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Your Body. Your Choice.

CALLS TO ACTION

New Jersey has signed into law the Freedom of Reproductive Choice Act, S49/A6260, which codifies in statue the rights to abortion and reproductive healthcare and, along with the recent changes in regulations promulgated by the Board of Medical Examiners, expands access to reproductive healthcare. In addition, the Legislature signed into law Bill S413/A6260, which expanded contraception prescriptions to be filled to twelve months at a time. These bills are an excellent first step on our efforts to ensure that everyone in our State is able to access the full spectrum of reproductive healthcare including abortion care. The original bill, the Reproductive Freedom Act, included provisions which would have provided for equity and access such as required abortion and contraception with no co-pays. Rights without access are meaningless and we must continue our efforts to ensure that no community is left behind.

Here are some ways you can make your voice heard!

Call your State Senator and State Assembly representative.  You can look them up here and here to  confirm they voted ‘Yes’.

Contact Senate President Nicholas Scutari: Phone:  (908) 587-0404; Email here

Contact Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin: Phone: (732) 855-7441; Email here

Script:

CALL SCRIPT:  My name is ______________, with__(organization, if applicable)_, and I applaud the passage of S49/A6260, Freedom of Reproductive Choice Act, which codifies in statute the full array of reproductive rights.
 
The promise of Roe, however, has never been fully realized with those in low income, Black, brown and indigenous communities, in particular, facing many more barriers to accessing reproductive healthcare and abortion care.
 
Now, with the Supreme Court poised to obliterate Roe, access becomes an even more critical issue both for individuals in our State and those who will be coming from other states where abortion care will be either banned or severely limited.
 
New Jersey must respond proactively to address the access provisions of the Reproductive Freedom Act which were not passed and to develop and implement plans for individuals who will be coming to our State for care.
 
I urge you to address these issues now — time is of the essence! Thank you.
 

Personal Insurance Coverage: Check your personal insurance coverage to confirm that both abortion care and contraception are covered.  If you have corporate insurance, contact your Human Resources Department to confirm.  And, if you’re not covered, ask “WHY NOT?” and “How do I get coverage?”

New Jersey Abortion Access Fund: This fund exists to help those who are not able to break through the financial barriers to abortion care here in our State. Please consider making a donation here.

 

Click here to learn more about how NCJW/Essex advocated for reproductive rights in 2020.

NCJW/Essex is committed to creating a world where all people, regardless of race, class, gender, sexuality, ability, or immigration status, have the right to build their families and live their lives with dignity. We are committed to advancing the goals of reproductive rights so that every woman can make her own decisions about her body, health, and family.

Our section has been a leader in the reproductive health and rights movement in New Jersey. We have campaigned against fake medical clinics, advocated for more comprehensive reproductive health education, and fought to have state family planning funding restored. While much advancement has been made in our state to legally secure a person’s right to abortion and contraception, there is more to be done to truly ensure reproductive freedom for all. Until every woman has the power to make her own informed decisions about her body, sexuality, and future, our work is not over.

All our efforts are based upon a reproductive justice foundation. NCJW/Essex is a member of Right to Thrive New Jersey.

Click below to watch our first Advocacy-in-a-Minute video, where Reproductive Rights co-chair Phoebe Pollinger discusses Title X and the “gag rule.”

For more information on how you can get involved, email advocacy@ncjwessex.org. 

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