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NYCLU Mourns the Rev. Howard Moody, a Passionate Civil Liberties Advocate
The New York Civil Liberties Union’s staff and Board of Directors mourn the passing of the Rev. Howard Moody, a longtime board member and a forceful advocate for civil liberties and social justice. Reverend Moody died Sept. 12. He was 91. “Howard’s tireless passion for justice and human rights was matched by remarkable courage, compassion and wisdom,” said NYCLU Executive Director Donna Lieberman. “I am proud to count Howard as a friend, supporter and moral compass and will miss him immeasurably.”
The New York Civil Liberties Union’s staff and Board of Directors mourn the passing of the Rev. Howard Moody, a longtime board member and a forceful advocate for civil liberties and social justice.
Reverend Moody died Sept. 12. He was 91.
“Howard’s tireless passion for justice and human rights was matched by remarkable courage, compassion and wisdom,” said NYCLU Executive Director Donna Lieberman. “I am proud to count Howard as a friend, supporter and moral compass and will miss him immeasurably.”
As minister of historic Judson Memorial Church in Greenwich Village, Moody figured prominently in the struggles for reproductive freedom, free expression and more humane drug treatment policies. In 1967, he co-founded the Clergy Consultation Service on Abortion (CCS), a national network of Christian and Jewish clergy who helped women obtain safe, confidential abortions before the procedure was legal in the state or nation. After New York legalized abortion in 1970, Moody helped established the Center for Reproductive and Sexual Health, a free-standing private clinic that provided services for women referred by the CCS.
In 1959, Moody established the Village Aid and Service Center, the first drug treatment clinic in the Greenwich Village. He remained a lifelong advocate for humane treatment of people suffering from addiction.
Moody was a passionate opponent of government censorship. Under his leadership, Judson became a sanctuary for free speech and avant-garde artists – including the then-unknown Robert Rauschenberg and Faith Ringgold. In 1962, as the NYCLU contested a government ban on The Connections a film about heroin addicts, Moody hosted two screenings of the film at the church.
“I met Howard Moody so many years ago I have stopped counting. Every time I saw him I was aware of a light … maybe from the twinkle in his eye, maybe from rage at wrongdoing, maybe from joy of dancing and living,” said May del Rio, NYCLU Board Member Emeritus and the former vice president of public affairs for Planned Parenthood of New York City. “He was and will always be unique and beloved in a way few people are. He has gone but he has left that light behind for us to follow. And we shall.”