Murphy says NJ will stockpile abortion pill
By: Scott Fallon
NorthJersey.com
USA Today Network - New Jersey
..... New Jersey will stockpile a pill used to induce abortions as restrictions loom in other states, Governor Phil Murphy said Tuesday [01/14/2025] in his State of the State address.
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Administration officials said the state Health department will begin ordering enough batches of mifepristone and distributing them to providers to create a strategic reserve of at sleet six months.
..... How much it will cost taxpayers was not disclosed, although it is part of $50 million earmarked in the current state budget for reproductive health services, officials said.
..... Since June 2022, when the U.S. supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, New Jersey has averaged between 3,700 and 4,700 abortion per month, the Kaiser family Foundation estimated.
..... It is not clear how many of those involved women from 12 states that have banned abortion and seven others that have passed restrictions since the decision.
..... The closest state with a ban is West Virginia. the foundation did estimate that 440 to 730 abortions were offered by New Jersey providers via telehelath.
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"We must further secure our reputation as a safe haven for reproductive freedom," Murphy said Tuesday. [01/14/2025]
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Marie Tasy, executive director of New Jersey to Life, criticized the move.
..... "It is no surprise that in his last year in office, [Murphy] wants to enact even more measures that will place an additional burden on taxpayers and drive the abortion rate up even more," she said.
..... "We are counting the days until he leaves office and look forward to the day when lives can be saved and these extreme abortion measures will be repealed."
..... Planed Parenthood and the American Civil Liberties Union praised Murphy.
..... Under Murphy's administration, "New Jersey has served as a beacon of progress, ensuring that individuals can make decisions about their bodies, their health and their futures without government interference," said Kaitlyn Woitowicz, of Planned Parenthood.
..... Murphy also said in his speech that he supports a bill that would eliminate all out-of-pocket costs for abortion procedures.
..... A bill - S3452 - making its way through Trenton would bar insurers from imposing "a deductible, coinsurance, co-payment, or any other cost-sharing requirement" for in-network abortion providers.
..... It is among a package of bills introduced during the current legislative session that seek to strengthen abortion protections in New Jersey.