On the second anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that struck down the federal right to abortion, lawmakers in the New Jersey Senate advanced the first measure of what they hope will be a package of nine bills protecting reproductive rights in the Garden State.
The invoice approved by the Senate Budget Committee on Monday would require insurance and Medicaid coverage for abortions and prohibit insurers from retaliating, such as raising rates or denying coverage, even if people seeking care are not from New Jersey.
“We have to look at the state of New Jersey in a worst-case scenario,” said Sen. Teresa Ruiz (D-Essex), the bill’s sponsor. “What if the administration changes someone who thinks dramatically far from what we think today?”
The bill was amended after its introduction to expand protections for family planning and reproductive health services, which would include abortion, emergency services such as maternal and newborn screening, family planning counseling, laboratory testing , postpartum care for mothers and medical care for newborns. It advanced by a vote of 9 to 3, with Republicans on the committee opposing the bill.
Ruiz is sponsoring eight other bills that lawmakers aim to pass in the fall that she says will further strengthen protections for abortion and other family planning methods. While the text of those bills is not yet available, officials say some of them:
- Create a fund to fund clinical training programs and safety grants, and direct health officials to identify gaps in access to services.
- Protect the data privacy of people who use period tracking apps by requesting consent for disclosure.
- Require Medicaid to cover emergency contraception without a prescription.
- Provide for voluntary contributions for taxpayers on gross income tax returns to support reproductive health care services.
“As we move into the fall session, we will work collectively to ensure that every woman, child and human being is protected,” Ruiz said.
New Jersey saw a spike in abortions after the 2022 Supreme Court decision, known as Dobbs, which overturned the Roe v. Wade of 1973 that protected the right to abortion at the national level. Since the Dobbs decision, nearly half of the country’s states have banned abortions or imposed stricter restrictions than those allowed by Roe.
In New Jersey, access to abortion is protected by the Reproductive Freedom of Choice Act of 2022. That law codified the right to abortion for people in New Jersey, which had previously been protected by judicial precedent.
Senate President Nick Scutari (D-Union), who joined Ruiz on Monday to announce the package, said there are “two Americas right now for women seeking freedom and reproductive care.”
“There are people who had the money, the access, the knowledge to be able to move and go to other places where they can get those services, but there are many others who are just stuck, who don’t know where to go,” Scutari said.
The insurance bill that advanced Monday would allow religious employers to apply for waivers, which an insurance company could grant if coverage conflicts with the employer’s beliefs and practices. It would prohibit insurers from excluding coverage for care to preserve the life or health of the mother.
Gov. Phil Murphy is expected to sign the bill. Murphy spokesman Mahen Gunaratna said it’s one of Murphy’s priorities.
Pro-choice advocates supported Ruiz when she announced the bill package. Kaitlyn Wojtowicz of Planned Parenthood New Jersey said more can be done to “meet this moment in a post-Roe health care landscape.”
“We know that the fight is not over. “Those who oppose our personal freedoms and seek to control our bodies, our health, our future, will continue to tax abortion, contraception, gender-affirming care, IVF and more,” Wojtowicz said.
Ruiz said the state should consider a constitutional amendment to protect the codified abortion law from being repealed by lawmakers in the future. Scutari said he “completely” agrees that lawmakers should consider an amendment, which would have to be approved by voters.
“Elections have consequences and people can’t imagine New Jersey changing, but we had a Republican governor for eight years,” he said.
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