New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy introduced legislation Friday to expand abortions in his state amid speculation that the U.S. Supreme Court may overturn Roe v. Wade.
The Democrat governor and his wife joined Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg, Assemblywoman Valerie Vainieri Huttle and other state lawmakers in supporting the Reproductive Freedom Act, which would keep abortion on demand legal in New Jersey even if Roe is overturned.
“As access to health care and the right to choose are under attack at the federal level, we will support, defend, and protect reproductive rights here in New Jersey,” Murphy said. “The Reproductive Freedom Act will remove barriers to reproductive health, as well as expand access to contraception while reaffirming choice.”
The goal of the bill is to “expand access to essential reproductive health care … including abortion,” according to a press release from the governor’s office. To do this, the legislation would force private health insurers to cover elective abortions and eliminate common-sense abortion regulations that protect women as well as their unborn babies.
Murphy’s office did not say when the legislation will be formally introduced in the state legislature.
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Marie Tasy, executive director of New Jersey Right to Life, said the legislation looks similar to the radical pro-abortion law that New York passed in 2019.
“Contrary to the claims of those who make a profit from the bodies of women and the killing of innocent children, abortion is not a safe procedure and laws like this will surely place more women’s lives in danger,” Tasy said.
She said the bill may appeal to a small minority of voters and the abortion industry, but most people reject such extreme measures.
“That is surely why the majority party and governor will not seek voter approval on this type of measure, but instead seek to act in an autocratic manner to oppress the will of the people,” Tasy said. “Abortion is not healthcare. It is an act of violence that wounds countless women and brutally and painfully takes the lives of so many innocent children.”
Meanwhile, Planned Parenthood, the Cherry Hill Women’s Center, the ACLU of New Jersey and New Jersey Policy Perspective all praised the governor for his plan. First Lady Tammy Murphy supports it, too.
“While other states are turning a blind eye and restricting access to reproductive rights, New Jersey is taking bold steps today to protect reproductive freedom and health equality for all women,” she said in a statement. “As much as today is a declaration of our unyielding commitment to the women of our state, we also know it is another day in our ongoing fight to protect the progress we have made. And, no matter the obstacles, we will only move forward.”
This “progress” could lead to more dead unborn babies and more women harmed and deceived by the billion-dollar abortion industry. About 41,000 unborn babies are aborted every year in New Jersey, according to NJ Spotlight News; but the governor’s plan could mean even more unnecessary killings.
Abortions kill unborn babies and often harm mothers. Recently, medical groups representing more than 30,000 doctors in America, including the American Association of Pro-Life OB-GYNs, emphasized that abortions are not “essential” or “urgent,” and abortion facilities that stayed open during the coronavirus pandemic were “medically irresponsible.”
Common abortion complications include infections, blood clots, hemorrhaging and an incomplete abortion. Abortion risks include future preterm births, breast cancer, suicide, anxiety/depression, and death. And it is not true that abortions are safer than childbirth.
Murphy has been a close ally of the billion-dollar abortion industry throughout his administration. In January, he signed a bill forcing taxpayers to pay an additional $9.5 million to the Planned Parenthood abortion chain in their state.
The legislation was an act of defiance against President Donald Trump after he defunded Planned Parenthood through the Title X program. New Jersey is challenging the pro-life rule in a lawsuit with 19 other states.
Under Murphy’s administration, the NJ Board of Medical Examiners also voted to weaken safety standards for abortion earlier this fall. Among other things, the board voted to repeal a rule requiring that abortions be performed by licensed physicians.
