Resolution Reaffirms Democrats’ Commitment to Ensuring Reproductive Freedoms for All New Jerseyans
(TRENTON) – Reaffirming New Jersey’s role as a national leader in reproductive freedoms, the General Assembly on Monday passed AR127, which condemns the recent Arizona Supreme Court ruling in Planned Parenthood v. Mayes and reasserts New Jersey citizens’ freedom to access reproductive health care services. The resolution was sponsored by Democratic Assemblywomen Jessica Ramirez, Alixon Collazos-Gill, Tennille McCoy and Annette Quijano.
On April 9, 2024, the Arizona Supreme Court ruled 4-2 that a long-dormant and outdated 1864 law banning abortions should be enforceable. The Civil War-era law, which predates Arizona becoming a state, bans abortions unless necessary to save a pregnant woman’s life. The law does not provide any exceptions for cases of rape or incest.
In stark contrast to states like Arizona where reproductive freedoms are under threat, Democrats in New Jersey have passed legislation that supports, and provides protections for, the reproductive freedoms of its citizens.
“In the aftermath of the overturning of Roe v. Wade, we are seeing more and more states turning back the clock more than 150 years on reproductive rights, and many Republicans nationwide applauding these decisions,” said Assemblywoman Ramirez (D-Hudson). “As legislators, as Democrats, and as human beings, we are committed to making sure all New Jerseyans have the freedom to make decision about their family planning, free from unreasonable governmental interference.”
“Forcing a woman to carry a child to term despite her wishes, and oftentimes to her detriment, is the definition of cruelty and is simply unconscionable,” said Assemblywoman Collazos-Gill (Essex, Passaic). “The draconian law the Arizona Supreme Court upheld last week is the latest attack on reproductive rights and is an affront to women everywhere. Here in New Jersey, we are preserving a woman’s right to choose.”
“Stripping a woman of her right to reproductive health care is deeply troubling. Arizona’s Supreme Court ruling to reinstate a Civil War Era law is a stark reminder of the relentless assault on women’s rights,” said Assemblywoman McCoy (Mercer, Middlesex). “New Jersey will remain steadfast in defending bodily autonomy and ensuring that everyone, regardless of their political or personal beliefs, has access to safe and legal healthcare options.”
“As Arizona joins the expanding roster of states imposing limitations on women’s reproductive rights, empowered by the absence of Roe v. Wade, I am grateful that New Jersey continues to be a leader in reproductive freedoms,” said Assemblywoman Quijano (Union). “It is paramount that women are safe from persecution when seeking reproductive health care. Without access to essential services, such as family planning and contraception, women face challenges in making informed decisions about their bodies and safeguarding their health and well-being.” This Democratic-sponsored resolution is the second in less than a month that the General Assembly has passed condemning restrictions on reproductive freedoms elsewhere in the country. At its March 18 voting session, the General Assembly approved AR122, a resolution condemning the recent Alabama Supreme Court ruling in LePage vs. Mobile Infirmary Clinic, which poses a threat to a woman’s reproductive rights, including in vitro fertilization.
Click the image below to watch Assemblywoman Ramirez’s impassioned speech about AR127 on the Assembly floor:
