The Supreme Court’s misguided decision to overturn Roe v. Wade revoked the constitutional right to abortion and comprehensive reproductive care that millions of Americans have relied on for 50 years. The Court’s cruel action takes away a woman’s right to have autonomy over her own future and will have dire consequences for women’s health and safety. The verdict in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization is one of the lowest points for our country.

Republicans have packed the courts with right-wing ideologues for decades to end the right to privacy and take away a woman’s right to choose. Terrified to eliminate Roe at the ballot box, Republicans have relied on partisan judges to do it behind closed doors. Republicans have succeeded in their quest, and Republicans are the cause of this decision.

Within weeks of the decision, Republican legislatures in at least 22 states have already begun to finalize laws to severely limit access, if not criminalize, a woman’s control of her own body. The immediate impacts of this decision will be felt most acutely by impoverished women, women of color, immigrants, and those in states with majority-Republican representation, who often already face barriers to receiving quality health care.

Rep. Pascrell strongly believes that a woman’s health care must be guided solely by her own decisions in private consultation with her doctor. Judges and politicians should not have their hands on a woman’s bodily decisions. The Dobbs decision will have catastrophic impacts on our nation both immediate and long term and may signal this Republican Supreme Court will soon target other precedents and privacy rights from access to contraception to marriage equality.

While devastating for Americans in the many states where abortion will now be banned or severely restricted, the Dobbs Decision does not ban or limit the right to abortion in New Jersey. Abortion is still legal in the state of New Jersey. In January 2022, Governor Phil Murphy signed the Freedom of Reproductive Choice Act into law, preserving the legal right to obtain an abortion in the state. (More information about NJ abortion rights below.)

Rep. Pascrell recognizes the need for federal laws to protect health care for women. . Rep. Pascrell already voted for the Women's Health Protection Act when it passed the House in September 2021. Rep. Pascrell has also voiced his support for expanding and balancing the current rightwing Supreme Court and is a cosponsor of the Judiciary Act of 2021 to do just that. Rep. Pascrell absolutely rejects further restrictions on human freedom and dignity. He will fight any attempts by Republicans to enact a national abortion ban.

Everyone should have the right to access the care they need to make personal decisions about their bodies, lives, and futures. We must never lose our urgency to erase this decision and reverse this dark moment in America.

Abortion Rights in New Jersey:

Is abortion legal in New Jersey?

Yes. Abortion is legal throughout pregnancy in New Jersey and the Dobbs v. Jackson decision does not affect people who want to terminate pregnancy in New Jersey. You still have the right to both medication and procedure-based abortion care in New Jersey.

Out-of-state patients have the right to abortion in New Jersey. You do not have to be a resident of New Jersey to receive abortion care.

New Jersey does not have any major types of restrictions on abortion, such as parental notification, waiting periods or ultrasound requirements.

New Jersey State legislation:

Freedom of Reproductive Health Act (Jan. 2022): https://www.njleg.state.nj.us/bill-search/2020/S49 : codifies constitutional right to freedom of reproductive choice.

A.B. 3974 (July 2022): Prohibits the extradition of people from New Jersey to another state to be prosecuted for a crime based on abortion services or conduct related to other reproductive health care that is legal in New Jersey.

A.B. 3975 (July 2022): Bars public entities from using resources to assist interstate investigations in abortion procedures, prohibits health records between abortion providers and patients from being obtained by states with restrictive laws, and protects state-licensed medical professionals from disciplinary actions for performing an abortion on a patient coming from a state where the procedure is illegal.

Upcoming:

o   Bill A-4350: Requires insurers to cover abortions without any out-of-pocket expenses for the patients and bans New Jersey prosecutors from cooperating with interstate investigations or requests for extradition of New Jersey abortion providers or the patients

o   NJ 2023 budget: Plans to provide more than $50 million for a major reproductive health package, which will increase funds for Family Planning Services, and include new programs for Family Planning Facilities Upgrades, a Reproductive Health Care Provider Clinical Training program, and the Reproductive Health Security Grant Program.

Financial assistance:

New Jersey Family Care (Medicaid), as well as many private health plans, cover abortion. Speak with your provider for more information.

Resources:

President Biden’s executive order on reproductive freedom

HHS Guide on Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Privacy Rule

HHS Guide on Protecting the Privacy of Protected Health Information on Personal Devices