The state of New Jersey passed a radical law that, under the argument of women’s ‘reproductive rights, will allow abortions for any reason and without time limit, even up to the moment the baby is born.
Democratic Governor Phil Murphy announced that the Legislature passed the law and that he will be signing it this week.
“A bill to codify a woman’s right to choose into state law and expand access to reproductive health care for all just passed both houses of the Legislature.
I will sign this bill into law this week. With Roe v. Wade under attack, the need for this bill is more urgent than ever,” the governor wrote.
Governor Murphy and the Democratic majority in the New Jersey legislature appear to have created the bill with the intention of ‘preserving’ Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court ruling that legalized abortion, as there is now a possibility that the current justices of the Court will modify or overturn the ruling based on a Texas pro-life law and a Mississippi law.
But pro-life groups noted that this law goes far beyond what is currently allowed.
First: the Democrats wrote the law so that no other legislation is above it, perpetuating unfettered abortion to apply statewide.
“Any law, rule, regulation, ordinance, or order, in effect on or adopted after the effective date of this act, that is determined to have the effect of limiting the constitutional right to freedom of reproductive choice and that does not conform with the provisions and the express or implied purposes of this act, shall be deemed invalid and shall have no force or effect,” the legislation reads.
Currently, abortions are allowed up to 24 weeks gestation, supposedly when the baby can survive outside the womb. However, there have been many cases of those who survive even with less gestation time.
Second: Based on the wording of the law, the grounds and time limits for abortion are not established. Even the abortion of the full-term baby will be allowed if it can still be called abortion.
As the pro-life group Right to Life New Jersey noted:
“Because of the broad wording in this bill and the fact that there are no gestational limits anywhere in the bill, this new statute will allow abortions at any point in pregnancy, even if the baby is viable or full term. This will apply to any individual who is present in the state, including non-residents, as well as those who are incarcerated and minor girls in custody or other government programs controlled by the state.”
Third: according to a Life Site analysis, the bill incorporates a recent modification made by the New Jersey Board of Medical Examiners whereby authorities will allow ‘all qualified health care workers to perform abortions.
Advanced practice nurses, physician assistants, certified nurse-midwives, and certified midwives will be able to perform abortions.
Fourth, the law leaves the door open for regulations to be introduced to require health plans to cover the costs of abortion, which is unprecedented.
New Jersey is one of the states with the highest number of abortions. With the new legislation, many people could come from other states to have an abortion beyond the current 24-week limit. Given the chance that the Supreme Court could limit or nullify Roe v. Wade, many of these states will become ‘safe haven’ for abortions.
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