Chatham Mayor Condemns Roe V. Wade Ruling, Protects Abortion Rights In Borough

CHATHAM BOROUGH, NJ — Following the recent Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, effectively repealing the constitutional right to abortion across the country, Chatham Borough Mayor Thaddeus Kobylarz and the six borough council members unanimously passed a resolution protecting the right in the borough.

Kobylarz and the council publicly condemned the June 24 Supreme Court decision in Dobbs vs. Jackson and urged the Federal Government and the State of New Jersey to implement feasible safeguards to ensure that women retain autonomy over their healthcare decisions, including those concerning birth control and pregnancy.

"As you know, the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade on Friday. This ruling ushers in dramatic changes to reproductive freedom and access to abortion… The Supreme Court's decision is profoundly distressing and concerning for many members of this community. It raises equally troubling concerns about the implications for other human rights widely believed to be established and inviable," Kobylarz said.

Before the 6-0 vote, council member Jocelyn Mathiasen moved to adopt the resolution that had been read into the record by the mayor and each of the council members.

According to the resolution, the Borough Council of Chatham believes that human rights are inalienable and fundamental rights inherent in all human beings and that these human rights include the right to make personal health care decisions without interference from the government.

Read more: Roe V. Wade Overturned: How Abortion Bans Will Impact New Jersey

"Abortion will now be automatically outlawed in 13 states with many others certain

or likely to ban abortion within weeks or months and proposed legislation in some states includes bans on abortion at any point after conception, even in the case of ectopic pregnancy, and could also outlaw fertility treatments and highly effective forms of birth control, which reduce the demand for abortion," the resolution states.

The council also noted that the author of the majority opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization has expressed a desire to examine and potentially reverse established precedents related to birth control and gay and lesbian rights.

Read more: LGBTQIA+ Rights At Risk After Roe V. Wade Decision, NJ Experts Say

"Human rights experts have denounced the harm extreme abortion bans will cause to

pregnant women and in particular women from marginalized communities… Health experts have repeatedly and explicitly recognized the connection between unsafe illegal abortion and high maternal mortality rates," the council said.

The Borough Council of Chatham believes that a pregnant woman should be able to decide how to proceed with an unplanned, unexpected, or medically complex pregnancy in consultation with her doctors and spiritual beliefs.

"This governing body stands united in its condemnation of the Supreme Court's ruling," Kobylarz said.