New Jersey Pro Life Organizations Denounce Misleading Abortion Travel Advisory Bill

New Jersey Right to Life and New Jersey Family Policy Center testify in opposition to Senator John Burzichelli’s legislation requiring the New Jersey Department of State post travel warnings for pregnant women.
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Trenton, New Jersey: Marie Tasy, Executive Director of New Jersey Right to Life and Shawn Hyland, Director of Advocacy for New Jersey Family Policy Center testified in the Senate Health Committee on Monday, October 7, 2024, to voice their opposition to Senate bill 3663 – Establishes reproductive health travel advisory. This bill requires the Department of State to establish the “New Jersey Reproductive Health Travel Advisory” to inform New Jersey residents of the extent to which states within the United States restrict access to reproductive healthcare services.

Section 2(b) states travel advisories will be based on certain criteria:

(2) “Yellow: Exercise increased caution,” which signifies that pregnant individuals have restricted access to reproductive medical care that could result in civil or criminal prosecution; and
(3) “Red: Reconsider travel,” which signifies that pregnant individuals have extremely restricted access to reproductive medical care that could result in an adverse medical outcome, pregnant individuals being subject to civil or criminal prosecution, and individuals seeking emergency reproductive medical care not being provided life-saving care due to state law.

Marie Tasy and Shawn Hyland informed the Senate Health Committee members that these defined criteria are false and puts women’s lives at risk because it creates confusion and mispresents what is available for pregnant women facing a medical emergency.

The Charlotte Lozier Institute documents that, “Twenty-five states have one or more strong gestational limits on abortion that are either in effect or are enjoined while in litigation. Each of these states permits abortion in those rare and heartbreaking circumstances when it is necessary to save the life of a pregnant woman “

The Guttmacher Institute, an abortion-rights organization lists 41 states that have some type of restriction on gestational development, but also recognizes that all these states allow for an exception for a medical emergency to protect the mother’s life.

Senator Angela McKnight, a co-sponsor of Senate bill 3663, defended her support by referring to the tragic death of Amber Thurman who died in August 2022 in Georgia from complications due to taking an abortion pill she traveled out of state to obtain. However, Thurman’s family attorney Ben Crump is suing the Georgia hospital for medical malpractice. Crump blamed the doctors, not the law for Thurman’s death. In an October 1st interview with NY1 News, the attorney said,
“Even under Georgia law, the doctors had a duty to act to save Amber,” he said. “She had taken the abortion pills and there were tissues left. There was no viable fetus or anything that would have prevented them from saving her life while she suffered. “You have a duty to stabilize her and then give her the option to go to another hospital facility,” Crump said. “But you cannot let her suffer and die on your hospital bed when the death is preventable.”

“If enacted into law, S3663 will be a frivolous waste of taxpayer money intended to satisfy the sponsors’ political supporters and will only serve to perpetuate the scare tactics and false and dangerous misinformation that continues to be spread by these groups. No state prosecutes women for having an abortion. Additionally, no state law prohibits or criminalizes a medical professional from acting as necessary to treat mothers when they face a life-threatening medical emergency. This includes abortion, miscarriage management, ectopic pregnancy and other life saving care for the mother.”
Marie Tasy, Executive Director
New Jersey Right to Life

“These states do not authorize the charging or conviction of criminal offense of a woman in the death of her unborn child due to an abortion. Therefore, the language defining each advisory level in this bill is based on dishonest and misleading political talking points. If this deceptive language remains in the bill, then every state in the nation can only be classified as Blue: Exercise normal caution. This means every state would have the same classification, making this bill pointless.”
Shawn Hyland, Director of Advocacy
New Jersey Family Policy Center

New Jersey Right to Life and New Jersey Family Policy Center are urging legislators to oppose this bill since it will use taxpayer funds to advance a false and dangerous narrative to create an unnecessary travel advisory to warn pregnant women of potential risks that do not exist at any level in any state.