The state of New Jersey continues to push for access to abortion without limits - even beyond its state border.
The New Jersey legislature has passed a bill issuing a “reproductive health travel advisory” for New Jersey women seeking abortions in other states.
The “New Jersey Reproductive Health Travel Advisory” was warranted, according to the text of the bill, due to “a need to create an advisory that will inform New Jersey residents of the extent to which states within the United States limit reproductive health care services so that they may make informed travel decisions while pregnant.”
The proposed advisory came after much debate, passing the state Senate in October 2024 and the state House June 30 of this year. New Governor Phil Murphy had not signed the bill as of press time.
It requires the New Jersey Department of State to establish the travel advisory and use color coding for abortion access in other states, urging different levels of “caution” over travel to each state depending on the abortion regulation there.
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The bill describes the caution colors:
(1) “Blue: Exercise normal caution,” which signifies that pregnant individuals have access to all forms of reproductive medical care without fear of civil or criminal prosecution;
(2) “Yellow: Exercise increased caution,” which signifies that pregnant individuals have restricted access to reproductive medical care that could result in civil or criminal prosecution; and
(3)“Red: Reconsider travel,” which signifies that pregnant individuals have extremely restricted access to reproductive medical care that could result in an adverse medical outcome, pregnant individuals being subject to civil or criminal prosecution, and individuals seeking emergency reproductive medical care not being provided life-saving care due to state law.
New Jersey is the first U.S. state to attempt to issue a “reproductive travel advisory” to purportedly protect its residents from other states’ abortion regulations, according to a representative for New Jersey Assemblywoman Dawn Fantasia, who actively fought against the bill over the last year.
The move is in line with the Garden State’s other actions as one of the most stringent abortion states, where abortion is legal at all stages of pregnancy, and state and federal lawmakers have been openly hostile to pregnancy help.
New Jersey also has its own fund set aside for women who cannot afford an abortion. The state also allows non-physician healthcare professionals to perform abortions.
New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin is demanding that one New Jersey pregnancy center turn over names, phone numbers, addresses, and places of employment of many of its donors, as well as 10 years of other documents. First Choice Pregnancy Center has been fighting this battle for nearly two years and has requested the Supreme Court to get involved.
New Jersey is among 15 abortion states that have vowed to “warn” women about pregnancy centers they label as “fake clinics.” The state has also issued a “consumer alert” about pregnancy centers.
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Fantasia said the move to issue the travel advisory could backfire for New Jersey, and that it means the state was “joining the ranks of North Korea and China ....” the countries known for allowing elective abortion after 20 weeks.
Fantasia said the “reproductive health advisory” is “not about health, not about safety, not about rights. It’s about bullying residents in the states that do not implement unlimited abortion access.”
