Women's History Month is a Call to Action

There is a Hebrew phrase that echoes through Jewish life at every naming ceremony, every b’nai mitzvah, every Passover seder, and every graduation ceremony: l'dor v'dor, from generation to generation. It is a theology of continuity, a reminder that we are neither the first nor the last to carry the work of repair. This Women's History Month, that phrase has been on my mind as I think about two struggles that 250 years after the nation’s founding still deeply impact the lives of women in America: the fight for bodily autonomy and the fight for the right to vote. They are not separate fights, and they never were.

The United States has the highest maternal mortality rate among wealthy nations, where over 80 percent of America’s maternal deaths are likely preventable. Black women are two to three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than white women. This is a disparity driven not by biology, but by systemic racism in health care. Implicit bias among providers, chronic underfunding of community clinics, and continued dismissal of the experience of women are only a few examples.

This is not a new wound. It is a wound that has been passed down, l'dor v'dor, through generations of Black, Indigenous, and low-income women who were refused access to the care that they needed. Women's History Month asks us to honor the women who came before us. Part of that honor is naming the harm that was done to them and trying to fix the systemic issues causing this disparity. One way to address some of these disparities is through passing federal legislation, such as the Momnibus Act.  

The Momnibus Act includes 14 individual bills that address this crisis through investments that comprehensively address every driver of maternal mortality, morbidity, and disparities in the U.S. Some of the bills in this act would support maternal mental health, promote innovative payment methods, reduce climate change-related risks for moms and babies, and make critical investments in social determinants of health such as housing, transportation, and nutrition.  

To make systemic changes, individuals must be able to use their vote as their political voice. Access to the polls allows individuals to elect those who represent their needs and values. However, communities are systematically and continuously disenfranchised through voter ID laws, polling place closures, and gerrymandering. This means the legislators who make decisions about Medicaid expansion, postpartum care coverage, and maternal care deserts are not acting accountable to the people most affected.  

The SAVE America Act (H.R. 7296/S.1383) would disproportionately harm women, immigrants, transgender individuals, and low-income people by requiring documentary proof of citizenship, specifically a birth certificate or a passport, when registering to vote and updating their voter registration in federal elections. This bill would also require states to share their voter rolls with the Department of Homeland Security. 21 million Americans lack ready access to the designated proof of citizenship documents, and 69 million women do not have a birth certificate with their current legal name because they have changed their name after getting married, divorced, or adopting a child. Survivors of intimate partner violence or sexual violence would also be impacted by this bill, since many survivors change their names after their abuse and may not have access to the key identification documents necessary under this law.

Creating additional barriers that prevent women and other minority communities from being able to make their voices heard keeps current systems from changing. The maternal health crisis is crucial not only on a federal level, but on the state and local level as well. The prevention of historically underrepresented communities being able to vote takes power away from them and keeps those communities underrepresented. To achieve substantive change, we must use our voices to pass legislation like the federal Momnibus Act, share our stories, and support local legislation and organizations doing work in our communities to make change.  

Women's History Month is not a celebration of a finished project but a rededication to a fight that has not ended. As we end Women’s History Month, it is crucial that we carry the fight for women’s rights forward. Take action now and urge your senators to oppose voting restrictions and protect maternal health care.  

Join WRJ on April 12, 2026, for Day of Action, a coordinated day of community action and advocacy across North America. Together, we will turn our shared values into creating meaningful change for this generation and the generations to come.