Saturday, February 10 (in-person and accessible via livestream)
Reproductive Justice Shabbat, otherwise known as “Repro Shabbat” takes place annually on the Shabbat when we read Parshat Mishpatim because it contains the verses commonly used as the foundation of Judaism’s approach to reproductive health, rights, and justice. Repro Shabbat is sponsored by the National Council of Jewish Women and GJC’s Reproductive Justice Shabbat is sponsored by Women of GJC.
Service: 10:00 AM
Afternoon Program: 1:00 PM
Please join Women of GJC after kiddush on Saturday, February 10 for a conversation about Reproductive Rights post Dobbs. It will be between Allyson Schwartz, who was the Executive Director of the Elizabeth Blackwell Health Center for Women in the early 1980s, and Christine Castro, Senior Staff Attorney for the Women’s Law Project.
Christine Castro (she/her) works toward equitable access to sexual and reproductive health care through litigation, legal representation, policy development and advocacy, and institutional reform. Christine provides legal representation and assistance to Pennsylvania abortion providers on a wide range of day-to-day issues including regulatory compliance and defense from anti-abortion violence and harassment and serves as counsel on impact litigation. As Youth Access Manager, Christine helps young people navigate Pennsylvania’s parental consent law to access abortion care through direct representation in judicial bypass proceedings, leads WLP’s expanding judicial bypass team, and develops initiatives to increase access and improve the judicial bypass process for young people across the Commonwealth.
In 2021, Christine was awarded the Emerging Activists in Women’s Health Care by the National Women’s Health Network. Christine joined WLP staff in 2017 after initially serving as a joint If/When/How Reproductive Justice State Fellow for WLP and New Voices for Reproductive Justice. During her time at New Voices, Christine worked on state and federal policy advocacy focusing on reproductive health, rights, and justice issues as they affect Black women, femmes, and girls.
Christine earned a degree in Political Science from Temple University and a J.D. from Roger Williams University School of Law. She is based in Philadelphia, PA.
Allyson Y. Schwartz is a former member of the House of Representatives for Pennsylvania (2005 to 2015) and is a nationally recognized leader on healthcare issues. Allyson serves as president and CEO of Better Medicare Alliance. In Congress, she was appointed to the powerful House Ways and Means Committee in her second term and served as a senior member of the House Budget Committee. In both capacities, she was a strong advocate for Medicare. Allyson was also instrumental in the passage of the Affordable Care Act in 2006 and authored key provisions, including the ban on pre-existing condition exclusions for children and increased access to primary care. She led the effort to create the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). The Pennsylvania CHIP program has been nationally heralded as a model program to cover children with health insurance.
Allyson is known as one of the leading healthcare experts in government. She authored several key provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, including increasing access to primary care, banning pre-existing conditions exclusions, and allowing young adults to remain on their parent’s health coverage. Before her election to Congress, Allysonz served in the Pennsylvania State Senate from 1991 to 2005. She worked as assistant director of the Philadelphia Health Services Department from 1972 to 1975, and executive director of the Elizabeth Blackwell Center, a reproductive health clinic in Philadelphia, from 1975 to 1988. Allyson earned her B.A. at Simmons College and her M.S.W. from Bryn Mawr College.