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Healthcare by Jake Silberg and Ben Donald

Thank you for taking the time to meet with us. Today we are here to address the issue of health care. We know, and greatly appreciate, the commitment Sen. Lautenberg has made to this issue based on his votes for the expansion of S-CHIP, and the stimulus bill with its provisions for public health reform. We personally feel that providing health care for every American is the responsibility of a government based upon the founding principle that all of us are created equal. The United States has long been the beacon for social justice and moral righteousness in the world. However, we are the only fully industrialized nation that does not guarantee universal coverage among its citizens. As it stands, 46 million Americans – 15% of the population live uninsured, with the constant fear that any illness could lead to financial devastation and impoverishment. We cannot expect this statistic to shrink on its own, as the rising cost of health insurance - with premiums outgrowing wages by 400% over the last 8 years - puts it

further out of reach for our fellow citizens. President Obama urged action last week, pointing out that this crisis creates perilous economic instability. Basic American philosophy instructs us that we cannot sit by idly as others suffer unnecessarily in our presence. Our ultimate goal would be for Sen. Lautenberg to introduce a companion bill to House Resolution 676, the United States National Health Insurance Act. This ideal solution would provide insurance for every American, in the United States and her territories, currently without coverage. We realize that the implementation of a single-payer system may not be politically feasible at this moment, but we ask Sen. Lautenberg to support the elements of President Obama’s budget that amount to steps in the direction of universal health care. Jewish principles also form an underlying basis for our plea. In the Talmud, the Book of Baba Kamma states, “whoever is in pain, lead him to the physician.” Healthcare for all those who require it is not just an American ideal, it is a Jewish ideal; it is a universal ideal.

My name is Jake Silberg, and I am able to be here today because I am lucky enough to have parents with good insurance. In the summer of 2007, while on vacation in Italy, I was diagnosed with Stage 2 Burkitt’s Lymphoma. I can personally attest to the success of a universal

healthcare program. I was treated at Ospedale Bambino Gesu in Rome for 25 nights, had two major bowel surgeries, and would have been covered for chemotherapy as well at a total cost of only 3000 dollars. Had I been a citizen of the European Union, the care would have been provided free of charge. My three months of chemotherapy at a prestigious American hospital amounted to 100,000 dollars in medical bills that my insurance, among the best that money can buy in America, would not pay for. Imagine if I had been of the 8.6 million children uninsured at that time. The bills would have depleted my family’s assets and catapulted us into bankruptcy. I was among the luckiest--I had access to the best doctors, and the newest and most innovative treatments in the world. Since that point, I have lost hours of sleep distraught over how the situation could have unfolded more catastrophically had I simply been born into a different family. An unforeseen medical tragedy is one of the leading causes of homelessness in America. With all the suffering and hardship forced upon children with life-threatening diseases, it is imperative to my own conscience that financial volatility should not be one of them.

The Responsible Education about Life Act (REAL) Sam Rosenblatt and Rachel Bain I’m Sam Rosenblatt and this is Rachel Bain, we are both High School students from Essex County, New Jersey, and active members in our Temples. We are here to talk about the importance of proper sexual education, and reproductive rights. The Responsible Education about Life Act (REAL) which would establish the first-ever federal funding stream for comprehensive sex education in public schools. The content of the act would provide young people with medically accurate sexual and reproductive health information that is proven to be affective in delaying the onset of sexual intercourse by increasing contraception and condom use. Currently, 25 out of 50 states accept funding for abstinence only education, therefore, failing to educate about the proper information that is needed at the highschool level. As a result, in 1996 Title 5 was passed spending 50 million dollars a year toward abstinence only education, failing to recognize its ineffectiveness, as well as the risks and consequences of having sex. The inability to access or receive influential or any sex education in school can lead to teen pregnancies. Also, as a result, many have been diagnosed with STIs and other life threatening conditions. Sadly, one in every three women today get pregnant before the age of twenty, That’s 750,000 Americans, which is an overwhelmingly unacceptable number. That’s twice the amount of teen pregnancies in Great Britain and Canada, and four times the amount of France As Jews, we are taught to work hard for what will best benefit our people and best ensure their safety. Abstinence only education programs serve no effective purpose and are only decreasing our abilities to keep both children and teens safe.

As a High School student I have been provided with a comprehensive sexual education program and it has positively impacted the decisions I’ve made. However, with half of the countries schools taking federal funding for Abstinence only education program (a program that is clearly ineffective) Teen pregnancy and abortion rates are out of control. (Teen pregnancy and abortion rates are out of control.) Thankfully the right to have an abortion is protected by the bill that Senator Menendez cosponsored. The Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA), is an act which gives every woman in America the right of choice. We’d like to first thank Senator Menendez for his actions in cosponsoring the bill and urge him to please continue his support of the Freedom of Choice Act in the 111th Congress. It is important for the US to continue to maintain the reproductive rights that FOCA provides for various reasons. First, abortion is an extremely personal issue, and women are capable of making their own moral decisions. Sadly, many people are denied or limited in their choice to get an abortion. Regulations, such as the inability for women serving in the military abroad to get an abortion, disregard the ability for some women to make these decision for themselves. Since the Roe v. Wade case, the impacts of anti choice legislation have significantly eroded many reproductive rights. States considered 464 anti choice measures in 2007, and 19 states enacted 43 anti-choice measures. Additionally in April 2007, the Supreme Court upheld the first ever federal ban on an abortion method WITHOUT an exception to protect a woman’s health. This is a clear example of how reproductive rights are being overridden, and the importance of restoring the rights granted under the 1973 Roe v Wade Decision. The support of The Freedom of Choice Act is so significant because if it is brought to the Supreme Court, The legality of the law is jeopardized, and at risk for drastic change. In various Jewish texts, there is tremendous emphasis on a woman’s right to choose to get an abortion. Traditionally, A woman has priority of life over her fetus. Mishna explains that a woman has existing life, and her fetus has potential life. Therefore, as rabbi Moses Sofer said, “ No Woman is required to build up the world by destroying

herself.” These texts show that the Woman is given the responsibility to know what is best for both her and her fetus, and act accordingly, whether she choose abortion or to bear the child is circumstantial and in all ways her choice. For example in a case of rape, a woman should not be forced to live with the child who is a constant reminder of the mental and physical stress of a rape situation. As teenagers, we are extremely concerned with how these laws will affect our futures. The Freedom of Choice Act is an unbelievably important law that protects teenagers like myself from dealing with a situation that I would not be responsible enough for. The 1973 Supreme Court decision on Roe V Wade must be protected against all attempts- legislative and judicial to deplore it. We would ultimately like to say that his past and hopefully future support of these bills is crucial for the proper education of teens, and the right of woman’s choice. The success off these two bills lie hand in hand in support of each other. Thus, they must both be approved and must also continue to be carried out as laws efficiently and effectively, in the present and future.