New Jersey Democrat leaders appear likely to trash a proposed state constitutional amendment that would strip away all rights and protections from unborn babies.
On Friday, the New Jersey Globe reported the proposal “appears doomed” after state Senate and Assembly leaders confirmed they do not have enough votes in the Democrat-majority legislature to pass it.
Marie Tasy, executive director of New Jersey Right to Life, expressed hope at the news.
“While we are cautiously optimistic that this news source is accurate, we will remain vigilant and ready to fight any effort to pass a constitutional amendment on abortion,” she told LifeNews.
Lawmakers did not make the details of the proposed amendment public yet, but the New Jersey Globe described it as an attempt to “enshrine abortion as a basic human right” in the New Jersey Constitution.
According to the report, state Democrat leaders want to put the amendment on the November 2023 election ballot for voters’ approval. To amend the constitution, the language must pass the state legislature by a simple majority in two consecutive sessions and then receive approval from a majority of voters.
However, opposition to the radical pro-abortion amendment came from both political parties.
Kristen Day, executive director of Democrats For Life, slammed the proposal as “nonsense” in a state where abortions already are legal for basically any reason. She said state lawmakers should focus on supporting pregnant and parenting families in need instead.
“The legislature already removed almost any barrier to abortion earlier this year. Instead of this redundant idea, they should put energy into making a concerted effort to provide equity in pregnancy outcomes – particularly for poor and minority women who are over-represented in abortion numbers,” Day said.
ACTION ALERT: Contact New Jersey lawmakers and urge them to withdraw the amendment.
New Jersey has the highest abortion rate in the country and some of the most permissive pro-abortion laws.
A state constitutional amendment on abortion would have made it much more difficult for voters and their elected state lawmakers to pass even moderate restrictions on the killing of unborn babies, such as a 15-week abortion ban, which polls consistently show most Americans support.
Interestingly, according to the Globe, the abortion chain Planned Parenthood also may have helped doom the amendment.
Here’s more from the report:
A constitutional amendment that would have asked voters to enshrine abortion as a basic human right appears doomed out of the starting gate after Democratic Senate and Assembly leaders have concluded that they don’t have the votes to pass it, the New Jersey Globe has confirmed.
Enough Democratic lawmakers in both houses have objected to cause the plan to be pulled. Democrats also faced obstacles from groups they had hoped would fund the referendum, including Planned Parenthood of New Jersey, who thought the planned constitutional amendment did not go far enough in preserving reproductive rights.
Earlier this year, New Jersey Right to Life warned voters about how extreme state Democrat leaders are on abortion. The pro-life group pointed to a USA Today editorial by Gov. Phil Murphy and Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver that admits they support late-term abortions and oppose parental consent for minors.
“They don’t care that the people of NJ don’t support such an extreme edict!” the pro-life organization responded.
Polls consistently show that a strong majority of Americans support legal protections for unborn babies after the first trimester, parental consent for minors and other limits.
A recent Harvard poll found 72 percent of Americans, including 75 percent of women, oppose abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy. Another Marist poll in January similarly found 71 percent of Americans oppose abortion after the first three months of pregnancy.
Even in Democrat strongholds like California, polls show opposition to unrestricted abortions through all nine months of pregnancy. For example, a Rasmussen poll in August found only 13 percent of California voters think abortions should be legal up to birth.
However, three states, California, Vermont and Michigan, passed pro-abortion amendments to their constitutions in November. Pro-life leaders warned that the amendments will void restrictions on late-term abortions and parental consent laws, and allow unborn babies to be killed for any reason through all nine months of pregnancy.
Pro-abortion activists dumped tens of millions of dollars into the states, funding massive misinformation campaigns that deceived voters about just how radical the amendments were.
ACTION ALERT: Contact New Jersey lawmakers and urge them to withdraw the amendment.
