New Jersey’s landmark Freedom of Reproductive Choice Act, signed into law earlier this year, seeks to guarantee the right to abortion and contraception. However, there are still major barriers to accessing care for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color, our immigrant neighbors, and people struggling to make ends meet. The legislation is not enough unless reproductive care is widely available, affordable, and accessible to all.
New Jersey’s young people are especially concerned. On Saturday, September 10, I will be speaking about barriers to care at Bans Off Our Bodies (#bansoff.tcnj), a student-led event at The College of New Jersey.
Today we have an opportunity to take action. The League of Women Voters of Lawrence is joining with other groups around the state to call for legislation that protects and meaningfully expands access to reproductive healthcare.
New Jersey’s Reproductive Equity Act (A4350/S2918) would address barriers to access by mandating that our insurance plans cover abortion and birth control with no cost sharing or out-of-pocket expense — just as NY, ME, IL, CA, OR and WA have already done. The bill also protects people seeking and providing abortions from extremist violence and the aggressive overreach of anti-abortion states. This commonsense legislation will impact the lives of many and we must not wait to move it forward.
Take action today by contacting your legislators and urging them to support NJ’s Reproductive Equity Act (A4350/S2918). For details on TCNJ’s September 10 event, follow #bansof.tcnj.
Katharine Schumacher, Lawrence Township. The writer is a mother of three and co-chair of the League of Women Voters of Lawrence.
