New Jersey provides a safe haven for abortion

Following the United States Supreme Court leak regarding the possible overturning of the Roe v. Wade decision, New Jersey may become a safe haven for those seeking an abortion. 

If Roe v. Wade is overturned, abortion laws would once again be left up to individual states to decide. The 1973 decision in Roe protected a woman’s right to have an abortion, under the Due Process Clause of the fourteenth amendment, on the basis of a “right to privacy.” The decision ensured that abortion was entirely protected in the first trimester and could only pose reasonable restrictions in the second.

Democratic governor of New Jersey, Phil Murphy, already released a statement saying that the state of New Jersey will “continue to protect those who provide and receive reproductive health care and work to expand access to reproductive healthcare for those seeking such care in our state.” Furthermore, in January 2022, fearing that the right-wing United States Supreme Court would abolish Roe v. Wade, the governor signed a bill to protect abortion rights throughout the state. However, the version that he ultimately signed into law lacked two provisions. These two provisions consisted of a mandate for insurance companies to cover the procedure and another mandate that would require state-regulated insurance companies to cover the cost of abortions for women who entered the United States illegally. These provisions failed to pass in fear that the original Reproductive Freedom Act was too extreme and that the Legislature, regardless of being under Democratic control, would be deemed too extreme. Thus, it was concluded that they were substantially more likely to pass as an abridged version. Following the Supreme Court leak, the governor stated that he intends to strengthen New Jersey laws to protect these rights further. This entails possibly including and further expanding upon the provisions that were left out of the law passed in January. Murphy stated that he plans to revisit this issue soon, given the Democratic-controlled state legislature. Even without these provisions, this law aids in making New Jersey a safe haven for those seeking an abortion. 

Moreover, in spring 2021, the New Jersey Board of Medical examiners voted to repeal all medically unnecessary restrictions on abortions, in addition to expanding abortion access across the state and removing any substantial barriers and hindrances that make it more difficult or prevent women from obtaining abortions. This act will also modernize, review, and repeal any outdated laws deemed unreasonable or unenforceable by state courts and make sure that any other regulatory barriers are removed. 

There are substantial protections throughout the state that prevent the federal government from interfering with a woman’s right to choose. In addition to countless others, these two factors are in place to keep abortion safe and legal throughout the state of New Jersey, regardless of whether or not the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade.