TRENTON, NJ – Today, Planned Parenthood Action Fund of New Jersey (PPAFNJ) commemorates Roe v. Wade, the U.S. Supreme Court decision that affirmed the right to abortion to all persons nationwide before being overturned in June 2022. On this anniversary, Jackie Cornell, Executive Director of PPAFNJ, reflects on the rights and protections secured in New Jersey, and the continued threats to reproductive freedom at the U.S. Supreme Court, in Congress, and in states across the country.

Statement from Jackie Cornell, Executive Director, Planned Parenthood Action Fund of New Jersey:

“Today, on the 51st anniversary of Roe v. Wade, 21 states across the country have banned or severely restricted abortion access. One in three American women of reproductive age, plus more trans and nonbinary people, are blocked from abortion access in their home state.

“Here in New Jersey, advocates, legislators, and the Murphy administration have worked hard to protect rights and access for individuals seeking abortion care. The Freedom of Reproductive Choice Act, signed into law six months before Roe was overturned, confirmed the legal right to abortion in New Jersey. The legislature has enacted protections for abortion providers and patients traveling from out of state. In the last two state budgets, New Jersey made historic investments in a full range of reproductive health care services.

“But even with these safeguards and resources in place, there are significant and looming threats to reproductive freedom and abortion access – even in a ‘protected’ state like New Jersey.

“The U.S. Supreme Court will decide on a case this spring that could reverse the FDA’s approval of a medication available on the market for more than 20 years and used in more than half of the abortions in the U.S. Their decision could remove the medication even from patients in New Jersey, despite our current state laws.

“States across the country continue to strip Americans of their bodily autonomy: the U.S. Supreme Court is also hearing a case out of Idaho that would allow states to enforce total abortion bans, even in fatal medical emergencies.

“And without a pro-reproductive freedom majority in Congress and a champion in the White House, a national abortion ban is a chillingly realistic possibility.

“There is too much at stake for New Jerseyans to slow down our efforts to protect reproductive freedom. Our state legislators must continue to listen to their constituents and pass policy that supports access to reproductive health care services. The Murphy administration and its Departments must continue to work in service of all those who seek or provide health care in the Garden State. And New Jerseyans across the state must continue to make their voices heard by organizing, communicating with their friends and elected officials, and voting in one of three ways – by mail, early, or at the voting booth.”

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Planned Parenthood Action Fund of New Jersey (PPAFNJ) is a nonpartisan 501(c)(4) non-profit social welfare organization, and the advocacy arm of the Planned Parenthood affiliates in New Jersey. We advocate for access to essential health care through education, activism, voter engagement, grassroots organizing and legislative advocacy. For more information, visit www.ppactionnj.org.