NJ bills would fill void Dobbs ruling left

One requires coverage of reproductive health

By: Katie Sobko
NorthJersey.com
USA Today Network - New Jersey

..... Two years to the day after the Dobbs decision turned back the nation's clocks on reproductive health care, New Jersey state Senate Majority Leader Teresa Ruiz introduced a nine-bill package geared toward promoting reproductive freedom and health equity.
..... Ruiz called it "kismet" that the package was being ruled out on the anniversary of the Dobbs decision.
..... "I believe in signs. This is really just confronting us that here in New Jersey we are doing right by human beings," she said. "This really has caused seismic shift in the fight for human rights in this country. Its fallout has had profound implication not solely on issues of abortion and reproductive rights but on the broader fight for women in this country to decide what is right for their own body."
...... Across the U.S., 14 states have banned access to reproductive health care, while several others that have implemented restrictions. Ruiz cited a study by the medical school at the University of Massachusetts that found that one in four women in this country is expected to have an abortion by the age of 45 and that there was an 11% increase in abortion after the Dobbs decision with 171,000 people traveling to states where reproductive care remain legal.
..... One of nine bills will be taken up as part of the budget process this week [06/28/2024] and is something Ruiz called a "priority: for the administration.
..... It would require health insurance carriers, business contracted to administer health benefits for public employees and the NJ FamilyCares or Medicaid program to cover abortions. It allowed for religious employers to be granted an exemption.
..... It would also ensure that sate programs offering benefits for pregnancy-related care also provide benefits for the termination of a pregnancy.
..... The bill also prohibits medical malpractice insurers from taking action against patients providing or facilitating reproductive health care services or gender-affirming health care services based solely on the fact that the patient receiving the service is a resident of a state where providing or facilitation the activity is illegal.
..... Before the committee vote, the bill was expanded to further access to family planning, counseling, testing and hospital care as well as emergency services and wellness medical care even after the baby is born.
..... The bill cleared the Senate Budge Committee on Monday [06/24/2024] afternoon along party lines. A companions bill sponsored by Assemblywoman uniqueness Speight was introduced in the lower chamber last week. [06/20/2024]
..... Governor Phil Murphy is expected to sign the bill.
..... Maham Gunaratna, communications director for the Murphy Administration, said the governor supports the bill and noted that it was among the topics he highlighted in his State address earlier this year. [2024]

The rest of the bills

..... Ruiz said that the oth4er eight bills in the package will be worked on during the summer and she intends for them to be picked up by the Legislature this fall. [2024]
..... State Senate President Nicholas Scutari said it was "almost sad" that these bills are necessary because "New Jersey is a beacon of hope for so many seeking reproductive freedom or abortion access."
..... "Elections have consequences and people can't imagine New Jersey changing but we had a Republican governor for eight years," Scutari said. "I remember shallowing funds at that time."
..... There was not bill language for the eight other bills posted but according to the Senate Majority Office they would:
* Work to codify authority for certain health care providers to provide abortions and clarifies certain operational requirements for abortion facilities.
* Secure protections for patients and providers accessing and providing legally protected health care activities as well as establish right of residents to legally protect heath care services, which are restricted in other states.
* Create "reproductive Health Care Access Fund" to strengthen access to reproductive health care and make an appropriation.
* Require affirmative written consent for certain entities to disclose individual's medical information regarding reproductive health care services, with limited exceptions, unless disclosure is necessary to provide those services as menstrual tracking apps.
* Require four-year public institution of higher education to develop and implement reproductive health services plan as well as require county college to develop referral network for reproductive health care services.
* Establish Reproductive Health Care Professionals Loan Redemption Program and appropriate $5 million.
* Provide for voluntary contributions for taxpayers on gross income tax returns to support reproductive health care services.
* Require Medicaid to cover emergency contraception without requiring a prescription or other authorization.
..... Several advocacy organizations were on hand as Ruiz and Scutari unveiled the package. Kaitlyn Wojtowicz of the Planned Parenthood Fund of New Jersey, said that these bills "respond to the post-Roe health care landscape and protect New jersey in the face of future attacks on reproductive freedom."
..... That sentiment was echoed by Alejandra Sorto who said "we must go further to ensure that reproductive rights, including the right to abortion, are not just protected under law, but are accessible and affordable to all who need it."
..... While these bills will continue to make their way through the Legislature, both Ruiz and Scutari said that they are in support of a constitutional amendment to protect abortion rights in the state.

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