clergy who have signed a pledge to advocate for reproductive health, rights and justice in the United States. Drawing on Katie Watson's framework of masterplots and counternarratives in U.S. abortion discourses, this article analyzes the way Rabbis for Repro challenges American masterplots about religious opposition to abortion with counter-narratives about Jewish support for abortion rights. On the one hand, as they draw on a collection of Jewish texts to inform their position on abortion, they uphold classical religious authority over abortion decisions. On the other, they maintain a woman's authority over her body by drawing on abortion storytelling, one of the foundational elements of feminist activism.