TRENTON, NJ — In the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which overruled Roe v. Wade, which had upheld the constitutional right to abortion, acting Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin announced July 11 the creation of a Reproductive Rights Strike Force, comprising officials from the Department of Law & Public Safety. The strike force will include representatives from the Division of Law, Division of Criminal Justice, Division of Consumer Affairs, Division on Civil Rights, the New Jersey State Police and the Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor.
The strike force will initiate civil and criminal enforcement actions and develop other strategic initiatives to protect access to reproductive health care and abortion care for New Jersey residents and residents of other states who travel to New Jersey to access such care. The strike force will work with the office of the attorney general to coordinate enforcement actions across the entire Department of Law & Public Safety.
“A woman’s right to choose what happens to her own body is a fundamental measure of freedom in a society and it must be protected if we are to uphold the founding principles that all Americans are entitled to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,” Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver said. “I commend acting Attorney General Platkin for taking this necessary action to not only protect, but to enforce, the rights and freedoms of women and care providers in New Jersey.”
“The Supreme Court’s right-wing majority opinion in Dobbs is a devastating setback for women’s rights in America and will harm millions throughout the country,” Platkin said. “But make no mistake: Abortion remains legal in New Jersey. The Freedom of Reproductive Choice Act, signed into law this January by Gov. Murphy, protects the right to choose to terminate a pregnancy in New Jersey. And legislation signed into law by Gov. Murphy earlier this month provides additional critical protections for individuals who seek to access reproductive health care services in New Jersey. The strike force we are creating today will ensure that these laws are enforced to the full extent possible, and that we use every available resource to protect access to abortion care in New Jersey.”
The strike force will use available civil and criminal enforcement tools to protect the right to obtain abortion care in New Jersey, including by holding accountable individuals who threaten or intimidate patients or providers at clinics that provide reproductive health care; by holding accountable individuals who violate patient confidentiality requirements; and by developing strategic initiatives and undertaking investigations to help secure the private data of patients and providers and to limit the sharing of personal health-related data with third parties.
To learn more about abortion rights in New Jersey, visit https://tinyurl.com/2p8tkx9z.
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