By Jami Thall & Carol Loscalzo, Reproductive Justice Task Force Co-chairs
Here’s a headline you never expected to see:
“UUFA Reproductive Justice TF Opposes a Constitutional Amendment to Protect the Right to Abortion Care in NJ”
The Reproductive Justice Task Force of UU Faith Action NJ opposes a Constitutional Amendment initiative to protect the right to abortion care in NJ.
We are unapologetically pro abortion. As Unitarian Universalists we believe that abortion care is life affirming care, and should be available to all without shame or stigma. We are all, no matter our economic status, our age, or our zip code, entitled to essential health care. It is a matter of justice.
While NJ enjoys some of the strongest protections for abortion care in the country, some of our state legislators and gubernatorial candidates have been advocating for a constitutional amendment to add additional protection. NJ currently does not have the right to abortion care enshrined in our state constitution. While on the surface this seems like an effort that abortion advocates would support, the exact opposite is true. Organizations that advocate for reproductive healthcare here in NJ, including our Reproductive Justice Task Force, are almost unanimously opposed to a constitutional amendment initiative at this time. Why? It’s politics, not policy.
Currently NJ does not have gestational limits on abortion care, parental notification requirements for minors seeking abortion care, waiting periods or other care restrictions that exist in other parts of the country. We, along with our partners advocating for reproductive health, are gravely concerned that a ballot initiative process could open the door for some of these limits to care. For example, organizations like Moms for Liberty and others that espouse “parental rights” would be energized by the opportunity to enact a parental notification requirement here in NJ. And make no mistake, these opponents are well organized and well funded.
We unequivocally oppose gestational limits to abortion care. We trust pregnant people to make their own decisions, completely free from interference of legislators. Gestational limitations to abortion care essentially mean that our legislators will now be part of our private decision making process when it comes to terminating a pregnancy. These are complex, deeply personal decisions. Such decisions rightfully belong to that individual alone, with support from trusted medical professionals, family, and clergy, not politicians.
We see time and time again in other states where abortion care is legal but with restrictions to access, opponents are using those restrictions to attack patients and providers. Whether it is a direct attack, like pressing criminal charges against a Pennsylvania mother who helped her daughter self manage an abortion at home, or creating so much confusion that doctors and hospitals are afraid to provide care knowing that their careers could be jeopardized, the outcome is the same. Access to abortion care becomes more and more restricted,
We also believe that any effort to amend the NJ Constitution to enshrine the right to abortion would certainly attract the attention of national anti-abortion organizations. You can be certain that millions of dollars opposing this effort would flow into our state. At a time when resources for reproductive health advocacy are stretched thin, the cost of a ballot initiative at this time is prohibitive, even without the concern about standing up against national anti abortion groups.
There may come a time when the political climate shifts and we welcome the additional protection of a constitutional amendment enshrining the right to abortion care here in NJ. If that time comes we will certainly reevaluate our position. But until then we will continue to focus our energies on passing legislation like the Reproductive Freedom Health Equity bill package which, if enacted, would increase abortion care access and provide needed protections for patients and providers here in NJ. And we will continue to reach out to our legislators to let them know why we oppose a push for a constitutional amendment at this time.
Jami Thall & Carol Loscalzo
Co-chairs Reproductive Justice Task Force
UU Faith Action NJ
Reproductive Freedom Health Equity Bill Package:
- S3452/A4601 – Provide insurance coverage for abortion without cost-sharing;
- S3490/A4655 – Remove medically unnecessary restrictions on reproductive health providers;
- S3491/A4656 – Protect patients and providers of reproductive health and gender-affirming care;
- S3492/A4657 – Invest in the reproductive health care infrastructure;
- S3493/A4658 – Ensure patients’ sensitive reproductive health data is protected;
- S3494/A4659 – Make reproductive health care more accessible on college campuses;
- S3495/A4660 – Provide student loan redemption for reproductive health physicians;
- S3496/A4661 – Allow New Jerseyans to support reproductive health care with donations through tax returns;
- S1513/A4662 – Ensure Medicaid coverage for emergency contraception.