Trenton – Legislation that would establish a Reproductive Health Travel Advisory to provide New Jersey residents with information about restrictions on reproductive health care in other states gained the approval of a Senate committee today.

Sponsored by Senator John Burzichelli and Senate Majority Leader M. Teresa Ruiz, the bill, S-3663, would establish a means to inform those planning to travel to other states of the limitations and prohibitions on reproductive services.

“Women in some states are needlessly forced to suffer through traumatic near-death experiences, sometimes bleeding out in hospital parking lots, after being refused routine lifesaving medical care,” said Senator Burzichelli (D-Gloucester/Salem/Cumberland). “The Supreme Court’s decision reversing Roe v. Wade led to a cascade of restrictions on reproductive care that puts the health and safety of pregnant individuals at risk in many states. This travel advisory will provide fair warning for New Jersey residents so they can avoid the potential risks in making their travel plans.”

The legislation would have the New Jersey Department of State establish the Reproductive Health Travel Advisory as the source of information describing the policies on reproductive care in each state. The information would include gestational duration bans, required waiting periods, prohibitions on insurance coverage, restrictions on medication abortion, constitutional protections, the availability of abortion funding, as well as criminal and civil liabilities for patients and healthcare providers.

“Here in New Jersey we have been at the forefront in protecting a woman’s right to choose, codifying abortion access into law. However, this is not the case in all parts of the country. The reversal of Roe v. Wade has caused a seismic shift across the states on reproductive health, with many rolling back the clock and imposing harsh restrictions that endanger people during their most vulnerable moments,” said Senate Majority Leader Ruiz (D-Essex/Hudson). “We must protect our residents and assume worst-case scenarios are possible outside our state. This reproductive care travel advisory will equip individuals with the necessary information to understand the risks and make informed travel decisions.”

Senator Burzichelli referred to “horrible situations” in other states, including:

·        CNN reported that a woman in South Carolina was criminally charged with “murder by child abuse” after suffering a lost pregnancy in her second trimester. She faced a sentence of 20 years to life before being exonerated by a grand jury.

·        According to an Associated Press analysis, more than 100 pregnant women in medical distress who sought help in different states were turned away or negligently treated since 2022.

·        News accounts tied the deaths of two women in Georgia to the state’s law that mostly bans abortion after roughly six weeks.

·        Another woman said the Georgia law “created so much fear and confusion that I couldn’t get the care I needed,” said Yasmein Ziyad, after being denied treatment during a miscarriage.

The travel advisory would be published on the Department of State’s website in a prominent location and be updated to reflect changes in the laws, regulations and policies of the respective states, according to the bill. The advisory would include color-coded information based on the severity of restrictions in each state:

·        “Blue: Exercise normal caution” – signifying that people have access to all forms of reproductive medical care without fear of civil or criminal prosecution;

·         “Yellow: Exercise increased caution” – meaning restricted access to reproductive medical care that could result in civil or criminal prosecution; and,

·        “Red: Reconsider travel” – warning of extremely restricted access to reproductive care that could result in an adverse medical outcome, individuals being subject to civil or criminal prosecution, and those seeking emergency medical treatment being denied potentially life-saving care due to state law.

The Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee approved the bill with a vote of 5-3.