Senator Helmy Defends Women’s Reproductive Rights During Senate Finance Committee Hearing

Announces Co-sponsorship of a Package of Bills Strengthening Access to Reproductive Care

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator George Helmy (D-NJ) today participated in the Senate Finance Committee’s hearing titled “Chaos and Control: How Trump Criminalized Women’s Health Care”. During the hearing, Senator Helmy asked the panel of witnesses—which included doctors, medical experts, and abortion access advocates—how various states’ criminalization of reproductive health care has affected the lives and health of women across America following the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade. The Senator also announced he will co-sponsor two bills that will strengthen access to reproductive care.

Senator Helmy’s line of questioning during the Senate Finance Committee hearing aligned with his interests to advance youth mental health, which he has undertaken as a signature focus for his time in office. He also sought more information on how certain state laws have hampered the ability of medical providers to effectively treat pregnant patients, especially patients of color, in states with abortion bans.

Senator Helmy asserted there is a connection between a lack of choice in reproductive rights and the youth mental health crisis.

“Protecting reproductive rights is critical for the health and well-being of our young women,” said Senator Helmy. “On top of the average daily stressors our youth face today, it is horrible that in recent years we have seen women under the age of 18 suffering in silence when it comes to accessing reproductive care. Everyone should have access to safe and comprehensive reproductive care without fear or uncertainty.”

Abortion bans in states across the nation have posed challenges for women, especially minors. Without the legal ability to consent to an abortion, young women under the age of 18 have limited access to reproductive care compared to their adult counterparts. Age is also a factor in their ability and access to travel to other states for reproductive care. Records have shown that while youth pregnancy has been declining, the population still has the highest rate of abortion. Minors have the highest abortion ratio of any age group with 851 per 1,000 live births for those under 15 years of age and 332 per 1,000 live births for 15–19 year olds compared to 260 per 1,000 live births for 20–24 year-olds.

Medical providers in states that impose severe penalties on physicians who perform abortions have been left in a landscape of confusion and fear, leading them to hesitate providing sometimes life-saving interventions, and therefore leading to higher mortality rates.

“Our doctors and nurses are the best among us and should not have to second-guess their medical expertise,” continued Senator Helmy. “At such critical moments, their focus should be on the life of their patients, not politics.”

During the hearing, Senator Helmy praised New Jersey First Lady Tammy Murphy’s leadership on issues of maternal and infant health and women’s reproductive rights. Senator Helmy also entered testimony from First Lady Tammy Murphy into the record.

“Across the nation, women’s reproductive rights are under attack, and we are confronted daily by the lasting consequences of Donald Trump’s presidency. In New Jersey, we took timely, preemptive action to codify the right to choose and enshrine access to abortion care for our residents and visitors to our state. We did this because we foresaw the inherent dangers in restricting access to healthcare,” First Lady Tammy Murphy said in a statement issued today. “I am proud that New Jersey has become a sanctuary for American women needing reproductive health care. As a safe haven state, we will continue to support our reproductive health care facilities, providers, and those interested in joining the field, so they in turn can operate at the highest level to aid those seeking care. We want the next generation of all Americans to inherit a country that proves, without question, that when women are healthier and have more economic freedom, we all do better, and guaranteeing access to necessary health care for women brings us one step closer to that future.”

In addition to today’s hearing, the Senator announced he will co-sponsor two bills that will broaden access and affordability to reproductive health care across the nation.

“The choice to start a family should be a personal one without the interference of government,” said Senator Helmy. “I am proud to co-sponsor legislation that defends reproductive freedoms in our country and provides women and families access to the care they need to support their reproductive choices.”

The Access to Family Building Act provides a statutory right to access assisted reproductive technology, such as in vitro fertilization (IVF). Under the bill, individuals have the right to access assisted reproductive technology, and to retain all rights with respect to the use or disposition of reproductive genetic materials (e.g., eggs or sperm), without prohibitions or unreasonable restrictions. Health care providers and insurers also have the right to provide and cover these services, respectively.

The Right to Contraception Act seeks to protect an individual’s ability to access contraceptives and to engage in contraception and to protect a health care provider’s ability to provide contraceptives, contraception, and information related to contraception.

Senator Helmy’s full line of questioning can be found here.

For the full text of the First Lady’s statement, see the attached document.